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Node Operators Overview

Validator onboarding is not open in the current OXN Testnet phase. This section covers running a read-only RPC node — useful when the public endpoint's rate limits or availability guarantees aren't enough for your application.

What a read-only RPC node gives you​

  • Higher throughput — no shared quota with other users.
  • Lower latency — the node runs on your own infrastructure, closer to your app.
  • Archive access — full historical state if configured for it.
  • Privacy from the OXN team — encrypted transaction contents already stay hidden, but request patterns and metadata are visible only to your infrastructure.
  • Custom JSON-RPC methods — enable debug_*, trace_*, or other methods that the public endpoint may throttle or disable.

When you should NOT run your own node​

  • Your traffic fits comfortably under the public endpoint's rate limits.
  • You don't have operational capacity to keep a node updated and monitored.
  • You don't need archive data beyond what the public endpoint retains.
  • Sync time and hardware costs would exceed your effective spend on RPC calls to a paid provider.

Most dApps in development or testing phases do not need a private node. Reach for one when specific limits start to hurt.

What a node cannot do (yet)​

Currently on OXN Testnet:

  • Validators. Not open to third-party operators. The testnet runs with a controlled validator set. Validator onboarding will open in a future phase; see Mainnet Status.
  • Enclave management. SGX enclave provisioning and key management are handled by the operator running the validator set. Third-party nodes do not currently participate in enclave key rotation.

If your use case needs validator participation (governance staking, validator rewards), it is not available yet.

Prerequisites at a glance​

  • SGX-capable hardware. The runtime requires SGX to execute the confidential EVM. Non-SGX hosts can run the consensus side but not full contract execution.
  • Modern Linux. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or equivalent, kernel 5.15 or newer.
  • Disk. Testnet historical data is currently modest but grows over time. Start with at least 100 GB SSD; increase as needed.
  • Network. Reliable public-facing IPv4 or IPv6, or at minimum reliable outbound.

Details: Hardware Requirements.

What running a node looks like​

At a high level, running an OXN read-only RPC node involves:

  1. Provisioning SGX-capable hardware.
  2. Installing SGX drivers and DCAP (Data Center Attestation Primitives) prerequisites.
  3. Pulling the OXN node Docker image.
  4. Configuring the node (network selection, RPC settings, sync mode).
  5. Starting the container and letting it sync.
  6. Monitoring for health, upgrading periodically.

See Running a Read-Only RPC Node for the step-by-step procedure.

Support and community​

Self-hosting is supported on a best-effort basis in the current phase. If you hit issues that are not covered by the documentation, contact the team via the Support channels.

Next steps​