Running a Validator on GOAT Testnet3

This guide provides detailed instructions on how to join GOAT Testnet3 and run a validator node.

Chain Information

Parameter	Value
Network Name	GOAT Testnet3
RPC URL	https://rpc.testnet3.goat.network (opens in a new tab)
Chain ID	48816
Currency Symbol	BTC
Currency Decimal	18
Block Explorer	https://explorer.testnet3.goat.network (opens in a new tab)

System Requirements

Hardware Configuration

CPU: Equivalent to c5.2xlarge or similar
Storage:
- Root directory with at least 40 GiB of space
- EBS gp3, 100 GiB, 3000 IOPS, mounted to /data

Network Configuration

IPv4 Elastic IP (EIP) required

Security Group Rules

Port	Description	Protocol	Source
30303	goat-geth P2P	UDP	0.0.0.0/0
30303	goat-geth P2P	TCP	0.0.0.0/0
26656	goat P2P Port	TCP	0.0.0.0/0

Ensure your server's firewall and network security settings allow inbound traffic on these ports.

Software Environment

Ubuntu 20.04 or higher
Docker and Docker Compose
Golang (latest stable version, currently 1.23)

Deployment Steps

1. Generate Validator Key

Log into your machine and generate the validator key:

docker run --rm -v /data/goat:/root/.goat ghcr.io/goatnetwork/goat:v0.1.1 modgen locking sign --owner 0x...abc --eth-chain-id 48816

Replace 0x...abc with your Ethereum private key. The owner is the node administrator's EVM address responsible for staking, redemption, and other operations.

Expected output format:

{
  "owner": "0x...abc",
  "pubkey": "0xf93bd3bad63419f0bc201043b433a03e53867b7b01c7f7a08fb5c2a4e14ce89bd6303df7e5bca824c5c6526aa748f4eef20d9879de26bfda0b00414cb6b76ff8",
  "signature": "0x41b65d5255a7e0006df9c80dc0537c5945e0c7a6f5af2f258ca5969f665f16654449d79355ec2f00d847c4949024216d979057808ccd3dfaf3d8b5d6aa51b1d100"
}

⚠️

Back up the generated key at /data/goat/config/priv_validator_key.json

2. Start the Validator Node

Create a docker-compose.yml:

name: testnet3
services:
  geth:
    image: ghcr.io/goatnetwork/goat-geth:v0.1.0
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    command:
      - --goat=testnet3
      - --goat.preset=bootnode,rpc
      # - --gcmode=archive  # Uncomment for archive node
    volumes:
      - /data/geth:/root/.ethereum
    logging:
      driver: json-file
      options:
        max-file: "10"
        max-size: 50m
  goat:
    image: ghcr.io/goatnetwork/goat:v0.1.1
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    command:
      - start
      - --goat.geth=/geth/geth.ipc
      - --goat.preset=bootnode,rpc
      - --chain-id=goat-testnet3
    depends_on:
      - geth
    volumes:
      - /data/goat:/root/.goat
      - /data/geth:/geth
    logging:
      driver: json-file
      options:
        max-file: "10"
        max-size: 50m

Start the services:

docker-compose up -d

3. Sync Status Check

Monitor blockchain sync:

docker exec -i testnet3-goat-1 goatd status | jq .

Wait for "catching_up": false to confirm full sync

4. Become a Validator

Prerequisites

Validator Owner Address (from step 1)
Signature (split into 32-32-1 bytes)
Sufficient funds for staking and gas

Locking Contract Details

Testnet3 Address: 0xbC10000000000000000000000000000000000004
Asset Manager Address: 0x218ab55484482409aAfD035066eb1e0315BE0084

Contract Operations

You can use the locking.ts script (place in the tasks directory of GOAT-contracts repository (opens in a new tab)) for the following operations:

locking:changeValidatorOwner - Change validator owner
locking:claim - Claim reward
locking:create - Create a validator
locking:info - Get basic info
locking:lock - Lock on validator
locking:reclaim - Reclaim for validator
locking:unlock - Unlock amount for validator

Staking Process

Get whitelisted by contacting GOAT Network team
Check minimum stake:

// Reference: https://github.com/GOATNetwork/goat-contracts/blob/main/contracts/locking/Locking.sol#L334
function minimumLockAmount() external view returns (uint256)

Create validator:

// Reference: https://github.com/GOATNetwork/goat-contracts/blob/main/contracts/locking/Locking.sol#L118
function createValidator(
    address owner,
    bytes memory pubkey,
    bytes32 r,
    bytes32 s,
    uint8 v
) external

Locking Asset Manager Operations

The Locking Asset Manager is designed to optimize the validation mechanism for locked amounts and prevent accidental node exits due to erroneous withdrawals.

Safe Lock

// Reference: https://github.com/liqingnz/goat-contracts-extension/blob/main/src/SafeLocking.sol#L32
function safeLock(uint256 amount) external

Safe Unlock

// Reference: https://github.com/liqingnz/goat-contracts-extension/blob/main/src/SafeLocking.sol#L47
function safeUnlock(uint256 amount) external

Exit Validator

// Reference: https://github.com/liqingnz/goat-contracts-extension/blob/main/src/SafeLocking.sol#L69
function exit() external

Example Contract

Example Implementation: 0xb1119639cB7bB92B8a3C6d666f159944e89472C1

Support Resources

⚠️

The Locking Asset Manager features are under testing. Exercise caution and monitor announcements.

Running a Node Rewards