# Create a DV Alone :::info It is possible for a single operator to manage all of the nodes of a DV cluster. The nodes can be run on a single machine, which is only suitable for testing, or the nodes can be run on multiple machines, which is expected for a production setup. The private key shares can be created centrally and distributed securely to each node. Alternatively, the private key shares can be created in a lower-trust manner with a [Distributed Key Generation](https://docs.obol.org/learn/intro/key-concepts#distributed-validator-key-generation-ceremony) process, which avoids the validator private key being stored in full anywhere, at any point in its lifecycle. Follow the [group quickstart](https://docs.obol.org/run/start/quickstart_group) instead for this latter case. ::: ### Pre-requisites[​](https://docs.obol.org/next/run/start/quickstart_alone#pre-requisites) {#pre-requisites} * A basic [knowledge](https://docs.ethstaker.cc/ethstaker-knowledge-base/) of Ethereum nodes and validators. * Ensure you have [git](https://git-scm.com/downloads) installed. * Ensure you have [docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/) installed. * Make sure `docker` is running before executing the commands below. ### Step 1: Create the key shares locally {#step-1-create-the-key-shares-locally} Go to the [DV Launchpad](https://docs.obol.org/docs/dvl/intro#dv-launchpad-links) and select `Create a distributed validator alone`. Follow the steps to configure your DV cluster. The Launchpad will give you a docker command to create your cluster.\ Before you run the command, clone the [CDVC repo](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-cluster.git) and `cd` into the directory. ```sh # Clone the repo git clone https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-cluster.git # Change directory cd charon-distributed-validator-cluster/ # Run the command provided in the DV Launchpad "Create a cluster alone" flow docker run -u $(id -u):$(id -g) --rm -v "$(pwd)/:/opt/charon" obolnetwork/charon:v1.6.1 create cluster --definition-file=... ``` After the `create cluster` command is run, you should have multiple subfolders within the newly created `./cluster/` folder, one for each node created. **Backup the `./cluster/` folder, then move on to deploying the cluster.** :::info Make sure your backup is secure and private, someone with access to these files could get the validators slashed. ::: 1. Clone the [CDVC repo](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-cluster) and `cd` into the directory. ```sh # Clone the repo git clone https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-cluster.git # Change directory cd charon-distributed-validator-cluster/ ``` 2. Run the cluster creation command, setting required flag values. Run the below command to create the validator private key shares and cluster artifacts locally, replacing the example values for `nodes`, `network`, `num-validators`, `fee-recipient-addresses`, and `withdrawal-addresses`. Check the [Charon CLI reference](https://docs.obol.org/next/learn/charon/charon-cli-reference#create-a-full-cluster-locally) for additional, optional flags to set. ```sh docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/opt/charon" obolnetwork/charon:v1.6.1 create cluster \ --nodes=6 \ --network=holesky \ --num-validators=1 \ --name="Quickstart Guide Cluster" \ --cluster-dir="cluster" \ --fee-recipient-addresses=0x000000000000000000000000000000000000dead \ --withdrawal-addresses=0x000000000000000000000000000000000000dead \ --publish ``` :::tip If you would like your cluster to appear on the [DV Launchpad](https://docs.obol.org/next/learn/intro/launchpad), add the `--publish` flag to the command. ::: After the `create cluster` command is run, you should have multiple subfolders within the newly created `./cluster/` folder, one for each node created. **Backup the `./cluster/` folder, then move on to deploying the cluster.** :::info Make sure your backup is secure and private, someone with access to these files could get the validators slashed. ::: ### Step 2: Deploy and start the nodes {#step-1-create-the-key-shares-locally} :::warning This part of the guide only runs one Execution Client, one Consensus Client, and 6 Distributed Validator Charon Client + Validator Client pairs on a single docker instance, and **is not suitable for a mainnet deployment**. (If this machine fails, there will not be any fault tolerance - the cluster will also fail.) For a production deployment with fault tolerance, follow the part of the guide instructing you how to distribute the nodes across multiple machines. ::: Run this command to start your cluster containers if you deployed using the [CDVC repo](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-cluster). ```sh # Start the distributed validator cluster docker compose up --build -d ``` Check the monitoring dashboard and see if things look all right. ```sh # Open Grafana open http://localhost:3000/d/laEp8vupp ``` :::warning To distribute your cluster across multiple machines, each node in the cluster needs one of the folders called `node*/` to be copied to it. Each folder should be copied to a [CDVN repo](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-node) and renamed from `node*` to `.charon`. Right now, the `charon create cluster` command [used earlier to create the private keys](https://docs.obol.org/next/run/start/quickstart_alone#step-1-create-the-key-shares-locally) outputs a folder structure like `cluster/node*/`. Make sure to grab the `./node*/` folders, _rename_ them to `.charon` and then move them to one of the single node repos below. Once all nodes are online, synced, and connected, you will be ready to activate your validator. ::: This is necessary for the folder to be found by the default `charon run` command. Optionally, it is possible to override `charon run`'s default file locations by using `charon run --private-key-file="node0/charon-enr-private-key" --lock-file="node0/cluster-lock.json"` for each instance of Charon you start (substituting `node0` for each node number in your cluster as needed). 👉 Use the single node [docker compose](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-distributed-validator-node), the kubernetes [manifests](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/charon-k8s-distributed-validator-node), or the [helm chart](https://github.com/ObolNetwork/helm-charts) example repos to get your nodes up and connected after loading the `.charon` folder artifacts into them appropriately.\ \ Output from create cluster: ``` cluster ├── node0 │ ├── charon-enr-private-key │ ├── cluster-lock.json │ ├── deposit-data.json │ └── validator_keys │ ├── keystore-0.json │ ├── keystore-0.txt │ ├── ... │ ├── keystore-N.json │ └── keystore-N.txt ├── node1 │ ├── charon-enr-private-key │ ├── cluster-lock.json │ ├── deposit-data.json │ └── validator_keys │ ├── keystore-0.json │ ├── keystore-0.txt │ ├── ... │ ├── keystore-N.json │ └── keystore-N.txt ├── node2 │ ├── charon-enr-private-key │ ├── cluster-lock.json │ ├── deposit-data.json │ └── validator_keys │ ├── keystore-0.json │ ├── keystore-0.txt │ ├── ... │ ├── keystore-N.json │ └── keystore-N.txt └── node3 ├── charon-enr-private-key ├── cluster-lock.json ├── deposit-data.json └── validator_keys ├── keystore-0.json ├── keystore-0.txt ├── ... ├── keystore-N.json └── keystore-N.txt ``` Folder structure to be placed on each DV node: ``` └── .charon ├── charon-enr-private-key ├── cluster-lock.json ├── deposit-data.json └── validator_keys ├── keystore-0.json ├── keystore-0.txt ├── ... ├── keystore-N.json └── keystore-N.txt ``` :::info Currently, the quickstart repo installs a node on the Holesky testnet. It is possible to choose a different network (another testnet, or mainnet) by overriding the `.env` file. `.env.sample` is a sample environment file that allows overriding default configuration defined in `docker-compose.yml`. Uncomment and set any variable to override its value. Set up the desired inputs for the DV, including the network you wish to operate on. Check the [Charon CLI reference](https://docs.obol.org/next/learn/charon/charon-cli-reference) for additional optional flags to set. Once you have set the values you wish to use. Make a copy of this file called `.env`. ```sh # Copy ".env.sample", renaming it ".env" cp .env.sample.holesky .env ``` :::