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How to run an Ethereum node

1. Prerequisites Check​

  1. Confirm your machine meets the necessary Hardware Requirements based on your desired prune mode.
  2. Install Docker:

2. Configure and Launch Erigon​

Follow these steps to configure and launch the All-in-One Client. Erigon uses its embedded Consensus Layer (Caplin) by default, so you don't need a separate Consensus Client (CL).

A. Create the Configuration File​

Create a new file named docker-compose.yml in a directory where you want to manage your Erigon setup, and paste the following content into it:

services:
  erigon:
    image: erigontech/erigon:v3.4.2
    container_name: erigon-node
    restart: always
    command:
      # --- Basic Configuration ---
      - --chain=mainnet
      - --http.addr=0.0.0.0
      - --http.api=eth,web3,net,debug,trace,txpool
      # --- Performance Tweaks ---
      - --torrent.download.rate=512mb
      # --- Prune Mode (Optional) ---
      # To change Prune Mode, uncomment the line below:
      # - --prune.mode=archive
      # or
      # - --prune.mode=minimal
    ports:
      - "8545:8545" # Exposes the RPC port (needed for wallets/dApps)
    volumes:
      # *** IMPORTANT: CHANGE THIS PATH! ***
      # Replace the path below with an actual directory on your machine 
      # where you want the blockchain data stored (e.g., /mnt/ssd/erigon-data)
      - /path/to/erigon/data:/var/lib/erigon
warning

⚠️ Action Required: You must change the volume path! Replace /path/to/erigon/data with a valid, empty directory on your machine where you want Erigon to store its files.

B. Launch the Node and Monitor Progress​

Open your terminal in the directory where you saved docker-compose.yml. To start the node and immediately see the sync process type:

docker compose up

Flag explanation​

  • --chain=mainnet specifies to run on Ethereum mainnet
  • Add --prune.mode=minimal to run minimal Prune Mode or --prune.mode=archive to run an archive node
  • --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 web3 wallet
  • --torrent.download.rate sets the torrent download rate cap. The default is 512mb (megabytes per second). During initial sync Erigon will use the full allowance — on a dedicated machine this is fine, but if you share the machine with other work you may want to lower it (e.g. --torrent.download.rate=128mb). Set --torrent.download.rate=Inf to remove the limit entirely.

When you get familiar with running Erigon from CLI you may also consider staking and/or running an Ethereum node with an external Consensus Layer.

tip

Press Ctrl+C in your terminal to stop Erigon.

Additional flags can be added to configure Erigon with several options.