Base Node

Base is a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly Ethereum L2 built on Optimism's OP Stack. This repository contains a Docker build for running a Base node with base-reth-node and base-consensus.

Quick Start

1. Ensure you have an Ethereum L1 full node RPC and beacon endpoint available.

2. Choose your network:

   • For mainnet: use .env.mainnet
   • For testnet: use .env.sepolia

3. Configure your L1 endpoints in the appropriate .env file:

   BASE_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC=<your-preferred-l1-rpc>
   BASE_NODE_L1_BEACON=<your-preferred-l1-beacon>
   

4. Start the node:

   # For mainnet (default):
   docker compose up --build
   
   # For testnet:
   NETWORK_ENV=.env.sepolia docker compose up --build
   

Supported Clients

• Execution: base-reth-node
• Consensus: base-consensus

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Modern multicore CPU
• 32GB RAM (64GB recommended)
• NVMe SSD drive
• Storage: (2 * current chain size + snapshot size + 20% buffer) to accommodate future growth
• Docker and Docker Compose

Production Hardware Specifications

The following are the hardware specifications we use in production:

Reth Archive Node (recommended)

• Instance: AWS i7i.12xlarge
• Storage: RAID 0 of all local NVMe drives (/dev/nvme*)
• Filesystem: ext4

Configuration

Required Settings

• BASE_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC: your Ethereum L1 node RPC endpoint
• BASE_NODE_L1_BEACON: your L1 beacon node endpoint
• BASE_NODE_NETWORK: base or base-sepolia
• RETH_CHAIN: base or base-sepolia

Network Settings

• Mainnet:
  • RETH_CHAIN=base
  • BASE_NODE_NETWORK=base
  • Sequencer: https://mainnet-sequencer.base.org
• Sepolia:
  • RETH_CHAIN=base-sepolia
  • BASE_NODE_NETWORK=base-sepolia
  • Sequencer: https://sepolia-sequencer.base.org

Optional Features

• Flashblocks: set RETH_FB_WEBSOCKET_URL. When set, the execution client runs in Flashblocks mode; otherwise it runs in vanilla mode.
• Follow mode: set BASE_NODE_SOURCE_L2_RPC
• Pruning: set RETH_PRUNING_ARGS

For full configuration options, see .env.mainnet or .env.sepolia.

Testing Flashblocks RPC Methods

When running in Flashblocks mode, you can query a pending block using the Flashblocks RPC:

curl -X POST \
  --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["pending", false],"id":1}' \
  http://localhost:8545

Snapshots

Snapshots are available to help you sync your node more quickly. See docs.base.org for links and more details on how to restore from a snapshot.

Supported Networks

Network	Status
Mainnet	✅
Testnet	✅

Troubleshooting

For support please join our Discord and post in 🛠｜node-operators. You can alternatively open a new GitHub issue.

Disclaimer

THE NODE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. We make no guarantees about asset protection or security. Usage is subject to applicable laws and regulations.

For more information, visit docs.base.org.