DAppNode goes v0.2.0!
The big revamp: Lighter, with higher stability and more flexibility
DAppNode has gone a long way from v0.1.x in June 2018. It has been consistently improving by leaps and bounds, but today marks a crucial date for us. Today we are proud to announce the release of DAppNode v0.2.0.
Here you will read the main changes, the reasons behind these changes and a quick practical guide to the upgrade.
The update is aimed at providing a more convenient experience for our nodlers, and that’s why we have changed some integral parts of the DAppNode, based on the feedback from our own usage and from our fellow nodlers. The changes will make DAppNode lighter, more stable and easier to use, and the two major ones are a migration to OpenVPN to connect to the node and we have moved to Debian as the underlying OS. They come accompanied of bug fixes, experience improvements and a bonus that will make nodlers’ lives way easier ;)
Let’s have a look at the improvements of DappNode v0.2.0.
OpenVPN
The adoption of OpenVPN allows for much smoother user experience and connection stability, for all types of devices and OS.
- Users do not have to handle configuration for VPN clients anymore, they just have to install a compatible OpenVPN client, download the credentials and connect. That easy. This makes it much easier for non-technical users to maintain the VPN and give access to DAppNode to others.
- For advanced users, OpenVPN can run in any port, which means saying goodbye to 500 and 4500 ports by default and giving a warm welcome to getting around firewalls.
- Last but not least OpenVPN protocol is completely Open Source and it is maintained, updated and inspected by the community, which aligns to our philosophy.
Debian 10
Up to this day, DAppNode was built on top of Ubuntu 18.04, but now we have moved to Debian 10. The reasons for this change are as simple as powerful:
- Again, Debian is completely Open Source and has no company behind but an astonishing community of contributors that make it the perfect operating system for DAppNode. Debian takes a strict stance on free software. You won’t be able to find any single line of code of proprietary software in a default Debian installation
- Apart from the ethos alignment, Debian excludes unnecessary features that are not relevant to DAppNode, so the installation now is much lighter = More space for chains available!
Please note that even though we recommend reinstalling your server with Debian this is not needed, we understand that you might not want to resync your chains, so we ensured backward compatibility for nodlers that decide to stay in the Ubuntu version.
Other improvements
Despite the two big changes above, there’s plenty of other stuff to look forward to in v0.2.0. To begin with, a brand new look for the Admin UI:
We have also added a File Manager to upload and download files to and from the packages, which makes it a breeze to import keystores or any other operation with files.
Last but not least, an improvement that will make your life easier: we have revamped our bind package so you do not have to type long URLs anymore: once you have updated to DAppNode v0.2.0, you can use http://my.dappnode to access the Admin UI (you must be connected to your DAppNode, either through the VPN connection or connected to the DAppNodeWiFi to use this link).
Instead of your old http://my.admin.dnp.dappnode.eth, we have simplified the addresses so you can access the following:
- Admin: http://my.dappnode/
- IPFS: ipfs.dappnode (http://ipfs.dappnode:5001/webui)
- Ethchain: fullnode.dappnode ( RPC:8545 or WS:8546)
Getting practical
In order to migrate your DappNode to version v0.2.0 just hit the update button you will see in your Admin UI and follow these instructions.
⚠️ Warning! The VPN included in v0.2.0 (OpenVPN) is not compatible with the previous VPN (L2TP) — You won’t be able to access your DAppNode’s admin with your current configuration! You will need to access your machine via its WiFi hotspot or, if you don’t have physical access to it, via ssh connection in order to get your first OpenVPN credentials ⚠️
To make an update including Debian as the operating system you will need to generate and install a new ISO, or to have a fresh machine with Debian 10 installed and run the installation script.
From today every newly installed ISO will include Debian 10, and if you want to use the installation script and use Debian you will have to have Debian 10 preinstalled in your machine. Still, you can go on using Ubuntu if you prefer to do so.
Decentralization is an urgency YOU can act on
Did you know that 70% of the synced running Ethereum nodes are hosted in VPS providers and therefore architecturally and politically centralized?
Our mission is to:
- Mitigate the high dependence of blockchain networks in third parties
- Reducing the technical barriers to run and maintain a node
With this update we are making it easier than ever for everyone to be a nodler. If you are on the fence on setting your own DAppNode now, WeTrust has proposed a Challenge for you:
Will the total Ethereum nodes exceed 10,000 at any date between April 12th, 2019 and July 1st 2019, as reported by Etherscan?
If the challenge resolves YES, the reward will be unlocked for evenly between Gitcoin Open Source Fund and Giveth
So get yourself to https://dappnode.io/ and start being a nodler, and you will be donating to the whole ecosystem to improve!
Soon we will have one more tool to increase the fully decentralized node count: our DappNode preinstalled servers will start shipping to your door to provide you with the easiest way to start being a nodler! Hardware DAppNodes are coming!
#StayTuned
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