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We will be using Docker software to make running a Minima node simple.

We recommend Docker for ease of use and automatic updates for your node. However, if you experience issues with Docker, the manual method is also available.

Once your node is set up, you will be able to use Minima's decentralized applications.

What is Docker?

Docker is an open-source software platform that simplifies the process of running, testing and managing applications. It uses the operating system of the computer on which it’s installed to provide an independent computing environment for an application to run on.

Start a new Minima node​

Remove existing nodes​

Before starting, stop any existing nodes you started manually by typing quit into the command line where the Minima logs are running.

Start a new Minima node using Docker​

  1. Download and run the Windows installer from the official Docker website

If prompted, use the following options:

Windows

You may also be prompted to allow firewall settings.

  1. Once installed, open Docker
  2. Click on the settings icon, and select Start Docker Desktop when you log in

Windows_dockerstartup

  1. Click Apply & Restart

  2. Open the Windows Command Prompt (Go to Windows Start, then type command prompt to find and open the Command Prompt window)

  3. Copy and paste the following into the Command Prompt window 

docker run -d -e minima_mdspassword=INSERTPASSWORD -e minima_desktop=true -v C:\Users\INSERTUSERNAME\minimadocker9001:/home/minima/data -p 9001-9004:9001-9004 --restart unless-stopped --name minima9001 minimaglobal/minima:latest
CHOOSE YOUR FILE PATH AND PASSWORD

File path: Insert the name of your home folder where it says INSERTUSERNAME below e.g. C:\Users\john\minimadocker9001

Password: Make sure to set the password below to a long password using A-Z, a-z and 0-9 characters only. This will be the password to access your Minidapp Hub.

What do all the parameters mean?
  • -d: daemon mode, Minima will run in the background
  • -e minima_mdspassword=INSERTPASSWORD : sets the password for your MiniDapp system. YOU MUST USE A SECURE PASSWORD USING UPPERCASE, LOWERCASE LETTERS AND NUMBERS ONLY
  • -e minima_desktop=true : sets your node type as a desktop node that does not receive incoming connections
  • -v C:\Users\INSERTUSERNAME\minimadocker9001:/home/minima/data : creates a local folder called minimadocker9001 in your home directory and maps it to the /home/minima/data directory in Docker. The minimadocker9001 folder is where the Minima database and is also where your backups will be stored.
  • -p 9001-9004:9001-9004 : the port number mapping from your desktop to the Docker container
  • --restart unless-stopped : ensures your container automatically restarts unless you stop it
  • --name minima9001 : sets the name of your Minima container to minima9001
  • minimaglobal/minima:latest : specifies where to pull the Minima code from

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 Docker node.

To add/remove parameters after a node has been started, you must stop and remove your minima9001 Docker container, then start it again, adding/removing the required parameters in front of -v C:\Users\INSERTUSERNAME\minimadocker9001:/home/minima/data. As long as you use the same minimadocker8001 folder, your previous node will be preserved but will use different parameters.

General​

  • -e minima_clean=true : CAREFUL! Clears existing data, starts a new fresh node. All coins will be lost.
  • -e minima_host=ipaddress : specify the host IP
  • -e minima_dbpassword=yourdbpassword : Main Wallet / SQL AES password - MUST be specified on first launch. CANNOT be changed later.
  • -e minima_allowallip=true : Allow all IPs for Maxima / Networking. Local IPs won't be allowed otherwise.
  • -e minima_archive=true : Run an Archive node - store all archive data / the cascade to allow for resyncs from this node
  • -e minima_isclient=true : Tells the P2P System that this node can't accept incoming connections
  • -e minima_server=true : Use Server settings - this node can accept incoming connections
  • -e minima_desktop=true : Use Desktop settings - this node can't accept incoming connections
  • -e minima_connect=ip:port : Disable the automatic P2P system and create your own network by manually connecting to this list of host:port

MiniDapp System (mds)​

  • -e minima_mdsenable=true/false : enable the MiniDapp System (default port 9003). Enabled by default.
  • -e minima_mdspassword=yourmdspassword : specify the mds login password

