Engaging with the Katla Testnet is crucial for its transition to mainnet. Community participation, from running nodes to swapping to bridging & etc., ensures a smooth launch. Active contributors might also receive rewards, acknowledging their role in building a robust network. 🌟

Here’s How You Can Participate by Running a Taiko Node

Minimum Requirements

Order & Configure your VPS

You can establish your node by either configuring it on a personal computer or by utilizing a Virtual Private Server (VPS), which is well-suited for managing websites, applications, or other internet-based services, including nodes.
For my setup, I selected Contabo, a well-regarded provider of VPS rentals. Opting for a plan with at least 100 GB of storage is advisable to ensure sufficient space for long-term node operation.
My suggestion would be to go for the Cloud VPS M or L option. https://contabo.com/en/
Choose Cloud VPS M or L

1. Select Payment Term
2. Region — Germany
3. Storage Type -400 GB SSD
4. Image — Go to Apps & Panels > Docker

Apps & Panels > Docker
5. Log in & Set a Password for your Server
Set a password
6. Object Storage — Default
7. Networking — Default
8. Add-Ons — Default
After finalizing your payment, you’ll get an email verifying your purchase. Hold tight for a follow-up email, which will provide details about your VPS, encompassing your access credentials.
You’ll need to download and use Putty, a tool that enables you to securely connect to your VPS and utilize its functionalities. Download it here https://www.putty.org/
Enter IP ADDRESS
Enter the VPS IP Address then Click OPEN
Login : root
Password: (Enter your chosen password)
Log in using the password you set earlier.

Preparations

1. Install essential components

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Essential Codes

sudo apt install pkg-config curl git-all build-essential libssl-dev libclang-dev ufw

Reply Y then proceed
3. Check if Docker is up-to-date / Docker Installation

docker version

If docker is not installed, run the following command:

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

Now add Docker’s official GPG key:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

proceed… We Are to set up Repository: (just copy and paste)

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Let’s grant Docker file permission just in case, before updating the package index

sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo apt-get update

after granting, updated index, Install latest version of docker

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

Reply with Y and press ENTER Now install Docker compose :

sudo apt install docker-compose

Lets verify the ENGINE INSTALLATION is successful by running the hello-world

sudo docker run hello-world

you should get this
Now check Docker compose version :

docker-compose -v

HOLESKY INSTALLATION

You can skip this step and go to TAIKO INSTALLATION if you already have an L1 Endpoints. (you can get them via RPC providers like Blockpi, Alchemy, Infura etc. )

Installation

1. First, if you don’t already have a non-root user account, you’ll need to create one. You can do this with the adduser command:

adduser myusername

a. Set-up Password:
b. Update info (or you can just press ENTER for default)
e. Edit the sudoers file with visudo for safety, as it checks for syntax errors:

visudo

Use arrow keys to navigate to #user privilege specification and Add a line for the new user to grant sudo access.

myusername ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

example: It should look like this
Ctrl+X , Y and ENTER to save
test your sudo access: (OUTPUT SHOULD RESULT TO ROOT)

sudo whoami

2. Enter su command

su - myusername

3. Clone Eth Docker

git clone https://github.com/eth-educators/eth-docker

2. Go to directory

cd eth-docker

3. Do the eth-docker quickstart config

./ethd config

Enter Password
Select the following:
a. Holeskey Testnet
Holesky Testnet
b. Ethereum RPC node -consensus and execution client
Ethereum RPC node
c. Lighthouse (Rust) — consensus client
Lighthouse (Rust)
d. Geth (Go)
Geth (Go)
e. Press Enter (OK)
Enter (OK)
f. MEV boost (NO)
Select No
g. Grafana (YES)
Select Yes
f. Enter wallet address (any wallet address that you control)
Enter Wallet Address
g. After Selecting, wait for the configuration (takes about a min)
4. Expose RPC PORTS

nano .env

a. Go to this line “COMPOSE_FILE=lighthouse-cl-only.yml:geth.yml:” and add :el-shared.yml
add :el-shared.yml
b. Also Enable archive node -(Navigate down using the arrow keys). Set the value ARCHIVE_NODE to true
Save (CTRL+X, Y & ENTER)
5. Run the Holesky Node
6. Monitoring (Check your node if Running Properly)
a. Go to grafana dashboard by entering this to your URL= <localhost>:3000
Default Username & Password is = admin
b. Go to search bar and type “GETH”
c. If you see graphs like this, it means your node is running. Wait for a while for it to sync.
Now you have your Holesky Node running for your L1 Endpoints.

TAIKO INSTALLATION

1. Clone taiko

git clone https://github.com/taikoxyz/simple-taiko-node.git

2. Go to taiko directory

cd simple-taiko-node

3. Copy sample .env file

cp .env.sample .env

4. Configure ENV file

nano .env

Set the following L1 node endpoints in your .env file:

• L1_ENDPOINT_HTTP http://”VPS_IP_ADDRESS”:8545
• L1_ENDPOINT_WS ws://VPS_IP_ADDRESS:8546

SAVE (CTRL + X, Y and ENTER)
5. View endpoint

source .env
echo $L1_ENDPOINT_WS

6. Run Taiko Node

docker compose up -d

7. Monitoring
a. Check Logs

docker compose logs -f

b. Open Grafana dashboard
Open in URL = http://localhost:3001/d/L2ExecutionEngine/l2-execution-engine-overview
Wait for it to sync and come back after a few hours. (still unsure on how many hours is the sync time )
Optional: If you already saved your screen by using this command:

screen -S taiko

You can press CTRL+A+D simultaneously to logout session. and if you want to come back to your previous session, you can use this command:

screen -r taiko

That’s it! You now have your Taiko Node running! Make sure to stay updated on Taiko’s Socials regarding any updates in the future.