rchain/rchain

---

rchain/rchain.json

{
  "createdAt": "2017-03-09T22:15:35Z",
  "defaultBranch": "dev",
  "description": "Blockchain (smart contract) platform using CBC-Casper proof of stake + Rholang for concurrent execution.",
  "fullName": "rchain/rchain",
  "homepage": "",
  "language": "Scala",
  "name": "rchain",
  "pushedAt": "2024-05-30T09:34:59Z",
  "stargazersCount": 691,
  "topics": [],
  "updatedAt": "2025-10-13T23:08:51Z",
  "url": "https://github.com/rchain/rchain"
}

RChain

The open-source RChain project is building a decentralized, economic, censorship-resistant, public compute infrastructure and blockchain. It will host and execute programs popularly referred to as “smart contracts”. It will be trustworthy, scalable, concurrent, with proof-of-stake consensus and content delivery.

RChain Developer features project-related tutorials and documentation, project planning information, events calendar, and information for how to engage with this project.

Note on the use of this software

This code has not yet completed a security review. We strongly recommend that you do not use it in production or to transfer items of material value. We take no responsibility for any loss you may incur through the use of this code.

Use the public testnet

The RChain Cooperative maintains a public testnet running the latest version of RNode. Learn more at RChain public testnet information.

Installation

Docker

$ docker pull rchain/rnode:latest

Debian/Ubuntu

1. Download a .deb package from the releases page
2. $ sudo apt install ./rnode_<VERSION>.deb, where <VERSION> is something like 0.9.18

RedHat/Fedora

1. Download a .rpm package from the releases page
2. $ sudo rpm -U ./rnode_<VERSION>.noarch.rpm, where <VERSION> is something like 0.9.18

macOS

1. Install Homebrew by following steps at the Homebrew homepage
2. $ brew install rchain/rchain/rnode

Running

Docker will be used in the examples port portability reasons, but running the node as a standalone process is very similar.

To fetch the latest version of RNode from the remote Docker hub and run it (exit with C-c):

$ docker run -it -p 40400:40400 rchain/rnode:latest

# With binding of RNode data directory to the host directory $HOME/rnode
$ docker run -v $HOME/rnode:/var/lib/rnode -it -p 40400:40400 rchain/rnode:latest

In order to use both the peer-to-peer network and REPL capabilities of the node, you need to run more than one Docker RNode on the same host, the containers need to be connected to one user-defined network bridge:

$ docker network create rnode-net

$ docker run -dit --name rnode0 --network rnode-net rchain/rnode:latest run -s

$ docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                 COMMAND                  CREATED          STATUS          PORTS     NAMES
ef770b4d4139   rchain/rnode:latest   "bin/rnode --profile…"   23 seconds ago   Up 22 seconds             rnode0

To attach terminal to RNode logstream execute

$ docker logs -f rnode0
[...]
08:38:11.460 [main] INFO  logger - Listening for traffic on rnode://137200d47b8bb0fff54a753aabddf9ee2bfea089@172.18.0.2?protocol=40400&discovery=40404
[...]

A repl instance can be invoked in a separate terminal using the following command:

$ docker run -it --rm --name rnode-repl --network rnode-net rchain/rnode:latest --grpc-host rnode0 --grpc-port 40402 repl

  ╦═╗┌─┐┬ ┬┌─┐┬┌┐┌  ╔╗╔┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐  ╦═╗╔═╗╔═╗╦
  ╠╦╝│  ├─┤├─┤││││  ║║║│ │ ││├┤   ╠╦╝║╣ ╠═╝║
  ╩╚═└─┘┴ ┴┴ ┴┴┘└┘  ╝╚╝└─┘─┴┘└─┘  ╩╚═╚═╝╩  ╩═╝

rholang $

Type @42!("Hello!") in REPL console. This command should result in (rnode0 output):

Evaluating:
@{42}!("Hello!")

