How to run a Thor Solo Node

A thor solo node is a VeChainThor blockchain node running in a sandbox, particularly useful for developers who might need to wait for a specific condition to be met, that in a living environment would

A [Thor] (https://github.com/vechain/thor) Solo Node is a powerful tool for developers, offering a sandbox environment to interact with the VeChainThor blockchain. This guide will walk you through the setup and operation of your own Thor Solo Node, enabling you to test and develop applications in a controlled setting.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• Go 1.17+ installed

• A C compiler

• Git

Installation Process

Clone the Thor repository:

git clone https://github.com/vechain/thor

Navigate to the Thor directory and build:

cd thor
make

Upon successful compilation, you'll find the thor binary in the bin directory.

Key Command-line Options

Explore Thor's capabilities with ./bin/thor -h. Essential options include:

• --api-cors '*': Accept cross-origin requests from any domain.

• --api-addr value: Set API service listening address (default: "localhost:8669").

• --api-call-gas-limit value: Limit contract call gas (default: 50000000).

• --verbosity value log verbosity (0-9) (default: 3).

Advanced Configuration

Sub-Commands for Enhanced Control

Thor offers versatile sub-commands:

./bin/thor solo --on-demand            # Create new blocks for pending transactions
./bin/thor solo --persist              # Save blockchain data to disk
./bin/thor solo --persist --on-demand  # The two options can work together

Enabling Remote Access

If Thor node is not running on the same machine of the development environment, then you need to provide an API listening address using the --api-addr command-line option. For example, to make Thor accept any remote connection:

./bin/thor solo --on-demand --api-addr 0.0.0.0:8669

Debugging with Increased Verbosity

The default verbosity option in Thor (3) might not be providing enough debug information. Using the --verbosity command-line option, you can increase the amount of information Thor prints out in stdout. For example:

./bin/thor solo --on-demand --verbosity 4

Master Key Management

Secure your node with master key commands:

# View master address
./bin/thor master-key

# Export master key to keystore
./bin/thor master-key --export > keystore.json

# Import master key from keystore
cat keystore.json | ./bin/thor master-key --import

RESTful API: A Developer's Playground

Thor's RESTful API offers a user-friendly interface for blockchain interaction. Access the Stoplight UI at:

http://127.0.0.1:8669/doc/stoplight-ui/

Or the Swagger UI at:

http://127.0.0.1:8669/doc/swagger-ui/

If Thor is running on a different host, make sure to run it using the IP of said host instead of the localhost, as well as the --api-addr command-line option.

Launching Your Solo Node

To run the node in solo mode which is what we need for development purposes use the following:

./bin/thor solo --on-demand

Thor can also be run with a test or main network by passing the command

--network test | main

A custom network can also be created by passing the command

--network <custom-net-genesis.json>

An example genesis config file can be found at genesis/example.json.

For development purposes the following flags are recommended

The below command runs thor solo allowing all remote connections. Remove the argument --api-addr 0.0.0.0:8669 to prevent all remote connections.

./bin/thor solo --on-demand --api-addr 0.0.0.0:8669 --gas-limit 10000000000000 --api-call-gas-li

Docker: Containerized Convenience

The most convenient way can be to use a Docker container. You can run your solo node as follows:

docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8669:8669 vechain/thor:latest solo --api-cors '*' --api-addr 0.0.0.0:8669

This sets up a containerized node with:

• Localhost access on port 8669

• Latest Thor Solo release

• Unrestricted cross-origin requests

• Remote connection capability

Conclusion

With your Thor Solo Node up and running, you're ready to dive into VeChainThor development. This powerful tool provides a flexible, controlled environment for building and testing blockchain applications. Happy coding!