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Running Your Own RPC Node

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up and running your own Remote Procedure Call (RPC) node for Status Network. By running your own RPC node, you can gain greater control over your interactions with the Status Network, enhance privacy, and reduce reliance on third-party services.

Getting Started​

The Status Network RPC Tools repository provides all the necessary tooling, genesis files, and setup scripts to run your own RPC node.

Complete Setup Guide​

For detailed setup instructions, prerequisites, system requirements, and step-by-step guidance, please refer to the official README in the repository.

Node Options​

The setup script provides two node implementations to choose from:

You can run either one or both simultaneously depending on your needs.

Verifying Your Node​

In the examples below, replace <YOUR_CLIENT_PORT> with 8545 if using Besu, or 8445 if using Geth.

Basic Verification​

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

# You should receive a response with the current block number.
curl -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}' \
  http://localhost:<YOUR_CLIENT_PORT>

Health & Sync Verification​

For comprehensive node health checks:

# Check your node's syncing status. Returns false if the node is in sync.
curl -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_syncing","params":[],"id":1}' \
  http://localhost:<YOUR_CLIENT_PORT>

# Verify your node's number of connected peers (should be > 0)
curl -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"net_peerCount","params":[],"id":1}' \
  http://localhost:<YOUR_CLIENT_PORT>

An up-to-date and healthy node should show:

  • eth_blockNumber matches a trusted reference (like the public RPC or block explorer)
  • eth_syncing returns false (fully synced)
  • net_peerCount is greater than 0 (connected to peers)

WebSocket Support​

Your node also supports WebSocket connections for real-time event subscriptions:

# WebSocket endpoint
ws://localhost:8546  # Besu
ws://localhost:8446  # Geth

WebSocket Connection​

Example Subscriptions​

// Subscribe to new block headers
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_subscribe","params":["newHeads"],"id":1}

// Subscribe to logs matching a filter
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_subscribe","params":["logs",{"address":"0x..."}],"id":1}

// Unsubscribe
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_unsubscribe","params":["0x..."],"id":1}

Advanced Features​

Batch Requests​

Your node supports batch JSON-RPC requests for improved efficiency:

  • Default batch cap: 1,024 requests per batch
  • Configuration: Tunable via --rpc-http-max-batch-size (set to 1 for unlimited)
  • Max request size: 5 MB (default --rpc-http-max-request-content-length)

Resource-Intensive Methods​

Be aware of methods that may require longer response times:

MethodResponse TimeNotes
eth_getLogs (large ranges)200ms to several secondsUse bounded ranges and bloom filters
eth_estimateGas200ms to several secondsMay be slower under load or with complex contracts
Performance Tip

For production use, start with low-thousands read RPS and scale horizontally based on your specific workload and hardware tests.

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Port Already in Use

    # Check what's using port 8545 (Besu) or 8445 (Geth)
    lsof -i :8545
    lsof -i :8445

    # Kill the process if needed
    kill -9 <PID>

  2. Docker Container Issues

    # Check running containers
    docker ps

    # View container logs
    docker compose logs -f

    # Restart containers
    docker compose restart

  3. Node Not Syncing

    • Check your internet connection
    • Verify you have sufficient disk space
    • Check the Docker container logs: docker compose logs
    • Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements

  4. RPC Endpoint Not Responding

    • Verify containers are running: docker ps
    • Check firewall settings
    • Ensure the RPC ports (8545, 8445) are accessible
    • Review container logs for errors

Monitoring Your Node​

# Check Docker containers status
docker compose ps

# Monitor container logs
docker compose logs -f

# Monitor disk usage
df -h

# Check network connections
netstat -tulpn | grep :8545
netstat -tulpn | grep :8445

Storage Planning​

Disk Space Requirements​

Plan your storage capacity based on growth:

  • Initial size: ~200 GB (after 6 months, ~12M transactions with 2s blocks)
  • Growth rate: Moderate, depends on network activity
  • Recommended: 2 TB Gen4 NVMe for headroom
Plan for Growth

Always provision extra storage capacity beyond the current requirement to ensure continued operation.

Security Considerations​

When running your own RPC node:

  1. Firewall Configuration: Only expose necessary ports (8545, 8445)
  2. Access Control: Consider implementing authentication for production use
  3. Network Isolation: Avoid exposing RPC endpoints directly to the internet
  4. Regular Updates: Keep your node software and Docker images updated
  5. Backup: Regularly backup your node configuration (data can be re-synced if needed)
  6. Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting if exposing to multiple users
Production Deployment

For production use, avoid relying on public RPC endpoints due to rate limits. Running your own private RPC node provides better reliability and performance.

Performance Optimization​

To optimize your RPC node performance:

  1. SSD Storage: Use Gen4 NVMe storage for better I/O performance
  2. Sufficient RAM: Ensure adequate memory for caching (32–48 GB recommended)
  3. Network Bandwidth: Stable 1+ Gbps connection for syncing and peer communication
  4. CPU Resources: Adequate processing power for transaction validation (8–12 cores recommended)
  5. Horizontal Scaling: For high-traffic applications, run multiple nodes behind a load balancer

Support​

If you encounter any issues:

Additional Resources​