Running a Validator

⚠️ This section may change without prior notice

Critical information in this section may be subject to change as the network is in early stages.

🔓 The Moca Chain source code is publicly available on GitHub.

Validator Information

Minimum System Requirements

Component	Recommended Specification	Minimum Specification
Hardware	Desktop or laptop running recent versions of Mac OS X or Linux	Desktop or laptop running recent versions of Mac OS X or Linux
CPU	16 cores	8 cores
Memory (RAM)	128 GB	64 GB
Storage	4 TB NVMe SSD	2 TB NVMe SSD
Bandwidth	5 MB/s+	1 MB/s+

Number of $MOCA to be staked: Refer to the latest network parameters for current staking requirements. Slashing details: Refer to the latest network parameters for current slashing conditions.

Setting up Validator Node

Install Fullnode

Follow the instructions here to set up a full node.

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

Warning The current key generation and storage procedures are not very secure. It is highly recommended to implement a more robust method, particularly when dealing with keys like the validator operator key. For enhanced security and best practices, the usage of the Cold Wallet and MPC Wallet is strongly encouraged.

mocad keys add validator --keyring-backend test
mocad keys add validator_bls --keyring-backend test --algo eth_bls
mocad keys add validator_relayer --keyring-backend test
mocad keys add validator_challenger --keyring-backend test

Tip Alternatively, if you choose a different $KEY_HOME location and you are not using the suggested default ~/.mocad, you may start the full node by using below script, where $KEY_HOME is your selected directory.

mocad keys add validator --keyring-backend test --home ${KEY_HOME}
mocad keys add validator_bls --keyring-backend test --algo eth_bls --home ${KEY_HOME}
mocad keys add validator_relayer --keyring-backend test --home ${KEY_HOME}
mocad keys add validator_challenger --keyring-backend test --home ${KEY_HOME}

Obtain validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger account addresses

Note Ensure you choose the correct –keyring-backend and that –home is set correctly if you saved the files in a custom folder in step 2. Note: For the MsgCreateValidator proposal, the delegator and validator addresses must be the same account.

VALIDATOR_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator -a --keyring-backend test)
DELEGATOR_ADDR=$VALIDATOR_ADDR
RELAYER_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator_relayer -a --keyring-backend test)
CHALLENGER_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator_challenger -a --keyring-backend test)
VALIDATOR_BLS=$(mocad keys show validator_bls --keyring-backend test --output json | jq -r '.pubkey_hex')
VALIDATOR_BLS_PROOF=$(mocad keys sign ${VALIDATOR_BLS} --keyring-backend test --from validator_bls)
VALIDATOR_NODE_PUB_KEY=$(cat ~/.mocad/config/priv_validator_key.json | jq -r '.pub_key.value')

Warning The file ~/.mocad/config/priv_validator_key.json contains your validator’s consensus key. This key is used to sign blocks. Keep it secure — if compromised, your validator can be slashed. Ensure your validator account is funded with sufficient $MOCA before proceeding.

Authorize Governance Module to allow Delegation

Generic Authorization

VALIDATOR_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator -a --keyring-backend test)
DELEGATOR_ADDR=$VALIDATOR_ADDR
GOV_ADDR=0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2
mocad tx authz grant ${GOV_ADDR} generic --msg-type=/cosmos.staking.v1beta1.MsgDelegate --keyring-backend test --chain-id "moca_222888-1" --from ${DELEGATOR_ADDR} --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443" -b sync --gas "200000000" --fees "100000000000000000000amoca" --yes

OR Limited Authorization

VALIDATOR_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator -a --keyring-backend test)
DELEGATOR_ADDR=$VALIDATOR_ADDR
GOV_ADDR=0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2
mocad tx authz grant ${GOV_ADDR} delegate --allowed-validators=${VALIDATOR_ADDR} --spend-limit=10000000000000000000000amoca  --keyring-backend test --chain-id "moca_222888-1" --from ${DELEGATOR_ADDR} --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443" -b sync --gas "2000000" --fees "1000000000000000000amoca" --yes

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

Replace the values in the following JSON and save it as create_validator_proposal.json: $: A custom human-readable name for this node. $: The consensus key generated in step 1 (stored in $/.mocad/config/priv_validator_key.json by default). $: The operator address created in step 2. $: The delegator address created in step 2. $: The BLS key created in step 2. $: The BLS proof created in step2. $: The relayer address created in step 2. $: The challenger address created in step 2.

