Midnight block producers (MBPs) play an essential role in the Midnight ecosystem by generating and validating new blocks to ensure the security, resilience and integrity of the blockchain. The more participants and the more resources that are deployed towards consensus and block production, the higher the overall resilience and security of the system. To learn more about Midnight block production and incentives, read the tokenomics and incentives whitepaper.
This article outlines and connects you to the essential resources, including key information, and documentation to help you get started as a block producer on Midnight testnet-02.
For a video walkthrough, check out the recently released playlist:
Understanding the infrastructure
To run a Midnight node on testnet-02, you’ll need to install:
- A Cardano Stake Pool Operator (SPO) on Preview Testnet: Midnight is a partner chain to Cardano, which means Cardano SPOs can become Midnight block producers and Midnight block producers will first need to have an SPO on the Cardano testnet. A Midnight testnet-02 block producer is an SPO that has opted into Midnight block production and also runs a Midnight node
- Partner chain dependency services: Tools like Cardano-db-sync, Postgres, Kupo, and Ogmios are critical. All these components are included in a Docker Compose project that orchestrates the partner chain dependencies.
- A Midnight node: A Midnight node is software that connects with the Midnight blockchain. It maintains a copy of the ledger, validates transactions and runs as the core block producer for Midnight testnet-02.
You’ll also need a reliable internet connection with minimal downtime and speeds of at least 50MB/s.
Setup process
First, to become a Midnight block producer you need to run an SPO on the Cardano Preview Testnet.
To complete this effectively, it is recommended to have proficiency in setting up, running, and monitoring blockchain nodes consistently, along with a strong grasp of command-line interface (CLI) usage, system administration, and networking.
To begin, you must operate as an SPO on the Cardano Preview Testnet. If you’re an experienced SPO, deploy your SPO to Preview (or learn how to become an SPO). Ensure you have:
- A UTXO and its associated payment signing key (payment.skey)
- The SPO cold signing key (cold.skey)
- Note: Extended BIP-32 signing keys are not supported at this time
If you're new to SPOs, refer to the Midnight documentation for detailed guidance.
Second, set up partner chain dependency services.
With your SPO ready, the next step is to configure dependency services for the Midnight testnet-02. To simplify this process you can use a Docker Compose file to start the required services on a server.
Register SPO as MPB
After setup, you can register your SPO as a committee candidate using the open-source partner-chain CLI. This process is a three-step sequence which is streamlined with the Midnight node’s CLI wizards:
- Initiate registration: Select a UTXO from your Cardano address to use for registration, establishing the context for your application.
- Prepare registration signature: On a secure machine, use your SPO cold key to generate signatures that prove your ownership of the required keys.
- Submit registration: Provide the signatures and keys to finalize your registration on the mainchain.
Committee rotation
Once an SPO registers as a MNB candidate, then they will participate in the committee rotation in n + 2 Cardano epochs, where n is the epoch the registration was submitted.
At this point you will be registered as a candidate in the validator committee. You can verify your registration and committee status using the provided JSON-RPC endpoints or by querying the committee for the relevant epoch.
Running the Midnight node
Once your dependency services are operational and the SPO is a MNP candidate, it’s time to run the Midnight node in validator mode. This node follows the partner chain scripts for testnet-02 on the Preview chain. Use the official documentation to configure the Midnight node, ensuring it connects to your Cardano-db-sync/Postgres instance.
Block production
If you’ve made it through these steps, you are now a block producer on Midnight testnet-02. If you need further guidance and community support, join the Midnight Community Discord server and explore Midnight’s documentation.
To follow along the steps in detail, watch the full walkthrough and learn how to become a Midnight block producer on the Midnight testnet-02.
What’s next
Testnet-02 offers an opportunity to learn how the Midnight network works while actively contributing to its development. Along with participating in the network, block producers can provide critical feedback that helps shape the future direction of the network.
As a result of continuous development and block producer feedback, previous upgrades to testnet-02 have significantly boosted performance and stability, as well as lowered storage and operational costs for users running the network nodes.
Preparing to operate as a Midnight block producer now will ensure you're ready for upcoming releases.
For a deeper dive into the future of Midnight block production and incentives, check out the tokenomics and incentives whitepaper.