> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://companyname-a7d5b98e-closes-94-guidebook-more.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run a node with MyTonCtrl

> Provision hardware, install MyTonCtrl, and follow runbooks for validator, liteserver, or archive roles.

<Warning>**Handle validator keys like production secrets.** Keep recovery phrases offline, restrict shell access, and rehearse new procedures on testnet before touching wallets that hold real stake.</Warning>

## Plan the environment

### Supported operating systems

MyTonCtrl is tested on the following distributions (choose one and keep it up to date):

* Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS
* Debian 11 or 12

Always create and use a non-root operator with `sudo` access—running MyTonCtrl as root leads to subtle permission failures later on.

### Hardware sizing by role

| Role                | CPU                                       | RAM    | Storage                                  | Network         | Traffic                              | Notes                                                            |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Full/validator node | 16 dedicated cores (32 threads preferred) | 128 GB | ≥1 TB NVMe SSD or provisioned 64k+ IOPS  | ≥1 Gbps up/down | 64 TB/month typical (peaks \~100 TB) | Leave headroom for elections and snapshots.                      |
| Liteserver          | 16 cores                                  | 128 GB | ≥1 TB NVMe SSD                           | ≥1 Gbps         | \~16 TB/month peaks                  | Hetzner/OVH are acceptable for liteservers (not for validators). |
| Archive liteserver  | 16 cores                                  | 128 GB | ≥12 TB NVMe or ZFS pool with compression | ≥1 Gbps         | ≥16 TB/month                         | Plan for continuous growth; monitor ZFS capacity.                |

> Disk latency is the common bottleneck. Benchmark storage before going live (`MyTonCtrl> benchmark`).

### Network and ports

* Obtain a static public IPv4 address for each node.
* Forward a single UDP port (default 30303) from the internet to the node and leave all outbound ports open. Verify exposure with `netstat -tulpn` and third-party scanners.
* Update cloud security groups or on-prem firewalls after installation—use `MyTonCtrl> about validator` / `about liteserver` to confirm the chosen port.

### Recommended providers

The TON Foundation validates the following instances for validator-class workloads:

| Cloud Provider | Instance Type                 | CPU      | RAM    | Storage             | Network       | Public IP          | Traffic     |
| -------------- | ----------------------------- | -------- | ------ | ------------------- | ------------- | ------------------ | ----------- |
| GCP            | `n2-standard-16`              | 32 vCPUs | 128 GB | 1 TB NVMe SSD       | 16 Gbps       | Static external IP | 64 TB/month |
| Alibaba Cloud  | `ecs.g6.4xlarge`              | 32 vCPUs | 128 GB | 1 TB NVMe SSD       | Up to 10 Gbps | Elastic IP         | 64 TB/month |
| Tencent Cloud  | `M5.4XLARGE`                  | 32 vCPUs | 128 GB | 1 TB NVMe SSD       | Up to 10 Gbps | Elastic IP         | 64 TB/month |
| Vultr          | Bare metal Intel E-2388G      | 16C/32T  | 128 GB | 1.92 TB NVMe SSD    | 10 Gbps       | Fixed              | 64 TB/month |
| DigitalOcean   | General purpose premium Intel | 32 vCPUs | 128 GB | 1 TB NVMe SSD       | 10 Gbps       | Fixed              | 64 TB/month |
| Latitude       | `c3.medium.x86`               | 16C/32T  | 128 GB | 1.9 TB NVMe SSD     | 10 Gbps       | Fixed              | 64 TB/month |
| AWS            | `i4i.8xlarge`                 | 32 vCPUs | 256 GB | 2×3.75 TB Nitro SSD | Up to 25 Gbps | Elastic IP         | 64 TB/month |

### Prepare the operator account

If you still need a dedicated operator, create and switch to it before installing MyTonCtrl:

```bash theme={null}
sudo adduser <USERNAME>
sudo usermod -aG sudo <USERNAME>
# reconnect as the new user
ssh <USERNAME>@<SERVER_IP>
```

## Install MyTonCtrl

Run the installer from the operator account with `sudo` so it can create system users and services:

```bash theme={null}
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl wget git ca-certificates python3-pip
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ton-blockchain/mytonctrl/master/scripts/install.sh
sudo bash install.sh -d
```

The interactive wizard walks through:

1. Selecting mainnet vs. testnet (or supplying a custom `global.config.json`).
2. Choosing the initial mode (`validator` or `liteserver`).
3. Optionally downloading blockchain dumps via TON Storage (recommended for archive builds).
4. Whether to run post-download tasks in the background (useful when pulling large dumps).