{
  "messages": [
    {
      "@type": "/cosmos.staking.v1beta1.MsgCreateValidator",
      "description": {
        "moniker": "${MONIKER_NAME}",
        "identity": "",
        "website": "https://${MONIKER_NAME}",
        "security_contact": "",
        "details": "${MONIKER_NAME} details"
      },
      "commission": {
        "rate": "0.070000000000000000",
        "max_rate": "1.000000000000000000",
        "max_change_rate": "0.010000000000000000"
      },
      "min_self_delegation": "1",
      "delegator_address": "${DELEGATOR_ADDR}",
      "validator_address": "${VALIDATOR_ADDR}",
      "pubkey": {
        "@type": "/cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey",
        "key": "${VALIDATOR_NODE_PUB_KEY}"
      },
      "value": {
        "denom": "amoca",
        "amount": "10000000000000000000000"
      },
      "from": "0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2",
      "relayer_address": "${RELAYER_ADDR}",
      "challenger_address": "${CHALLENGER_ADDR}",
      "bls_key": "${VALIDATOR_BLS}",
      "bls_proof": "${VALIDATOR_BLS_PROOF}"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": "",
  "title": "Create ${MONIKER_NAME} Validator",
  "summary": "create ${MONIKER_NAME} validator",
  "deposit": "10000000000000000000000amoca"
}

You can also use the gen_validator_proposal.sh script to create：

# !/bin/bash

MONIKER_NAME="validator-lsl"
# create accounts
echo "Creating validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts..."
mocad keys add validator --keyring-backend test
mocad keys add validator_bls --keyring-backend test --algo eth_bls
mocad keys add validator_relayer --keyring-backend test
mocad keys add validator_challenger --keyring-backend test
# get accounts and private key
echo "Obtaining addresses and keys..."
VALIDATOR_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator -a --keyring-backend test)
DELEGATOR_ADDR=$VALIDATOR_ADDR
RELAYER_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator_relayer -a --keyring-backend test)
CHALLENGER_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator_challenger -a --keyring-backend test)
VALIDATOR_BLS=$(mocad keys show validator_bls --keyring-backend test --output json | jq -r '.pubkey_hex')
VALIDATOR_BLS_PROOF=$(mocad keys sign ${VALIDATOR_BLS} --keyring-backend test --from validator_bls)
VALIDATOR_NODE_PUB_KEY=$(cat ~/.mocad/config/priv_validator_key.json | jq -r '.pub_key.value')
# grant staking authz to governance module
echo "Granting staking authz to governance module..."
GOV_ADDR=0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2
mocad tx authz grant ${GOV_ADDR} generic --msg-type=/cosmos.staking.v1beta1.MsgDelegate --keyring-backend test --chain-id "moca_222888-1" --from ${DELEGATOR_ADDR} --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443" -b sync --gas "200000000" --fees "100000000000000000000amoca" --yes
# generate the JSON file
echo "Generating create_validator_proposal.json..."
cat <<EOF > proposal.json
{
"messages": [
{
"@type": "/cosmos.staking.v1beta1.MsgCreateValidator",
"description": {
"moniker": "${MONIKER_NAME}",
"identity": "",
"website": "https://${MONIKER_NAME}",
"security_contact": "",
"details": "${MONIKER_NAME} details"
},
"commission": {
"rate": "0.070000000000000000",
"max_rate": "1.000000000000000000",
"max_change_rate": "0.010000000000000000"
},
"min_self_delegation": "1",
"delegator_address": "${DELEGATOR_ADDR}",
"validator_address": "${VALIDATOR_ADDR}",
"pubkey": {
"@type": "/cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey",
"key": "${VALIDATOR_NODE_PUB_KEY}"
},
"value": {
"denom": "amoca",
"amount": "10000000000000000000000"
},
"from": "0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2",
"relayer_address": "${RELAYER_ADDR}",
"challenger_address": "${CHALLENGER_ADDR}",
"bls_key": "${VALIDATOR_BLS}",
"bls_proof": "${VALIDATOR_BLS_PROOF}"
}
],
"metadata": "",
"title": "Create ${MONIKER_NAME} Validator",
"summary": "create ${MONIKER_NAME} validator",
"deposit": "10000000000000000000000amoca"
}
EOF
echo "proposal.json has been created."

