Sahara AI Testnet

type:

testnet

chain id:

sahara-test-1

rpc:

https://testnet-cos-rpc1.saharalabs.ai:443

peer:

53198df19b9c1841a008d5588e1d6ff3457284fc@144.76.98.52:26656

installation guide
links
snapshots

Sahara AI Testnet — Installation Guide

Comprehensive guide for installing and running a Sahara AI node on testnet.

Prerequisites

For Full Node (recommended):

Hardware: 8 cores, 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, 100 Mbps bandwidth
OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or similar Linux distribution
Network: Stable internet connection
Docker: Docker and Docker Compose installed

Note: These are recommended requirements for testnet full nodes. Mainnet validator requirements are higher (32 cores, 128 GB RAM, 8 TB SSD).

Network Information

Chain ID: sahara-test-1
Current Version: 0.3.1-testnet-beta
Genesis: Available in setup repository
RPC Endpoints:
- https://testnet-cos-rpc1.saharalabs.ai
- https://testnet-rpc2.saharalabs.ai
Seed Nodes: Configured in setup repository

Installation Methods

Method 1: Docker (Recommended)

This is the easiest and most reliable method for running a Sahara testnet node.

1. Install Docker and Docker Compose


# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

# Install Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker-compose --version

2. Clone Setup Repository


cd $HOME
git clone https://github.com/SaharaLabsAI/setup-testnet-node sahara-testnet
cd sahara-testnet

3. Configure Node

Edit chain-data/config/config.toml to set your moniker:


sed -i 's/moniker = "sahara-testnet-node1"/moniker = "YOUR_MONIKER"/g' chain-data/config/config.toml

Replace YOUR_MONIKER with your desired node name.

4. Configure External Address (Optional)

If you want your node to be discoverable by other peers:


EXTERNAL_IP=$(curl -s ifconfig.me)
sed -i "s/external_address = \"\"/external_address = \"tcp:\/\/${EXTERNAL_IP}:26656\"/g" chain-data/config/config.toml

5. Add Persistent Peers

Get current active peers and add them:


PEERS="53198df19b9c1841a008d5588e1d6ff3457284fc@144.76.98.52:26656,085a92a6d022ba99ca16574c91320a140fcb3406@109.236.90.95:26656,8e5ba302f0afceaf33a17625a09199a7c14a9ae5@5.9.116.2:26656"
sed -i "s/^persistent_peers = .*/persistent_peers = \"$PEERS\"/g" chain-data/config/config.toml

6. Configure State Sync (Recommended)

State sync allows fast synchronization from a recent snapshot:


# Get latest block height
LATEST_HEIGHT=$(curl -s https://testnet-cos-rpc1.saharalabs.ai/status | jq -r .result.sync_info.latest_block_height)
SYNC_BLOCK_HEIGHT=$((LATEST_HEIGHT - 1000))
SYNC_BLOCK_HASH=$(curl -s "https://testnet-cos-rpc1.saharalabs.ai/commit?height=${SYNC_BLOCK_HEIGHT}" | jq -r .result.signed_header.commit.block_id.hash)

# Update config
sed -i "s/enable = false/enable = true/g" chain-data/config/config.toml
sed -i "s/trust_height = .*/trust_height = ${SYNC_BLOCK_HEIGHT}/g" chain-data/config/config.toml
sed -i "s/trust_hash = .*/trust_hash = \"${SYNC_BLOCK_HASH}\"/g" chain-data/config/config.toml

echo "State sync configured:"
echo "Height: ${SYNC_BLOCK_HEIGHT}"
echo "Hash: ${SYNC_BLOCK_HASH}"

Note: If state sync fails, you can disable it and sync from genesis (slower):


sed -i "s/enable = true/enable = false/g" chain-data/config/config.toml

7. Start Node


docker-compose up -d

8. Check Logs


# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Check sync status
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info

9. Verify Node is Running


# Check container status
docker-compose ps

# Check peer connections
curl -s http://localhost:26657/net_info | jq .result.n_peers

# Check current height
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info.latest_block_height

Port Configuration

Default ports used by Sahara node:

26656: P2P (must be open for peer connections)
26657: RPC (can be restricted to localhost)
16161: ETH JSON-RPC
16162: ETH WebSocket

Firewall Configuration


# Allow P2P port
sudo ufw allow 26656/tcp

# Optional: Allow RPC (only if you want to expose RPC publicly)
# sudo ufw allow 26657/tcp

Node Management

Stop Node


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose stop

Start Node


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose start

Restart Node


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose restart

View Logs


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose logs -f

Check Sync Status


curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq '.result.sync_info | {catching_up, latest_block_height, latest_block_time}'

Update Node


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose down
git pull
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Troubleshooting

Node Not Syncing

Check peer connections:


curl -s http://localhost:26657/net_info | jq .result.n_peers

If 0 peers, add more persistent peers.

Disable state sync if it's failing:


docker-compose down
sed -i "s/enable = true/enable = false/g" chain-data/config/config.toml
docker-compose up -d

Check logs for errors:
```
docker-compose logs --tail 100
```

Port Already in Use

If ports 26656 or 26657 are already in use, modify docker-compose.yaml:


ports:
  - 36656:26656  # Change external port
  - 36657:26657  # Change external port
  - 36161:16161
  - 36162:16162

Then update external_address in config:


sed -i "s/26656/36656/g" chain-data/config/config.toml

Reset Node Data

Warning: This will delete all blockchain data and restart from genesis.


cd ~/sahara-testnet
docker-compose down
sudo rm -rf chain-data/data/*
docker-compose up -d

Monitoring

Check Node Health


# Node info
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.node_info

# Sync status
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info

# Validator info (if running validator)
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.validator_info

Monitor Resource Usage


# Container stats
docker stats sahara-testnet-saharad-1

# Disk usage
du -sh ~/sahara-testnet/chain-data/data

Becoming a Validator

Note: Sahara mainnet is currently in Phase 1 (Professional Node Operators Only). Testnet is open for testing.

Requirements for Mainnet Validator

Hardware: 32 cores, 128 GB RAM, 8 TB SSD
Experience: Proven track record as validator
Approval: Contact Sahara team for approval

Testnet Validator Setup

Ensure node is fully synced:


curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info.catching_up

Should return false.

Get testnet tokens from faucet (check Sahara Discord for faucet info)
Create validator (commands will be provided by Sahara team)

Useful Links

Official Website: https://saharaai.com
Documentation: https://docs.saharaai.com
GitHub: https://github.com/SaharaLabsAI
Discord: Check official website for invite
Testnet RPC: https://testnet-cos-rpc1.saharalabs.ai

Security Best Practices

Never expose admin ports (9101, 9102) publicly
Use firewall to restrict access to RPC ports
Keep system updated:
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```
Monitor logs regularly for suspicious activity
Backup validator keys if running validator (not applicable for full nodes)

Support

For issues and questions:

Check official Sahara documentation
Join Sahara Discord community
Review GitHub issues: https://github.com/SaharaLabsAI/setup-testnet-node/issues

Last Updated: 2026-04-22 Network: Testnet (sahara-test-1) Version: 0.3.1-testnet-beta