Run a Decred Full Node FAST with just one command!

Decred Full Node Curl Script - Super Fast Setup!

Here's how you can run a Decred full node with just one command on a Virtual Private Server, a Raspberry Pi or other home server solution. If you already have a VPS and don’t want to follow the tutorial, just run this curl command and your Decred full node will be good to go.

The Command

Linux x86 (Ubuntu/Debian):

curl -L https://node.dcr.pw | bash

Raspberry Pi:

curl -L https://node.dcr.pw/pi | bash

Why should you run a Full Node?

Decred relies on having a peer-to-peer network of nodes that fully validate all transactions and blocks and then relays them to other full nodes. Running a full node contributes to the overall security of the network, and helps ensure there are nodes available to serve lightweight SPV wallets, which are used in core applications like Decrediton, Bison Relay, and the Decred DEX.

Requirements

What’s great about Decred’s node is it’s only about 12 gigabytes in size so you don't need much hard drive space. So for this demonstration, I’m going to pick a cheap VPS option. You’ll want at least 2 gigabytes of ram and 40 gigabytes of harddrive space because the node will grow in size over time.

OS - Ubuntu or Debian

I’ll choose Ubuntu as my OS. (22.04 64 bit)

SSH using Putty

And once the VPS is ready and I’m in the control panel, I’ll take the IP address and password they give me and securely connect to my VPS using an application called PUTTY.

Update The Server

Now I’ll make sure the server is up to date by running sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade After that’s done I’ll type reboot to reboot the server.

Log back in again using PUTTY. And now I’ll run our handy script which is going to set everything up.

Running the Curl Command

Ubuntu/Debian:

curl -L https://node.dcr.pw | bash

Raspberry Pi:

curl -L https://node.dcr.pw/pi | bash

And that’s it. Our node is going to spend the next hour or so syncing to the latest block (longer on older RaspPi devices), and from there it will do its job of validating transactions and helping the network.

Note: On a homeserver/RPI you may need to forward the 9108 Port.

Check Status

I can run the command decred.sh at any time to see what the node is doing.

I can also run the command htop to view memory and CPU usage. Press control and x to exit this view.

View the source code of this curl command on Github. Shout out to Decred Jesus for putting this all together.

What’s great is it runs as a service, so the node will automatically start up whenever the server is running.

Decred Mapper

My node is now part of a global network and is visible on the Decred mapper website. (Note this might take a few days to appear)

And that’s all! Thanks for reading, and I hope you consider running a Decred full node.