Refer to the [MyTonCtrl overview](./mytonctrl/overview#install-mytonctrl) for installer flags and environment variables when you need unattended deployments.

### Verify services and synchronization

```bash theme={null}
mytonctrl
MyTonCtrl> status
MyTonCtrl> status_fast
MyTonCtrl> status_modes
```

* `status` shows the long-form report, including `Local validator initial sync status`—wait for it to read `synchronized` before switching roles.
* `status_fast` prints live metrics such as `timeDiff` and `Local validator out of sync`; both should trend toward zero on a healthy node.
* `status_modes` confirms which modes are currently enabled.

After installation, verify ownership so MyTonCtrl and validator processes can access state and keys:

```bash theme={null}
sudo chown -R validator:validator /var/ton-work/db
sudo chown -R <install_user>:<install_user> /var/ton-work/keys
```

### Baseline maintenance tasks

* `MyTonCtrl> create_backup` and `restore_backup` safeguard your configs and keys—run before upgrades and after major changes.
* `MyTonCtrl> set sendTelemetry true` sends telemetry to the MyTonCtrl developers so they can surface TON status alerts and diagnose emerging issues.
* `MyTonCtrl> update` followed by `upgrade` applies MyTonCtrl and binary updates; schedule regular maintenance windows.
* `MyTonCtrl> settings_status` reviews every setting, its owner mode, and the current value.
* Use `tail -F /var/ton-work/log*` and `journalctl -u validator -f` during troubleshooting; reduce verbosity again if you temporarily ran `installer set_node_argument --verbosity 3`.

## Validator quickstart

**You need:** a fully synchronized node, validator mode not active elsewhere, and at least the current minimum stake (approximately 300,000 TON; check [tonscan.com/validation](https://tonscan.com/validation) for live numbers).

### Prepare the validator wallet (one-time)

1. List existing wallets: `MyTonCtrl> wl`. The installer usually creates `validator_wallet_001`.

2. If you need a dedicated wallet, create one (example):

   ```bash theme={null}
   MyTonCtrl> nw 0 validator_wallet v3 1001
   ```

3. Fund the wallet, inspect recent activity with `vas <wallet_name>`, then activate it:

   ```bash theme={null}
   MyTonCtrl> aw validator_wallet
   ```

4. Tell MyTonCtrl which wallet to use for elections:

   ```bash theme={null}
   MyTonCtrl> set validatorWalletName "validator_wallet"
   MyTonCtrl> get validatorWalletName
   ```

5. Export and store the private key offline: `MyTonCtrl> ew validator_wallet`.

Need more wallet operations? See the [wallet command reference](./mytonctrl/wallet).

### Enable validator mode

Disable conflicting roles (liteserver cannot run alongside validator) and switch modes:

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> disable_mode liteserver
MyTonCtrl> enable_mode validator
MyTonCtrl> status_modes
MyTonCtrl> about validator
```

Confirm that `validator` shows as enabled and note the advertised ADNL port for firewall rules.

### Configure staking policy

Assign either a fixed stake or a percentage of wallet balance:

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> set stake 500000
# or
MyTonCtrl> set stakePercent 99
```

`get stake` / `get stakePercent` display the stored values; adjust before each election window if your balance changes.

### Election routine

Use the same sequence every election cycle (automate with cron if desired):

