Ethereum 2.0

Warning

DISCLAIMER: Ethereum is an experimental technology. Running the Ethereum on ARM image as an Ethereum 2.0 validator node can lead to loss of ETH. This is a risk operation and you alone are responsible for your actions using the Ethereum sofware included in this image or following the instructions of this guide.

We strongly recommend to try first an Ethereum 2.0 testnet (Pyrmont or Prater) and get familiarized with the process before staking with real ETH.

Ethereum 2.0 is the new Proof of Stake chain, currently running on phase 0. If you want to get further info please visit the ethereum 2.0 EF page :

An Ethereum 2.0 client consists of two components, a Beacon chain and a Validator.

Beacon Chain

The Beacon Chain is a bridge between the Ethereum 1.0 and the Ethereum 2.0 worlds. It connects the Validator to the Ethereum 1.0 chain so the validator can detect the 32 ETH deposit transaction (which contains the Validator public key). In order to propose (create) blocks in Ethereum 2.0 you need the Beacon Chain synced and connected to an Ethereum 1.0 provider (it can be an Ethereum 1.0 local node or a third party Ethereum 1.0 provider (see below).

Validator

Here is basically where the stake process happens.

The validator is the client that proposes blocks and does attestations according to the Ethereum 2.0 specification (proposing a block would be the equivalent to “mine” a block in the Ethereum 1.0 chain).

Warning

There is a chance of losing your ETH if your validator does something wrong (this is called being slashed), so be extremely carefull and always follow the Ethereum 2.0 specification.

And never run the same validator (same private keys) in two nodes at the same time. You will be slashed.

Staking Requirements

In order to stake and run a validator you will need:

• 32 ETH

• An Ethereum 1.0 node client or a Ethereum 1.0 provider

• An Ethereum 2.0 node client consisting of: * A Beacon Chain * A/several Validator(s)

For making the 32 ETH deposit you need to create 2 key pairs and a Json file with the necessary information to interact with the Eth2 mainnet contract through a transaction.

The Ethereum Foundation provides a tool (eth2.0-deposit-tool) to create the keys and the deposit information (which among others contains your validator(s) public key(s)). This tool is already installed in your node.

Additionally, the Ethereum Foundation set up a web Launchpad to make the staking process much more easy. Here you can upload the Json file and make the 32 ETH transaction with your wallet or a web3 wallet (such as Metamask or Walletconnect).

Validator setup and 32 ETH deposit

The validator setup is client agnostic so it will be valid for all Ethereum 2.0 clients.

Note

At this point, you should have an Ethereum 1.0 node running with the blockchain synced. You can not propose blocks without an Ethereum 1.0.

You can use a third party Ethereum 1.0 provider such as Infura, QuikNode, Chainstack, or Alchemy, but we’d love to see you running your own Ethereum 1.0 node ir order to contribute to the network decentralization and to avoid any issues with a third party provider.

The first step is to visit the EF Launchpad website to start the process:

https://launchpad.ethereum.org

1. Click “Get started”

2. Read carefully and accept all warnings.

3. You can skip the Ethereum 1.0 selection as all clients are already installed. click “Continue”

4. Same for Ethereum 2.0 client. Click “Continue”

5. In the next screen, select the number of validators you want to run. Remember that you need 32 ETH for each.

6. Ethereum on ARM provides the Ethereum Foundation tool to generate, so, in you Raspberry Pi terminal and under the ethereum account, run (assuming 1 validator):

cd && deposit new-mnemonic --num_validators 1 --chain mainnet

7. Choose your mnemonic language and type a password for keeping your keys safe. Write down your mnemonic password, press any key and type it again as requested.

Warning

Make sure you wrote down the nnemonic on a safe place. Without it you will NOT be able to withdrawn your ETH in the future.

Again, please, make sure your mnemonic is safe!!!

8. Now you have 2 Json files under the validator_keys directory:

• A deposit data file for making the 32 ETH transaction to the mainnet (which contains your validator public key as well).

• A keystore file with your validator keys that will be used by your Ethereum 2.0 client.

9. Back to the Launchpad website, check “I am keeping my keys safe and have written down my mnemonic phrase” and click “Continue”.

10. It is time to send the 32 ETH deposit to the Ethereum 1.0 mainnet. You need the deposit file (located in your Raspberry Pi). You can, either copy and paste the file content and save it as a new json file in your desktop computer or copy the file from the Raspberry to your desktop through SSH.

Copy and PasteSCP (SSH remote copy)

Connected through SSH to your Raspberry Pi, type:

cat validator_keys/deposit_data-$FILE-ID.json (replace $FILE-ID with yours)

Copy the content (the text in square brackets), go back to your desktop, paste it into your favourite editor and save it as a json file.

11. Now, back to the Launchpad website, upload the deposit_data file and select Metamask, click continue and check all warnings. Click “Continue” and click “Initiate the Transaction”. Confirm the transaction in Metamask and wait for the confirmation (a notification will pop up shortly).

