Basic Usage

All-in-One Client

The all-in-one client is the preferred option for most users:

./build/bin/erigon

This CLI command allows you to run an Ethereum full node where every process is integrated and no special configuration is needed.

The default Consensus Layer utilized is Caplin, the Erigon flagship embedded CL.

Basic Configuration​

  • Default data directory is /home/usr/.local/share/erigon. If you want to store Erigon files in a non-default location, add flag:

    --datadir=<your_data_dir>

  • Based on the type of node you want to run you can add --prune.mode=archive to run a archive node or --prune.mode=minimal for a minimal node. The default node is archive node.

  • --chain=mainnet, add the flag --chain=sepolia for Sepolia testnet or --chain=holesky for Holesky testnet.

  • --http.addr="0.0.0.0" --http.api=eth,web3,net,debug,trace,txpool to use RPC and e.g. be able to connect your wallet.

  • To increase download speed add --torrent.download.rate=512mb (default is 16mb).

To stop the Erigon node you can use the CTRL+C command.

Additional flags can be added to configure the node with several options.

Testnets

If you would like to give Erigon a try, but do not have spare 2TB on your drive, a good option is to start syncing one of the public testnets, Holesky, adding the option --chain=holesky and using the default Consensus Layer, Caplin. You can also had the flag --prune.mode=minimal to have a node that is syncing fast while taking not so much disk space:

./build/bin/erigon --chain=holesky --prune.mode=minimal

Help

To learn about the available commands, open your terminal in your Erigon 3 installation directory and run:

make help

This command will display a list of convenience commands available in the Makefile, along with their descriptions.

 go-version:                        print and verify go version
 validate_docker_build_args:        ensure docker build args are valid
 docker:                            validate, update submodules and build with docker
 setup_xdg_data_home:               TODO
 docker-compose:                    validate build args, setup xdg data home, and run docker-compose up
 dbg                                debug build allows see C stack traces, run it with GOTRACEBACK=crash. You don't need debug build for C pit for profiling. To profile C code use SETCGOTRCKEBACK=1
 erigon:                            build erigon
 all:                               run erigon with all commands
 db-tools:                          build db tools
 test:                              run unit tests with a 100s timeout
 test-integration:                  run integration tests with a 30m timeout
 lint-deps:                         install lint dependencies
 lintci:                            run golangci-lint linters
 lint:                              run all linters
 clean:                             cleans the go cache, build dir, libmdbx db dir
 devtools:                          installs dev tools (and checks for npm installation etc.)
 mocks:                             generate test mocks
 mocks-clean:                       cleans all generated test mocks
 solc:                              generate all solidity contracts
 abigen:                            generate abis using abigen
 gencodec:                          generate marshalling code using gencodec
 graphql:                           generate graphql code
 gen:                               generate all auto-generated code in the codebase
 bindings:                          generate test contracts and core contracts
 prometheus:                        run prometheus and grafana with docker-compose
 escape:                            run escape path={path} to check for memory leaks e.g. run escape path=cmd/erigon
 git-submodules:                    update git submodules
 install:                           copies binaries and libraries to DIST
 user_linux:                        create "erigon" user (Linux)
 user_macos:                        create "erigon" user (MacOS)
 hive:                              run hive test suite locally using docker e.g. OUTPUT_DIR=~/results/hive SIM=ethereum/engine make hive
 automated-tests                    run automated tests (BUILD_ERIGON=0 to prevent erigon build with local image tag)
 help:                              print commands help

For example, from your Erigon 3 installation directory, run:

make clean

This will execute the clean target in the Makefile, which cleans the go cache, build directory, and libmdbx db directory.