Setting Up a Node

This guide walks you through setting up a Tezos node with Octez Manager.

Planning Your Setup

Network Selection

Network	Purpose	Recommended For
Shadownet	Testnet mirroring mainnet	Testing with mainnet-like conditions
Weeklynet	Weekly ephemeral testnet	Protocol testing
Mainnet	Production network	Not recommended yet (see below)

Tip: Start with Shadownet for testing — it mirrors mainnet conditions. For faster iteration, consider a protocolnet which has shorter block times.

Warning: Octez Manager is experimental software. We recommend using it only on testnets (Shadownet, Weeklynet) until it matures. Mainnet usage is at your own risk.

History Mode

Mode	Storage	Use Case
Rolling	~50GB	Most users, bakers
Full	~500GB+	Block explorers, indexers
Archive	4TB+	Complete history access

Bootstrap Method

Method	Time	Description
Snapshot	~30 min	Download pre-built state (recommended)
Genesis	Days	Sync from scratch

Installation via TUI

Install Node

Launch octez-manager
Select [ Install new instance ] → Node
Configure:
- Instance name: Unique identifier (e.g., shadownet)
- Network: shadownet (or mainnet/weeklynet)
- History mode: rolling (recommended)
- RPC address: 127.0.0.1:8732 (default)
- Net address: 0.0.0.0:9732 (default)
- Bootstrap: Snapshot (recommended)

Installation via CLI

octez-manager install-node \
  --instance shadownet \
  --network shadownet \
  --history-mode rolling \
  --octez-version latest \
  --snapshot

Custom Snapshot URL

octez-manager install-node \
  --instance my-node \
  --network shadownet \
  --snapshot \
  --snapshot-uri https://example.com/snapshot.rolling

Custom Data Directory

octez-manager install-node \
  --instance my-node \
  --network shadownet \
  --data-dir /mnt/fast-ssd/tezos-node

Post-Installation

Check Status

# Via CLI
octez-manager instance my-node show

# Via systemctl
systemctl --user status octez-node@my-node

View Logs

# Via TUI: press Enter on instance, then select logs

# Via CLI
octez-manager instance my-node logs

# Via journalctl
journalctl --user -u octez-node@my-node -f

Verify Sync Progress

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8732/chains/main/blocks/head/header | jq .level

Configuration Files

Octez Manager creates (in user mode):

Path	Description
`~/.config/octez/instances/<name>/`	Instance configuration (node.env)
`~/.local/share/octez/<name>/`	Node data directory
`~/.config/systemd/user/octez-node@<name>.service.d/`	Systemd overrides

In system mode (run as root):

Path	Description
`/etc/octez/instances/<name>/`	Instance configuration (node.env)
`/var/lib/octez/<name>/`	Node data directory
`/etc/systemd/system/octez-node@<name>.service.d/`	Systemd overrides

Troubleshooting

Node won’t start

Check logs for errors:

journalctl --user -u octez-node@my-node -n 50

Sync is slow

Ensure good network connectivity
Check disk I/O (SSD recommended)
Consider using a snapshot if syncing from genesis

Port conflicts

Ensure ports 8732 (RPC) and 9732 (P2P) are available:

ss -tulnp | grep -E '8732|9732'