Run the script

bash gen_validator_proposal.sh

and you will see the output:

VALIDATOR_ADDR: 0x400b809ec90B8666c671b7ceC82033Dd6186D8c8
DELEGATOR_ADDR: 0x400b809ec90B8666c671b7ceC82033Dd6186D8c8
RELAYER_ADDR: 0xf7B8eeC1E7eb13827a9738A39f965f06DdfE4A90
CHALLENGER_ADDR: 0x5cc8eC44a7Cc8F5BcdF6Eb9301D9632828C20651
VALIDATOR_BLS: 18726fbcace099dce4cee158410bdc94e1b19f6531dd5ccf5327dd5384ef3422037862be14e324d7b8e4175fa0c86d053974a320ee92681560aa947c310d63c827dd73092bf57da29b34f2e4844a55aee4f803f009efff1ce7edc797e16fcf31008f67eba9fabad94876d65d135458fa1c814562cf1da8e1574c68ad4cbda887
VALIDATOR_BLS_PROOF: 0e5361e641ecc43b30fa2d921d39e5793d6def5638a5e6badb08827867a9a396134f0000ca9e20eebc51e62ab58c99c8576c2f384f103a55cfc568c2e98dc375
VALIDATOR_NODE_PUB_KEY: uk+p1GR1/Iy5B9rkKRe6lmRta1bnkFTM3HLd+8wpZL4=

Submit the governance proposal. Ensure the validator account has enough $MOCA.

Info If you are utilizing the Cold Wallet or MPC wallet, please proceed to next step

VALIDATOR_ADDR=$(mocad keys show validator -a --keyring-backend test)
DELEGATOR_ADDR=$VALIDATOR_ADDR
mocad tx gov submit-proposal ./proposal.json --keyring-backend test --chain-id "moca_222888-1" --from ${DELEGATOR_ADDR} --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443" -b sync --gas "600000" --fees "100000000000000000000amoca" --yes

You can see the following output:

code: 0
codespace: ""
data: 1A080000000000008A7A
events: []
gas_used: "0"
gas_wanted: "0"
height: "0"
info: ""
logs: []
raw_log: '[]'
timestamp: ""
tx: null
txhash: 94BFFAA9792A9C94BC1A925C433F5CA13CB1526C8E85D83D9D462ACF766E8475

Find the proposal ID:

mocad q tx BB845EA77C5051A8885FCEB6FAF06E279305D9DE7B03DBA8915D1A1E2804B3AF --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443" --output json | jq '.logs[] | .events[] | select(.type == "submit_proposal") | .attributes[] | select(.key == "proposal_id") | .value | tonumber'

Query proposal status

curl -s https://api.testnet.mocachain.dev/cosmos/gov/v1/proposals/3 | jq

Output:

