---
title: "1. Running a Radix Node"
path: "/developers/infrastructure/01-running-a-node"
version: "1.0.0"
author: "Hydrate"
createdAt: "2026-02-22T18:06:07.499Z"
updatedAt: "2026-02-22T18:45:38.643Z"
---

# 1. Running a Radix Node

<Infobox>
| **Running a Radix Node** |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Est. Time | 60 minutes |
| Prerequisites | Linux server with SSH access |
| Language | Bash |
| Official Docs | [Node Introduction](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-introduction) |
</Infobox>

## Overview

A Radix node connects to the peer-to-peer network, syncs ledger state, and (if registered as a validator) participates in [Cerberus consensus](/contents/tech/core-concepts/cerberus-consensus). You can run a node to power your own [API endpoints](/developers/infrastructure/02-radix-apis), support the network, or earn [staking emissions](/contents/tech/core-concepts/network-emissions) as a validator.

## Hardware Requirements

| Resource | Minimum | Recommended (Validators) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CPU | 4 vCPU | 8 vCPU (e.g., AWS c5.2xlarge) |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB+ |
| Storage | 500 GB SSD | 1 TB+ NVMe |
| OS | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) |
| Network | Port 30000/tcp open for gossip |

Validators need reliability

Validators should run on dedicated hardware or high-availability cloud instances. Downtime reduces your share of [emissions](/contents/tech/core-concepts/network-emissions) and may cause delegators to move their stake.

## Installation

Radix provides two installation methods:

### Option A: CLI-Guided Install (Recommended)

The `babylonnode` CLI tool walks you through configuration interactively:

```bash
wget -O babylonnode https://github.com/radixdlt/babylon-nodecli/releases/latest/download/babylonnode-ubuntu22.04
chmod +x babylonnode
sudo mv babylonnode /usr/local/bin/

# Run guided setup
babyonnode docker install
```
### Option B: Docker Manual Setup

For more control, use `docker-compose` directly with the official images from [radixdlt/babylon-node](https://github.com/radixdlt/babylon-node).

### Option C: Systemd

Run the node process directly on the host, managed by systemd. Better for servers shared with other services.

All methods are documented at [docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-setup](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-setup).

## Becoming a Validator

Once your node is synced, you can register it as a validator to participate in consensus and earn emissions.

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See the [validator setup guide](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/validator-setup) for detailed steps.

## Monitoring

Use the standard Prometheus + Grafana stack for observability:

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The node also exposes a **System API** for diagnostics — connection status, health checks, and performance metrics. See [Radix APIs](/developers/infrastructure/02-radix-apis) for details.

## Maintenance

- **Protocol updates** — update your node software when new protocol versions are released; validators must signal readiness
- **Backups** — the ledger can be rebuilt from the network, but backing up your validator key is critical
- **Snapshots** — daily ledger snapshots are available at [snapshots.radix.live](https://snapshots.radix.live) for faster initial sync

## External Links

- [Node introduction](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-introduction)
- [Node setup guide](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-setup)
- [Validator setup](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/validator-setup)
- [Maintenance guide](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/node-maintenance)
- [babylon-node GitHub](https://github.com/radixdlt/babylon-node)