Edit

Prerequisites

After completing the How to Set Up a Cardano Stake Pool guide, you will know how to register and operate a secure stake pool on Mainnet. The guide also includes instructions throughout explaining how to configure a stake pool to operate in a Testnet environment.

Operating a stake pool in a Cardano Testnet Environment prior to registering a stake pool in the Mainnet production environment offers a risk-free approach to start learning practically about the technical skills, commitment, responsibilities and benefits of operating a Cardano stake pool.

If you are unsure of the Testnet environment to use to practice registering and operating a stake pool, consider using the Preview testing network environment.

When operating a stake pool on Mainnet, using a Testnet environment to test configuration changes and upgrades as well as troubleshoot any issues that may arise without impacting the production environment is very helpful.

🧙‍♂️ Mandatory Skills for Stake Pool Operators

As a Stake Pool Operator (SPO) for Cardano, you need:

🧙 Mandatory Experience for Stake Pool Operators

🛑 Before continuing this guide, you must satisfy the above requirements. 🚧

🎗️ Minimum Mainnet Stake Pool Hardware and Operating Requirements

  • Two separate servers: 1 block producer node, 1 registered relay node

  • One air-gapped offline computer (cold environment)

  • Operating system: 64-bit Linux (i.e. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)

  • Processor: An Intel or AMD x86 processor with two or more cores, at 2GHz or faster

  • Memory: 24GB RAM (including swap space)

  • Storage: 300GB free storage

  • Internet: Static IP address and a broadband connection supporting speeds at least 10 Mbps

  • Data Plan: At least 1GB per day (30GB per month)

  • Power: Reliable electrical power

  • ADA balance: At least 505 ADA for pool deposit and transaction fees

🏋️‍♂️ Recommended Future-proof Mainnet Stake Pool Hardware and Operating Requirements

  • Four separate servers: 1 block producer node, 3 relay nodes (2 registered relays and 1 unregistered relay) located in at least two different physical locations around the world

  • One air-gapped offline machine (cold environment)

  • Operating system: 64-bit Linux (i.e. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)

  • Processor: An Intel or AMD x86 processor with four or more cores, at 2GHz or faster

  • Memory: 24GB+ RAM

  • Storage: 350GB+ free storage

  • Internet: Static IP addresses and broadband connections supporting speeds of at least 100 Mbps

  • Data Plan: Unlimited

  • Power: Reliable electrical power with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) or other backup power source

  • ADA balance: More pledge and stake is better, to be determined by a0, the pledge influence factor

🔨 Example Testnet Stake Pool Hardware and Operating Requirements

  • One server: 1 block producer node

  • Operating system: 64-bit Linux (i.e. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)

  • Processor: An Intel or AMD x86 processor with two or more cores, at 2GHz or faster

  • Memory: 8GB RAM

  • Storage: 50GB free storage

  • Internet: Static IP address and a broadband connection supporting speeds at least 10 Mbps

  • Data Plan: At least 1GB per day (30GB per month)

  • Power: Reliable electrical power

  • ADA balance: 0 ADA (Request tokens and stake pool delegations using the Testnets Faucet)

🔓 Recommended Stake Pool Security

If you need ideas on how to harden your stake pool's nodes, see the topic Hardening an Ubuntu Server.

🛠️ Setup Ubuntu

Refer to the respective guide to Install Ubuntu Server or Install Ubuntu Desktop.

🧱 Rebuilding Nodes

If you are rebuilding or reusing an existing Cardano Node installation, see the topic Resetting an Installation.

PreviousPART I - INSTALLATIONNextHardening an Ubuntu Server

Last updated