RPC​

  • -e minima_rpcenable=true/false : enable remote procedure call. Enabled by default.
  • -e minima_rpcssl=true : use Self Signed SSL cert to run RPC
  • -e minima_rpcpassword=yourrpcpassword : set Basic Auth password for RPC calls ( Use with SSL / stunnel ). Only secure if used with SSL.
  • -e minima_rpcclrf=true : use CRLF at the end of the RPC headers (NodeJS)

Help​

  • -e minima_showparams=true : Show relevant startup params on launch
  • -e minima_help=true : print help for the start up parameters

  1. Press the Enter key to run the command and start your node.

  2. You will notice a container in Docker called minima9001, this is running your Minima node.

Windows_dockercontainer

  1. Click on minima9001 to check the logs and ensure your node has started up

Windows_dockerlogs

Congratulations - your node is now installed & running!

To ensure your node updates automatically when a new version of Minima is released, continue to start a Watchtower container.

Automate updates with Watchtower​

What is a Watchtower container?

Once set up, a Watchtower container enables automatic updates of your Minima node when a new version is released. It will pull down the latest Minima version and restart with the same parameters you initially specified.

Create the Watchtower container by pasting the following command into the Windows Command Prompt.

docker run -d --restart unless-stopped --name watchtower -e WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP=true -e WATCHTOWER_TIMEOUT=60s -e WATCHTOWER_POLL_INTERVAL=28800 -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock containrrr/watchtower

Press the Enter key to run the command and start the Watchtower.

You will see the Watchtower in Docker.

Desktop_dockerwatchtower

Every 8 hours, the Watchtower will check whether there is a new version of Minima and will update if so.

Secure your node​

Before using your node for the first time, you must:

  1. Write down your Seed Phrase
  2. Take a backup
  3. Set a Vault password to encrypt your Keys (optional)

Please visit the Secure your Node page to learn how.

Continue to access your MiniDapp hub.

Access your MiniDapp hub​

The first time accessing your MiniDapp hub, you may need to pass through the security warning - see below - as the MiniDapp system currently uses self-signed certificates.

  1. Go to https://127.0.0.1:9003/ in your web browser

Click on Advanced, then Proceed. Or in Google Chrome, you may have to click anywhere on the page and type thisisunsafe to proceed. Details for other browsers can be found here.

You will see your MiniDapp System (MDS) login page.

mds_login

  1. Enter your password to login, if you don't remember, you can check here.

  2. You will see your MiniDapp hub!

FAQ​

How to check the Status of your node​

You can use the Docker CLI/Terminal to interact with your node, for example to check your status, balance, password, incentive program setup or to create a backup.

  1. From the Containers screen, click on minima9001, you will see the logs
  2. Click on CLI or Terminal (depending on the version)
  3. Type minima and press Enter, you will see the Minima Terminal appear
  4. Type status to see the latest status of your node including version, last block and chain details.

Check block and time, this is your tip block and the time of that block, time should be within a few minutes of the current time.

Desktop_dockerstatus

checking your node is in sync

Having a recent block time is not a guarantee that you are on the right chain.
Consider cross checking your latest block with another node or checking the samechain response of your Maxima Contacts by running the maxcontacts command.

warning

If the time shown is significantly behind, you should restart your node to resync to the chain.
If you have been offline for a long time or do not have a recent backup you may need to perform a chain resync from an Archive node.

Other useful commands:
mds - find the password for your node
help - show all commands

How to check your MiniDapp System password​

You can use the Docker CLI/Terminal to interact with your node, for example to check your status, balance, password, incentive program setup or to create a backup.

The mds command will show details about the MiniDapp System (MDS) including your password and the MiniDapps installed on your node.

  1. From the Containers screen, click on minima9001 to view the logs
  2. Click on CLI or Terminal (depending on the version)
  3. Type minima and press Enter, you will see the Minima Terminal appear
  4. Type mds

Desktop_dockerlogs

Useful commands:
status - see the status of your node including version and chain details
help - show all commands

How to change your MiniDapp System password​

To change the password to login to your MiniDapp System (MDS), you must stop and remove your minima9001 container and restart it with a different password.

