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Client

A client in the Aleo network is a node that serves blockchain data and interacts with the network without participating in consensus or block production. Clients play a crucial role in the ecosystem by providing access to blockchain data and facilitating user interactions with the network.

Key features of an Aleo client:

  1. Data Retrieval: Clients can fetch and serve blockchain data, including blocks, transactions, and state information, to users and applications.

  2. Transaction Submission: Users can submit new transactions to the network through client nodes.

  3. Network Interaction: Clients maintain connections with other nodes to stay updated with the latest blockchain state.

  4. Lightweight Operation: Compared to validators and provers, clients have lower hardware requirements, making them more accessible to run.

  5. API Access: Many clients expose REST APIs, allowing developers to build applications that interact with the Aleo network.

To run an Aleo client node:

  1. Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements:

    • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 (LTS), macOS Sonoma or later, Windows 11 or later
    • CPU: 32-cores
    • RAM: 32GB of memory
    • Storage: 300GB of disk space (PCIe Gen 3 x4 NVME SSD or better)
    • Network: 100Mbps of upload and download bandwidth

  2. Install snarkOS following the instructions in the Build Guide.

  3. Start the client node by running:

    ./run-client.sh

    Or use the following command for more control:

    snarkos start --client

By running a client node, you contribute to the decentralization and robustness of the Aleo network while gaining direct access to its data and functionality.

How to get the ledger data​

Option 1 – Sync entire folder with gcloud cp​

Blind copy – copies everything, even if already present. Requires Google Cloud SDK

  • Mainnet 
    gcloud storage cp -r gs://snarkos-mainnet/uncompressed/ledger-0 {local-ledger-path}
  • Testnet 
    gcloud storage cp -r gs://snarkos-testnet/uncompressed/ledger-1 {local-ledger-path}
  • Canary 
    gcloud storage cp -r gs://snarkos-canary/uncompressed/ledger-2 {local-ledger-path}

Option 2 – Sync only missing or updated files with gcloud rsync​

Smart sync – only copies changes, optionally deletes outdated files. Requires Google Cloud SDK

  • Mainnet 
    gcloud storage rsync gs://snarkos-mainnet/uncompressed/ledger-0 {local-ledger-path}
  • Testnet 
    gcloud storage rsync gs://snarkos-testnet/uncompressed/ledger-1 {local-ledger-path}
  • Canary 
    gcloud storage rsync gs://snarkos-canary/uncompressed/ledger-2 {local-ledger-path}

Useful flags:

  • --recursive → copy all subdirectories
  • --delete-unmatched-destination-objects → remove local files that don’t exist in the source (ensures a clean mirror)

Option 3 – Download the entire ledger from scratch with wget​

  • Mainnet 
    wget -c https://storage.googleapis.com/snarkos-mainnet/latest.tar -O {local-ledger-path}
  • Testnet 
    wget -c https://storage.googleapis.com/snarkos-testnet/latest.tar -O {local-ledger-path}
  • Canary 
    wget -c https://storage.googleapis.com/snarkos-canary/latest.tar -O {local-ledger-path}

Option 4 – Download the entire ledger with aria2 (multi-connection, parallel download)​

Install first: sudo apt install -y aria2 on Ubuntu, brew install aria2 on macOS

  • Mainnet 
    aria2c -x 16 -s 16 -c https://snapshots.provable.com/mainnet/latest.tar
  • Testnet 
    aria2c -x 16 -s 16 -c https://snapshots.provable.com/testnet/latest.tar
  • Canary 
    aria2c -x 16 -s 16 -c https://snapshots.provable.com/canary/latest.tar
Deprecated alternative sources