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> status_fast
MyTonCtrl> ve
MyTonCtrl> check_ef
```

* Wait until `Local validator out of sync` is below 20 before running `ve`.
* `ve` submits election messages, `check_ef` reports the previous and current round efficiency.
* MyTonCtrl automatically splits balances into two stakes when the Elector accepts your bid; withdrawals become available in the following election per protocol rules.

### Operational discipline

* Track network announcements via [@tonstatus](https://t.me/tonstatus) and enable notifications.
* Keep hardware aligned with the [minimum system requirements](#hardware-sizing-by-role); upgrade storage promptly if metrics show saturation.
* Leave telemetry enabled (`set sendTelemetry true`) so telemetry continues reaching the MyTonCtrl developers and they can warn the community about issues.
* Monitor RAM, disk, CPU, and bandwidth dashboards. Contact [@mytonctrl\_help\_bot](https://t.me/mytonctrl_help_bot) if metrics or efficiency drop below target.
* Re-run `check_ef` or consult the [efficiency API](https://toncenter.com/api/qos/index.html#/) when diagnosing performance.

## Liteserver quickstart

**You need:** a synchronized full node with validator mode disabled (liteserver cannot run alongside validator on the same machine).

### Activate liteserver services

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> enable_mode liteserver
MyTonCtrl> status_modes
```

### Configure endpoints and proxies

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> installer
Installer> enable LS
Installer> plsc
Installer> exit
```

* `enable LS` deploys the liteserver daemon.
* `plsc` prints the client bundle—share it with `/var/ton-work/keys/liteserver.pub` so lite-clients can connect.
* Regenerate configs at any time with `installer clcf`.

### Open the liteserver port

1. Check the port in `/var/ton-work/db/config.json` (within the `liteservers` array).

2. Update security groups or configure `ufw` on bare-metal hosts:

   ```bash theme={null}
   sudo apt install -y ufw
   sudo ufw allow ssh
   sudo ufw allow <port>
   sudo ufw enable
   sudo ufw status
   ```

3. Confirm connectivity by initializing a lite-client using the generated config (see [liteserver documentation](https://docs.ton.org/v3/guidelines/nodes/running-nodes/liteserver-node)).

### Ongoing care

* Monitor `netLoadAvg` and CPU via `status_fast`; scale hardware before saturation.
* Export `create_backup` after any config change so you can rapidly rebuild liteserver hosts.
* Keep ports private—front them with VPNs or proxies when exposing to public users.

## Archive liteserver quickstart

**You need:** liteserver mode enabled, ≥12 TB of fast storage, and ZFS installed for handling compressed dumps.

### Prepare storage with ZFS

```bash theme={null}
sudo apt install -y zfsutils-linux
sudo zpool create data <disk>
sudo zfs set compression=lz4 data
sudo zfs create data/ton-work
sudo zfs set mountpoint=/var/ton-work data/ton-work
```

Use a dedicated SSD-backed pool and monitor free space—archive size grows continually (check the [archive dump index](https://archival-dump.ton.org/)).

### Install and download archive data

[Run the installer](#install-mytonctrl), choose `liteserver` mode, and answer **Yes (1)** when prompted to download archive blocks via TON Storage. Allow the job to continue in the background—the download may take days.

Track progress in MyTonCtrl logs and wait for `status` → `Local validator initial sync status` to report `synchronized` before serving traffic.

### Troubleshooting imports

Increase verbosity temporarily to review archive import logs, then revert:

```bash theme={null}
MyTonCtrl> installer set_node_argument --verbosity 3
tail -f /var/ton-work/log*
# ...review output...
MyTonCtrl> installer set_node_argument --verbosity 1
```

If you see repeated `Importing archive ... from net` messages, investigate storage latency—IOPS may be insufficient.

### Snapshot and recovery tips

* Use ZFS snapshots (`zfs snapshot data/ton-work@<label>`) for fast rollbacks.
* To restore, stop services before `zfs rollback`: `sudo systemctl stop validator`.
* Keep off-site backups of `/var/ton-work/keys` and `create_backup` archives.

## Monitoring and support

* Subscribe to [@tonstatus](https://t.me/tonstatus) and [@tonstatus\_notifications](https://t.me/tonstatus_notifications) for real-time validator alerts.
* Use the private alert bot once your node is stable: `MyTonCtrl> enable_mode alert-bot` then configure credentials per the [alerting guide](./mytonctrl/alerting).
* Contact validator support via [@validators\_help\_bot](https://t.me/validators_help_bot); regular node operators can use [@ton\_node\_help](https://t.me/ton_node_help).
* Audit node health weekly: `status_fast`, `check_ef`, disk usage (`du -sh /var/ton-work/db`), and snapshot consistency.

Once comfortable with these workflows, dive into the [detailed command references](./mytonctrl/overview) for advanced automation.