  1. From the Containers screen, stop the minima9001 container
  2. Remove the minima9001 container

Desktop_dockerremovecontainer

  1. Repeat step 6 and 7 from Start a new Minima node using Docker, with a different password. Your password should be long using A-Z, a-z, 0-9 only.
important

Deleting the container will not delete the minimadocker9001 data folder so your coins will be safe during this process.

When starting the new container, you must use the same minimadocker9001 folder to ensure your coins and data are restored.

How to take a backup of your node​

Before backing up your node, consider encrypting your private keys. For more information, see Vault.

  1. Login to your Minima Hub
  2. Open the Terminal MiniDapp
  3. Enter the backup command with a password containing uppercase, lowercase letters and numbers only
backup password:

Auto backups​

You can create automatic backups every 24 hours however these backups cannot be password protected so we recommend encrypting your private keys before enabling auto backups.

backup auto:true

Your backups will go to the minimadocker9001 folder in your home directory.

backup parameters

password: set a password for your backup uppercase, lowercase letters and numbers only, this will be required when restoring it

file: (optional) backup name

auto: (optional) true or false. Will set the backup to repeat every 24 hours.

How to restore your node from a backup​

Your backup must be in the minimadocker9001 folder in your home directory (as specified at start up).

  1. Login to your Minima Hub
  2. Open the Terminal MiniDapp
  3. Enter the restore or restoresync command, completing the parameters

The restore command will restore your backup and then attempt to catch up to the top block by syncing from your peers. If your backup is older than 1 month, we recommend using restoresync instead. 

restore file: password:

The restoresync command will restore your backup and then attempt to catch up to the top block by syncing from a default archive node. If your backup is not recent, restoresync may be more effective for ensuring your node returns to the top block.

restoresync file: password:
restore parameters

file: the name of the backup to restore, e.g. mybackup.bak

password: (optional) the password of the backup. Can be left blank if restoring an auto backup or non password protected backup.

If successful, you will need to log out/log in from your Minima hub for the restore to take effect.

warning

If you encrypted your private keys before taking the backup that you are now restoring, your private keys will still be encrypted and you will be required to decrypt them or enter your Vault password when sending funds

How to start a second node in Docker​

To run a second node in Docker, you can create another container using different port numbers, file path and name.

  1. To create a node on port 8001:

docker run -d -e minima_mdspassword=INSERTPASSWORD -e minima_desktop=true -v ~/minimadocker8001:/home/minima/data -p 8001-8004:9001-9004 --restart unless-stopped --name minima8001 minimaglobal/minima:latest

  1. To access your MiniDapps on the second node, go to https://127.0.0.1:8003/ (8003 instead of 9003) and repeat the steps in Access your MiniDapp hub.

How to start a test node as a developer​

To create a private test node from Genesis, use the following start up command:

docker run -d -e minima_mdspassword=INSERTPASSWORD -e minima_desktop=true -e minima_genesis=true -e minima_test=true -e minima_nop2p=true -v ~/minimadocker10001_dev:/home/minima/data -p 10001-10004:9001-9004 --restart unless-stopped --name minima10001_dev minimaglobal/minima:latest

test parameters

The additional test parameters used are:

-e minima_genesis=true : Start a node from the Genesis block
-e minima_test=true : Use test parameters e.g. blocks are automined and block times are faster
-e minima_nop2p=true : Do not start the p2p system

How to remove a node​

important

Removing a node without taking a backup will delete all your coins! Only remove a node if you have taken a backup or are running a test node.

To remove a Docker node:

  1. Open Docker
  2. Stop the minima9001 container
  3. Delete the container

Desktop_dockerlogs

  1. Delete the minimadocker9001 folder from your home directory.

Next Steps​

Once your node running, see Using MiniDapps to start using Minima's decentralized applications!

Stay up to date​

Check out our MiniDapp store to stay up to date with the latest MiniDapps.

Need help?​

See Using MiniDapps for more information or find us in Discord or Telegram.