A peer node can be started with the following command (note that --bootstrap takes the listening address of rnode0):

$ docker run -it --rm --name rnode1 --network rnode-net rchain/rnode:latest run --bootstrap 'rnode://8c775b2143b731a225f039838998ef0fac34ba25@rnode0?protocol=40400&discovery=40404' --host rnode1
[...]
15:41:41.818 [INFO ] [node-runner-39      ] [coop.rchain.node.NodeRuntime ] - Starting node that will bootstrap from rnode://8c775b2143b731a225f039838998ef0fac34ba25@rnode0?protocol=40400&discovery=40404
15:57:37.021 [INFO ] [node-runner-32      ] [coop.rchain.comm.rp.Connect$ ] - Peers: 1
15:57:46.495 [INFO ] [node-runner-32      ] [c.r.c.util.comm.CommUtil$    ] - Successfully sent ApprovedBlockRequest to rnode://8c775b2143b731a225f039838998ef0fac34ba25@rnode0?protocol=40400&discovery=40404
15:57:50.463 [INFO ] [node-runner-40      ] [c.r.c.engine.Initializing    ] - Rholang state received and saved to store.
15:57:50.482 [INFO ] [node-runner-34      ] [c.r.casper.engine.Engine$    ] - Making a transition to Running state.

The above command should result in (rnode0 output):

15:57:37.021 [INFO ] [node-runner-42      ] [c.r.comm.rp.HandleMessages$  ] - Responded to protocol handshake request from rnode://e80faf589973c2c1b9b8441790d34a9a0ffdd3ce@rnode1?protocol=40400&discovery=40404
15:57:37.023 [INFO ] [node-runner-42      ] [coop.rchain.comm.rp.Connect$ ] - Peers: 1
15:57:46.530 [INFO ] [node-runner-43      ] [c.r.casper.engine.Running$   ] - ApprovedBlock sent to rnode://e80faf589973c2c1b9b8441790d34a9a0ffdd3ce@rnode1?protocol=40400&discovery=40404
15:57:48.283 [INFO ] [node-runner-43      ] [c.r.casper.engine.Running$   ] - Store items sent to rnode://e80faf589973c2c1b9b8441790d34a9a0ffdd3ce@rnode1?protocol=40400&discovery=40404

To get a full list of options rnode accepts, use the --help option:

$ docker run -it --rm rchain/rnode:latest --help

Configuration file

Most of the command line options can be specified in a configuration file.

The default location of the configuration file is the data directory. An alternative location can be specified with the command line option --config-file <path>.

The format of the configuration file is HOCON.

The [defaults.conf]!(node/src/main/resources/defaults.conf) configuration file shows all options and default values.

Example configuration file:

standalone = false

protocol-server {
  network-id = "testnet"
  port = 40400
}

protocol-client {
  network-id = "testnet"
  bootstrap = "rnode://de6eed5d00cf080fc587eeb412cb31a75fd10358@52.119.8.109?protocol=40400&discovery=40404"
}

peers-discovery {
  port = 40404
}

api-server {
  host = "my-rnode.domain.com"
  port-grpc-external = 40401
  port-grpc-internal = 40402
  port-http = 40403
  port-admin-http = 40405
}

storage {
  data-dir = "/my-data-dir"
}

casper {
  shard-name = root
}

metrics {
  prometheus = false
  influxdb = false
  influxdb-udp = false
  zipkin = false
  sigar = false
}

dev-mode = false

Development

Compile the project with:

$ sbt clean compile

# With executable and Docker image
$ sbt clean compile stage docker:publishLocal

Run the resulting binary with:

$ ./node/target/universal/stage/bin/rnode

For more detailed instructions, see the [developer guide]!(DEVELOPER.md).

Caveats and filing issues

Caveats

During this pre-release phase of the RChain software, there are some known issues.

Filing Issues

File issues in GitHub repository issue tracker: File a bug.

Acknowledgements

We use YourKit to profile rchain performance. YourKit supports open source projects with its full-featured Java Profiler. YourKit, LLC is the creator of YourKit Java Profiler and YourKit .NET Profiler, innovative and intelligent tools for profiling Java and .NET applications.

Licence information

To get summary of licenses being used by the RChain’s dependencies, simply run sbt node/dumpLicenseReport. The report will be available under node/target/license-reports/rnode-licenses.html