{
"proposal": {
"id": "3",
"messages": [
{
"@type": "/cosmos.staking.v1beta1.MsgCreateValidator",
"description": {
"moniker": "validator-lsl",
"identity": "",
"website": "https://validator-lsl",
"security_contact": "",
"details": "validator-lsl details"
},
"commission": {
"rate": "0.070000000000000000",
"max_rate": "1.000000000000000000",
"max_change_rate": "0.010000000000000000"
},
"min_self_delegation": "1",
"delegator_address": "0x0E47f44E8e5aaaFFB2D93f8Ec003470C76a70f1a",
"validator_address": "0x0E47f44E8e5aaaFFB2D93f8Ec003470C76a70f1a",
"pubkey": {
"@type": "/cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey",
"key": "NgpQL9w9C36mRn5TRuEooCs7WSnfeSWTawUhleiAzJQ="
},
"value": {
"denom": "amoca",
"amount": "10000000000000000000000"
},
"from": "0x7b5Fe22B5446f7C62Ea27B8BD71CeF94e03f3dF2",
"relayer_address": "0x2663170D78C7F2975abdd230Fa29Abf2E599dFf3",
"challenger_address": "0xc1E3825A64e3fBeeb0F0dE301B9A5cf6A0b93555",
"bls_key": "19788627475911af79040fb2cc06b3e2c55d294040aa2ea0cf82b0be34263fcd1546cadd9ef7cef43c0b8ace373b202f564d44f954ac1525a85694ea1cba8958093abea4bd8c042530d1028bd53030292983f3fe52a81ae262cdf23e056470a009d43f34369193f197c409533726cd62ce049a63ee80577718df85fec4874b31",
"bls_proof": "256d6283d5eb2e989f7dcb37f9c87db714a626af5bd40efc98d807c6c9acab3828f432091f3923b2b680e2c8479f60d896557586d916d5e06609eae5859912c0"
}
],
"status": "PROPOSAL_STATUS_VOTING_PERIOD",
"final_tally_result": {
"yes_count": "0",
"abstain_count": "0",
"no_count": "0",
"no_with_veto_count": "0"
},
"submit_time": "2024-11-18T10:13:17.955988297Z",
"deposit_end_time": "2024-11-19T10:13:17.955988297Z",
"total_deposit": [
{
"denom": "amoca",
"amount": "10000000000000000000000"
}
],
"voting_start_time": "2024-11-18T10:13:17.955988297Z",
"voting_end_time": "2024-11-19T10:13:17.955988297Z",
"metadata": "",
"title": "Create validator-lsl Validator",
"summary": "create validator-lsl validator",
"proposer": "0x73C4fCB7Dc03f30C2d8662d1ba146b387C3d063a",
"failed_reason": ""
}
}

You can find the proposal status is PROPOSAL_STATUS_VOTING_PERIOD

Wait for the voting until the Proposal is passed.

After submitting the proposal successfully, you must wait for the voting to be completed and the proposal to be approved. The voting period varies by network. Once it has passed and is successfully executed, you can verify that the node has become a validator. Please announce your proposal ID to the existing validators, as they must vote in favour of it for it to pass. For existing validators — run the following to vote on the proposal:

mocad tx gov vote <PROPOSAL_ID> yes \
  --from validator \
  --keyring-backend test \
  --chain-id "<CHAIN_ID>" \
  --node "<NODE_URL>" \
  --gas 200000 \
  --gas-prices "10000000000amoca" \
  -y

Warning Please ensure that the validator node is running before it is selected and if the validator is also responsible for running relayer and/or running challenger, then please ensure all these services are running as expected before selection.

