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Start a Testnet node

At its core, Minima is a Java application, so first make sure you have Java installed. Download from here.

You will need the latest release of the minima.jar file which can be downloaded from GitHub here

We will be using a server or desktop command line interface (CLI) to start Minima.

Starting the node with -genesis, you will have your own private chain, you will be sent the genesis Minima with 1 billion coins to spend, and you can enter commands directly into the console.

  1. Create a new folder and copy the minima.jar into that folder. We will run everything from there.
  2. Copy the path to the file and from the command line, cd into that folder
  3. Enter the following command
java -jar minima.jar -data minidata -basefolder minidata -genesis -test -nop2p -mdsenable -mdspassword [INSERT PASSWORD]
  • Replace placeholder [INSERT PASSWORD] with a custom password for your node

This will start a node on the default ports of 9001-5.

You should see the node starting as below, if you type help then press enter, you should see the full list of Minima commands. Check your balance with balance.

MDS

To login to your MiniDapp hub, open up your web browser and navigate to the MiniDapp Hub via https://127.0.0.1:9003. Login with the password you set.

Minima uses self-signed certificates. For this reason you may be shown a security certificate warning when accessing Minima, to which you can click on Advanced, then Proceed. This may be different depending on the browser and OS you are using.

Restarting the node​

You can shutdown the node by running quit from the command line window.

To restart the same node from where you left off, re run the command above removing the -genesis parameter. 

java -jar minima.jar -data minidata -basefolder minidata -test -nop2p -mdsenable -mdspassword [INSERT PASSWORD]

To delete the data and start a new clean node, re run the command from step 3 above, adding the -clean parameter.

ALL DATA WILL BE LOST AND A NEW SEED PHRASE WILL BE GENERATED.

java -jar minima.jar -data minidata -basefolder minidata -genesis -test -nop2p -mdsenable -mdspassword [INSERT PASSWORD] -clean

Start up parameters​

Start up parameters used​

Expand to see the parameters used
  • -data [foldername/path] : the data folder where all the config files for this node are stored. Default is a hidden .minima folder under the user's home directory. If you want to specify a folder not in the user's home directory, you must use the complete path.
  • -basefolder [foldername/path] : specify a default file creation / backup / restore folder. Default is the user's home directory. Can be the same as the data folder provided.
  • -genesis : delete all old data and start the node from the genesis block
  • -nop2p : Disable the automatic P2P system
  • -test : this uses test settings which have a faster blocktime and only keep a shorter chain in memory. If you are compiling Minima yourself you can edit these to your needs.
  • -mdsenable : start the MiniDapp system
  • -mdspassword : set the password to login to the MiniDapp system
  • -port : set the starting port
  • -connect [ip:port] : Disable the automatic P2P system and create your own network by manually connecting to this list of host:port

Optional start up parameters​

Expand to see full list of start up parameters

The following start up parameters can optionally be specified when starting your node.

To add/remove parameters after a node has been started, you must quit the node and restart it, adding/removing the required parameters.

[] square brackets indicate where an input is required, the brackets should not be included.

General​

  • -clean : CAREFUL! Clears existing data, starts a new fresh node. All coins will be lost.
  • -port [port] : specify the initial port for Minima to use. Range used will be the specified port +4. Default is 9001-9005.
  • -host [ipaddress] : specify the host IP
  • -dbpassword [yourdbpassword] : Main Wallet / SQL AES password - MUST be specified on first launch. CANNOT be changed later.
  • -allowallip : Allow all IPs for Maxima / Networking. Local IPs won't be allowed otherwise.
  • -archive : Run an Archive node - store all archive data / the cascade to allow for resyncs from this node
  • -daemon : Run in daemon mode with no stdin input (if running Minima as a background service)
  • -isclient : Tells the P2P System that this node can't accept incoming connections
  • -server : Use Server settings - this node can accept incoming connections
  • -desktop : Use Desktop settings - this node can't accept incoming connections

Folders​

  • -data [foldername/path] : the data folder where all the config files for this node are stored. Default is a hidden .minima folder under the user's home directory. If you want to specify a folder not in the user's home directory, you must use the complete path.
  • -basefolder [foldername/path] : specify a default file creation / backup / restore folder. Default is the user's home directory. Can be the same as the data folder provided.

MiniDapp System (mds)​

  • -mdsenable : enable the MiniDapp System (default port 9003)
  • -mdspassword [yourmdspassword] : specify the mds login password
  • -mdsinit [foldername/path] : specify a folder of miniDAPPs
  • -mdswrite [minidapp] : give an initial miniDAPP WRITE access

RPC​

  • -rpcenable : enable remote procedure call
  • -rpcssl : use Self Signed SSL cert to run RPC
  • -rpcpassword [yourrpcpassword] : set Basic Auth password for RPC calls ( Use with SSL / stunnel ). Only secure if used with SSL.
  • -rpcclrf : use CRLF at the end of the RPC headers (NodeJS)

Test nodes​

  • -genesis : delete all old data and start the node from the genesis block
  • -test : this uses test settings which have a faster blocktime and only keep a shorter chain in memory. If you are compiling Minima yourself you can edit these to your needs.
  • -connect [ip:port,ip:port] : Disable the automatic P2P system and create your own network by manually connecting to this list of host:port
  • -nop2p : Disable the automatic P2P system
  • -noconnect : Stops the P2P system from connecting to other nodes until it has been connected to
  • -nosyncibd : Do not sync IBD (for testing)

Mobile​

  • -mobile : Sets this device to a mobile device - used for metrics only
  • -limitbandwidth : Limit the amount sent for archive sync
  • -noshutdownhook : Do not use the shutdown hook (Android)

Debugging​

  • -p2p-log-level-info : Set the P2P log level to info
  • -p2p-log-level-debug : Set the P2P log level to debug

Help​

  • -showparams : Show relevant startup params on launch
  • -help : print help for the start up parameters