Pharos Atlantic Testnet Node Installation Guide

Overview

Pharos is an EVM-compatible blockchain. This guide covers installation of a full node using Docker.

Requirements

Minimum Hardware

• CPU: 32 cores, 2.8GHz+ (AMD EPYC Milan / Intel Xeon Platinum)
• RAM: 256 GB
• Storage: 5 TB SSD (350 MB/s, 30000 IOPS)
• Network: 0.5 Gbps
• ulimit: ≥ 10000000 open files

Software

• Docker Engine 20.10+
• Docker Compose 2.0+

Installation Steps

1. Create Working Directory

export WORKSPACE=pharos
mkdir -p /data/$WORKSPACE && cd /data/$WORKSPACE

2. Download Configuration Files

For Atlantic Testnet:

mkdir -p bin
wget -O genesis.conf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PharosNetwork/resources/refs/heads/main/atlantic.genesis
wget -O bin/VERSION https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PharosNetwork/resources/refs/heads/main/atlantic.version
wget -O pharos.conf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PharosNetwork/resources/refs/heads/main/conf/full.conf

3. Create docker-compose.yml

cat > docker-compose.yml <<'COMPOSE_EOF'
services:
  pharos:
    image: public.ecr.aws/k2g7b7g1/pharos:pharos_community_v0.12.2_f301031a_0422
    container_name: pharos-atlantic
    environment:
      - CONSENSUS_KEY_PWD=YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD_HERE
      - PHAROS_CONF=/data/pharos.conf
      - GENESIS_CONF=/data/genesis.conf
      - KEYS_DIR=/data/keys
    volumes:
      - /data/pharos:/data
    ports:
      - "18100:18100"  # HTTP RPC
      - "18200:18200"  # WebSocket
      - "19000:19000"  # P2P TCP
      - "20000:20000"  # RPC
    restart: unless-stopped
    privileged: true
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-sf", "-X", "POST", "-H", "Content-Type: application/json", "-d", "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"method\":\"eth_blockNumber\",\"params\":[],\"id\":1}", "http://localhost:18100"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 60s
COMPOSE_EOF

Important: Replace YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD_HERE with a strong password.

Note: privileged: true is required for ulimit settings.

4. Start the Node

docker compose up -d

5. Check Node Status

View logs:

docker compose logs -f pharos

Check sync status:

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:18100 \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}' | jq

Check container health:

docker compose ps

Key Management

Backup Keys (CRITICAL)

After first start, keys are generated in /data/pharos/keys/:

• domain.key — prime256v1 private key
• domain.pub — prime256v1 public key
• stabilizing.key — bls12381 private key
• stabilizing.pub — bls12381 public key

Create backup immediately:

cd /data/pharos
tar -czf ~/pharos-keys-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz keys/

Verify backup:

tar -tzf ~/pharos-keys-backup-*.tar.gz

Becoming a Validator

Pharos Atlantic is a permissioned testnet. To become a validator:

1. Run a synced full node (this guide)
2. Contact Pharos team:
   • Email: janesh@dplabs.xyz
   • Telegram: @janesh_dani
3. Provide:
   • Your organization name
   • Server IP
   • Domain public key (cat /data/pharos/keys/domain.pub)
   • Stabilizing public key (cat /data/pharos/keys/stabilizing.pub)
4. Wait for approval and staking tokens from team

Management Commands

Stop node:

docker compose stop

Restart node:

docker compose restart

View logs:

docker compose logs -f

Update to new version:

# Update image tag in docker-compose.yml, then:
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Monitoring

Check block height:

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:18100 \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}' \
  | jq -r '.result' | xargs printf '%d\n'

Check peer count:

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:18100 \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"net_peerCount","params":[],"id":1}' | jq

Troubleshooting

Container won't start (ulimit error):

• Ensure privileged: true is set in docker-compose.yml

Node not syncing:

• Check logs: docker compose logs -f
• Verify network connectivity
• Check P2P port 19000 is accessible

Keys not generated:

• Check logs for errors
• Verify CONSENSUS_KEY_PWD is set
• Ensure /data/pharos has correct permissions

Resources

• Official Docs: https://docs.pharos.xyz/
• GitHub: https://github.com/PharosNetwork/resources
• Website: https://pharosnetwork.xyz/

POSTHUMAN Services

• RPC: http://107.155.103.210:18100
• WebSocket: ws://107.155.103.210:18200
• P2P: 107.155.103.210:19000

---

Installed by POSTHUMAN team on 2026-04-29