Skip to main content
Version: Testnet (v3.0.1)

Running a Full Node

Overview​

This guide covers the steps required to run a full node on Aztec using Docker Compose.

A full node allows you to connect and interact with the network, providing an interface to send and receive transactions and state updates without relying on third parties.

You should run your own full node if you want to interact with the network in the most privacy-preserving way. It's also a great way to support the Aztec network and get involved with the community.

Minimum Hardware Requirements​

  • 8 core / 16 vCPU (released in 2015 or later)
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB NVMe SSD
  • 25 Mbps network connection

These requirements are subject to change as the network throughput increases.

Before proceeding: Ensure you've reviewed and completed the prerequisites.

This setup includes only essential settings. The --network testnet flag applies network-specific defaults—see the CLI reference for all available configuration options.

Setup​

Step 1: Set Up Directory Structure​

Create the directory structure for node data:

mkdir -p aztec-node/data
cd aztec-node
touch .env

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables​

Add the following to your .env file:

DATA_DIRECTORY=./data
LOG_LEVEL=info
ETHEREUM_HOSTS=[your L1 execution endpoint]
L1_CONSENSUS_HOST_URLS=[your L1 consensus endpoint]
ETHEREUM_DEBUG_HOSTS=[your trace capable L1 execution endpoint]
P2P_IP=[your external IP address]
P2P_PORT=40400
AZTEC_PORT=8080
AZTEC_ADMIN_PORT=8880
tip

Find your public IP address with: curl ipv4.icanhazip.com

warning

In order to retrieve blocks posted to L1 via non-standard contract interactions, it is necessary to have access to an L1 rpc endpoint with 'trace' capability (either trace_transaction or debug_traceTransaction). The variable ETHEREUM_DEBUG_HOSTS is used to provide these url/s to the node. If not provided, the value of this will default to that set in ETHEREUM_HOSTS. The node will validate whether it is able to execute a trace call on the provided url/s, if not, it looks to the value set in ETHEREUM_ALLOW_NO_DEBUG_HOSTS to determine whether this should prevent the node from starting. By default ETHEREUM_ALLOW_NO_DEBUG_HOSTS is true, allowing the node to start. Any url provided in ETHEREUM_DEBUG_HOSTS will only be used in the case of having to execute a trace, it won't be used in regular L1 interactions.

Note - if the node does not have access to an rpc url that is capable of trace calls and it encounters a block posted via a transaction using non-standard contract interactions, it may become stuck and unable to progress the chain.

Step 3: Create Docker Compose File​

Create a docker-compose.yml file in your aztec-node directory:

services:
  aztec-node:
    image: "aztecprotocol/aztec:3.0.1"
    container_name: "aztec-node"
    ports:
      - ${AZTEC_PORT}:${AZTEC_PORT}
      - ${P2P_PORT}:${P2P_PORT}
      - ${P2P_PORT}:${P2P_PORT}/udp
    volumes:
      - ${DATA_DIRECTORY}:/var/lib/data
    environment:
      DATA_DIRECTORY: /var/lib/data
      LOG_LEVEL: ${LOG_LEVEL}
      ETHEREUM_HOSTS: ${ETHEREUM_HOSTS}
      L1_CONSENSUS_HOST_URLS: ${L1_CONSENSUS_HOST_URLS}
      ETHEREUM_DEBUG_HOSTS: ${ETHEREUM_DEBUG_HOSTS}
      P2P_IP: ${P2P_IP}
      P2P_PORT: ${P2P_PORT}
      AZTEC_PORT: ${AZTEC_PORT}
      AZTEC_ADMIN_PORT: ${AZTEC_ADMIN_PORT}
    entrypoint: >-
      node
      --no-warnings
      /usr/src/yarn-project/aztec/dest/bin/index.js
      start
      --node
      --archiver
      --network testnet
    networks:
      - aztec
    restart: always

networks:
  aztec:
    name: aztec
Security: Admin Port Not Exposed

The admin port (8880) is intentionally not exposed to the host machine for security reasons. The admin API provides sensitive operations like configuration changes and database rollbacks that should never be accessible from outside the container.

If you need to access admin endpoints, use docker exec:

docker exec -it aztec-node curl -X POST http://localhost:8880 \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"nodeAdmin_getConfig","params":[],"id":1}'

Step 4: Start the Node​

Start the node:

docker compose up -d

Verification​

Once your node is running, verify it's working correctly:

Check Node Sync Status​

Check the current sync status:

curl -s -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"node_getL2Tips","params":[],"id":67}' \
http://localhost:8080 | jq -r ".result.proven.number"

Compare the output with block explorers (see Networks page for explorer links).

Check Node Status​

curl http://localhost:8080/status

Verify Port Connectivity​

# Check TCP connectivity on port 40400
nc -vz [YOUR_EXTERNAL_IP] 40400
# Should return: "Connection to [YOUR_EXTERNAL_IP] 40400 port [tcp/*] succeeded!"

# Check UDP connectivity on port 40400
nc -vu [YOUR_EXTERNAL_IP] 40400
# Should return: "Connection to [YOUR_EXTERNAL_IP] 40400 port [udp/*] succeeded!"

View Logs​

docker compose logs -f aztec-node

If all checks pass, your node should be up, running, and connected to the network.

Troubleshooting​

Port forwarding not working​

Issue: Your node cannot connect to peers.

Solutions:

  • Verify your external IP address matches the P2P_IP setting
  • Check firewall rules on your router and local machine
  • Test connectivity using: nc -zv [your-ip] 40400

Node not syncing​

Issue: Your node is not synchronizing with the network.

Solutions:

  • Check L1 endpoint connectivity
  • Verify both execution and consensus clients are fully synced
  • Review logs for specific error messages
  • Ensure L1 endpoints support high throughput

Docker issues​

Issue: Container won't start or crashes.

Solutions:

  • Ensure Docker and Docker Compose are up to date
  • Check disk space availability
  • Verify the .env file is properly formatted
  • Review container logs: docker compose logs aztec-node

Next Steps​