The Beacon Chain (which is connected to the Ethereum 1.0 chain) will detect this deposit and the Validator will be enabled.

Congrats!, you just started your validator activation process.

Running an Ethereum 2.0 client

Warning

DISCLAIMER: As of March 2021 we only tested Geth (Ethereum 1.0) and Lighthouse (Ethereum 2.0) in a Raspberry Pi 4. In the coming weeks, we will try other Ethereum 1.0 and 2.0 clients and label them as tested.

As so, we recommend to choose these 2 clients while we make sure the others are suitable to run in these devices.

Supported clients

Ethereum on ARM supports the main Ethereum 2.0 clients available.

Client	Official Binary	Language	Home
Lighthouse	Yes	Rust	lighthouse-book.sigmaprime.io
Prysm	Yes	Go	docs.prylabs.network
Nimbus	Yes	Nim	nimbus.team
Teku	Yes	Java	consensys.net

Lighthouse

Lighthouse is a full Ethereum 2.0 client written in Rust. It is very capable on running in resource-constrained devices such as the Raspberry Pi 4.

Systemd Services	Home Directory	Config Files	Default TCP/UDP Port
lighthouse-beacon lighthouse-validator	/home/ethereum/.lighthouse	/etc/ethereum/lighthouse-beacon.conf /etc/ethereum/lighthouse-validator.conf	9000

Tip

Lighthouse is the Ethereum 2.0 client that we’ve been running since December 2020 (along with a Geth Ethereum 1.0 node), and, so far, the only client tested on this architecture in production.

1.- Port forwarding

You need to open the 9000 port in your router (both UDP and TCP)

2.- Start the beacon chain

Under the ethereum account, run:

sudo systemctl enable lighthouse-beacon
sudo systemctl start lighthouse-beacon

The Lighthouse client will start to sync the Beacon Chain. This can take several hours.

3.- Start de validator

We need to import the previously generated validator keys. Run under the ethereum account:

lighthouse account validator import --directory=/home/ethereum/validator_keys

Then, type your previously defined password and run:

sudo systemctl enable lighthouse-validator
sudo systemctl start lighthouse-validator

The Lighthouse beacon chain and validator are now enabled.

Prysm

Prysm is a full Ethereum 2.0 client written in Go.

Systemd Services	Home Directory	Config Files	Default TCP/UDP Port
prysm-beacon prysm-validator	/home/ethereum/.eth2	/etc/ethereum/prysm-beacon.conf /etc/ethereum/prysm-validator.conf	13000 12000

Note

You need to accept the Prylabs terms of service. To do so, edit the above config files and add the –accept-terms-of-use flag.

1.- Port forwarding

You need to open the 13000 and 12000 ports in your router (both UDP and TCP)

2.- Start the beacon chain

Under the ethereum account, run:

sudo systemctl enable prysm-beacon
sudo systemctl start prysm-beacon

3.- Start de validator

We need to import the validator keys. Run under the ethereum account:

validator accounts import --keys-dir=/home/ethereum/validator_keys

Accept the default wallet path and enter a password for your wallet. Now enter the password previously defined.

Lastly, set up your password and start the client:

echo "$YOUR_PASSWORD" > /home/ethereum/validator_keys/prysm-password.txt
sudo systemctl enable prysm-validator
sudo systemctl start prysm-validator

The Prysm beacon chain and the validator are now enabled.

Teku

Teku is a full Ethereum 2.0 client written in Java.

Systemd Service	Home Directory	Config File	Default TCP/UDP Port
teku	/home/ethereum/.teku/data_teku	/etc/ethereum/teku.conf	9151

1.- Port forwarding

You need to open the 9151 port (both UDP and TCP)

2.- Start the Beacon Chain and the Validator

Under the Ethereum account, check the name of your keystore file:

ls /home/ethereum/validator_keys/keystore*

Set the keystore file name in the teku config file (replace the $KEYSTORE_FILE variable with the file listed above)

sudo sed -i 's/changeme/$KEYSTORE_FILE/' /etc/ethereum/teku.conf

Set the password previously entered:

echo "yourpassword" > validator_keys/teku-password.txt

Start the beacon chain and the validator:

sudo systemctl enable teku
sudo systemctl start teku

The Teku beacon chain and validator are now enabled.

Nimbus

Nimbus is a full Ethereum 2.0 client written in Nim.

Systemd Service	Home Directory	Config File	Default TCP/UDP Port
nimbus	/home/ethereum/.nimbus	/etc/ethereum/nimbus.conf	19000

1.- Port forwarding

You need to open the 19000 port (both UDP and TCP)

2.- Start the Beacon Chain and the Validator

We need to import the validator keys. Run under the ethereum account:

nimbus_beacon_node deposits import /home/ethereum/validator_keys --data-dir=/home/ethereum/.nimbus --log-file=/home/ethereum/.nimbus/nimbus.log

Enter the password previously defined and run:

sudo systemctl enable nimbus
sudo systemctl start nimbus

The Nimbus beacon chain and validator are now enabled.