Query all validators

mocad query staking validators --node "https://tm-rpc.testnet.mocachain.dev:443"

You will see the following output:

...
- bls_key: Hq27eaPq9K9bQWOO8KDrB9Q9HtxujkTO1Bmx9peUexwUs9mAZQ9wVXzSs9Lqg5EK1C+JE1owNcgzy1ZM76BAdhnsRWnXOyNnGzzBHyMpsBauWEEs0eMg47TADYx5UWzQGk+cNiohUL6k36xL/48s4uuXf1nDxWB/WHnMkbqlIxw=
challenger_address: 0x77C22b475bb76297BCEcad72aB4C9BAa9215dE57
commission:
commission_rates:
max_change_rate: "0.010000000000000000"
max_rate: "1.000000000000000000"
rate: "0.070000000000000000"
update_time: "2024-09-27T03:18:14.385577987Z"
consensus_pubkey:
"@type": /cosmos.crypto.ed25519.PubKey
key: bIV4oNvEblriuduP9dBK2fKVeEj4bAAgRdSY+JJz6oM=
delegator_shares: "10000000000000000000000.000000000000000000"
description:
details: my-validator details
identity: ""
moniker: my-validator
security_contact: ""
website: https://my-validator
jailed: false
min_self_delegation: "1"
operator_address: 0xD4d6B184E53a5625d7B842245E8E46842912F151
relayer_address: 0xa6bFd1EB8657bE66f7B9AcA7d27dB804214e2Af2
self_del_address: 0x0FD3375177f9B118142738Fd732D242465A18a70
status: BOND_STATUS_BONDED
tokens: "10000000000000000000000"
unbonding_height: "0"
unbonding_ids: []
unbonding_on_hold_ref_count: "0"
unbonding_time: "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
...

One-step

For ease of execution, we have encapsulated the above process into a script.

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

./scripts/create_validator_proposal.sh generate ~/.mocad

This will print the generated validator_address (which is also used as the delegator address).

===== generate ====
add keys...
show keys...
generated validator proposal file...
create_validator_proposal.json has been generated successfully at ../scripts/proposal.json.
VALIDATOR_ADDR: 0xD4d6B184E53a5625d7B842245E8E46842912F151

You need to ensure that the validator address is funded with sufficient Moca to be used for the subsequent proposal submission. Check the balance:

bash scripts/create_validator_proposal.sh balance ~/.mocad

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

./scripts/create_validator_proposal.sh create ~/.mocad

Wait for the Proposal to pass

Alternatively, you can also check the proposal status with the following command:

bash scripts/create_validator_proposal.sh query_proposal ~/.mocad

.....
"status": "PROPOSAL_STATUS_PASSED",
"final_tally_result": {
"yes_count": "40000000000000000000000000",
"abstain_count": "0",
"no_count": "0",
"no_with_veto_count": "0"
},
....

Introduction

Technical Details

Using Moca Chain

Node Guides

Native dApps

Help

How to run a validator node for Moca Chain

Running a Validator

Validator Information

Minimum System Requirements

Setting up Validator Node

Install Fullnode

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

Obtain validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger account addresses

Authorize Governance Module to allow Delegation

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

Submit the governance proposal. Ensure the validator account has enough $MOCA.

Wait for the voting until the Proposal is passed.

Query all validators

One-step

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

Wait for the Proposal to pass

​Running a Validator

​Validator Information

​Minimum System Requirements

​Setting up Validator Node

​Install Fullnode

​Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

​Obtain validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger account addresses

​Authorize Governance Module to allow Delegation

​Submit a Create Validator Proposal

​Submit the governance proposal. Ensure the validator account has enough $MOCA.

​Wait for the voting until the Proposal is passed.

​Query all validators

​One-step

​Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

​Submit a Create Validator Proposal

​Wait for the Proposal to pass

Running a Validator

Validator Information

Minimum System Requirements

Setting up Validator Node

Install Fullnode

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

Obtain validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger account addresses

Authorize Governance Module to allow Delegation

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

Submit the governance proposal. Ensure the validator account has enough $MOCA.

Wait for the voting until the Proposal is passed.

Query all validators

One-step

Prepare validator, validator BLS, relayer, and challenger accounts

Submit a Create Validator Proposal

Wait for the Proposal to pass