Sync a node

There are two ways to sync your node:

• From a snapshot (recommended): download a recent snapshot of the blockchain and let your node catch up from there. This is the fastest way.
• From genesis: download the whole blockchain from the Axelar peer-to-peer network, switching axelard versions at each upgrade height.

Prerequisites

• Set up your node as per Node setup.
• Ensure the AXELARD_HOME variable is set in your current session. See Home directory (e.g. AXELARD_HOME="$HOME/.axelar").

Sync from a snapshot

Download the latest Axelar blockchain snapshot

Download the latest Axelar blockchain snapshot for your chosen network (testnet or mainnet) from a provider:

• quicksync.io

The following instructions assume you downloaded the pruned snapshot from quicksync.io.

Let SNAPSHOT_FILE denote the file name of the snapshot you downloaded. Example file names:

• Mainnet: axelar-dojo-1-pruned.xyz.tar.lz4
• Testnet: axelartestnet-lisbon-3-pruned.xyz.tar.lz4

Install lz4: MacOS | Ubuntu

Decompress the downloaded snapshot into your ${AXELARD_HOME}/data directory.

# Ensure AXELARD_HOME env var is set or substitute it below

# Remove any existing data if it exists
rm -r ${AXELARD_HOME}/data

lz4 -dc --no-sparse [SNAPSHOT_FILE] | tar xfC - ${AXELARD_HOME}

# Verify that snapshot data was uncompressed
ls $AXELARD_HOME/data

Start your node

$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard start [moniker] --home $AXELARD_HOME >> $AXELARD_HOME/logs/axelard.log 2>&1 &

Your Axelar node will launch and begin downloading the rest of the blockchain after the snapshot.

View your logs in real time

tail -f $AXELARD_HOME/logs/axelard.log

You should see the height (representing the downloaded blockchain) increasing in the logs.

... executed block height=690578 ...
... executed block height=690579 ...

Sync from genesis

Follow the upgrade path

Configure your system as per Node setup except specify the correct version of axelard according to your network and position in the upgrade path:

First, you have to change directory to "axelarate-community" repository.

cd axelarate-community

To run setup-node.sh you have to specify the network (mainnet, testnet) and the axelard core version you want to use. You must follow the upgrade path as specified in the table above (it is different for each network). setup-node.sh will download axelard binary version you specified in "$AXELARD_HOME/bin" folder and create a symbolic link.

-rwxr-xr-x  1 kalid  staff  70832530 Jul  6 11:04 axelard-v0.13.6
lrwxr-xr-x  1 kalid  staff        48 Jul  6 11:04 axelard -> /Users/kalid/.axelar_testnet/bin/axelard-v0.13.6

./scripts/setup-node.sh -n mainnet -a v0.10.7

./scripts/setup-node.sh -n testnet -a v0.13.6

Start your node with the newly configured axelard version:

$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard start --home $AXELARD_HOME >> $AXELARD_HOME/logs/axelard.log 2>&1 &

Your Axelar node will resume downloading the blockchain.

View your logs in real time:

tail -f $AXELARD_HOME/logs/axelard.log

After your blockchain has reached UPGRADE_HEIGHT you will see a panic in the logs like

panic: UPGRADE {NAME} NEEDED at height: {UPGRADE_HEIGHT}:

Repeat this process for each entry in the upgrade path when the "panic" message appears in the logs.