Milkomeda Docker Fullnode Setup: Catalyst Proposal Competed.
We want to take a moment to tell you about one of our recently completed proposals for Project Catalyst, submitted to the Open Source Development Ecosystem Challenge in Fund 8.
The proposal was for a Milkomeda Docker Fullnode Setup and here we want to give a rundown of what was actually proposed, what work we’ve completed and, most importantly, what this proposal brings to the Cardano ecosystem.
What Was in the Proposal?
The problem statement for the proposal was:
To ensure decentralization, we need to make it easy for users and developers to run full node and archive nodes of Milkomeda.
The answer we proposed was:
We will provide an easy to run docker solution so that users and developers can easily run their own full nodes and/or archive nodes.
The goal of this proposal was to open source the full node infrastructure for the Milkomeda sidechain in a Docker solution. Doing this allows developers and users to easily host their own nodes, either full nodes or archive nodes, thus allowing them to contribute to the decentralization of the Milkomeda sidechain.
This open source infrastructure would also allow developers to run their own nodes for their applications, making it easier for them to onboard onto Milkomeda and, therefore, Cardano.
What Work has Been Completed?
We have completed the docker setup for the full node and have open sourced it in this Github repository here.
This setup is to run a full node or archived node for the Milkomeda sidechain. It allows users and developers to run a full node that allows them to post transactions to the network, query the blockchain and perform their own checks and balances on the network. It should be noted that this node is for the EVM sidechain, not for the Cardano to Milkomeda bridge.
Currently, those who run this node are only network observers and are contributing to the decentralization of the network by adding their nodes to the network of nodes for other users to use. Those who run this node are not validators, as validators must run both the sidechain infrastructure and the bridge infrastructure.
The bridge infrastructure was not included in this proposal, however, our plan is to open source this code in the near future, once thorough security checks have been completed on it. Once the bridge infrastructure is publicly available users will be able to run both pieces of infrastructure and become validators of the Milkomeda network, helping the network reach a higher level of decentralization.
The full node infrastructure released here can be used to run a node on the Milkomeda devnet (testnet) or the Milkomeda main chain. Users can choose to run a full node, or an archive node. For more information about node types check out this resource.
What Does This Proposal Bring to the Ecosystem?
The milkomeda sidechain development and deployment has been heavily sponsored by the Cardano community through the Project Catalyst decentralized funding mechanism. The open sourcing of this critical piece of network infrastructure marks the beginning of the process of decentralizing the Milkomeda network and transferring custody of it over to the community.
The release of this proposal allows developers to run their own nodes for their own dApps. Meaning that they no longer need to rely on the previously existing centralized node services. In doing so they also contribute to the decentralization and strength of this peer-to-peer network.
Regular users can also run Milkomeda nodes if they wish, and in doing so they can expedite the dissemination of their transactions through the network. This also helps with decentralization as it provides another node for others to connect to.
To Close Us Out: How Many Nodes are Running Already?
Outside of the original, centralized nodes that were used in the creation of both the Milkomeda devnet and mainnet there are now 5–10 nodes running at any one time on the devnet. On the mainnet there are around 15 nodes running outside of the original centralized network of nodes!
As use of the Milkomeda network grows and as more people begin launching dApps and other projects on the network we expect the number of nodes to continue to grow alongside it. Contributing to this network growth we also have the, also Catalyst Funded, Milkomeda Accelerator, which you can discover more about here!
Useful Links:
Open Sourced Full Node: Github
Milkomeda Homepage: Website
Milkomeda Documentation: Gitbook
