Mastering Base: A Step-by-Step Guide to Running Your Own Node

Before you start, make sure you have the right tools and hardware:

• Hardware Requirements:
  • 8-Core CPU
     
  • At least 16 GB RAM
     
  • SSD drive (NVME recommended) with at least 750GB for a full node or 4.5TB for an archive node
• Docker: This guide assumes you’re comfortable with Docker. If not, you might want to brush up on that first.
   
• L1 RPC URL: You’ll need your own L1 RPC URL (not Base). You can run this yourself or get it from a provider.
   

Step 1: Clone the Repo

Ready to get started? First, you’ll need to clone the Base Node repository. Head over to the GitHub repo and clone it to your local machine.

git clone https://github.com/base-org/node
cd node

Step 2: Configure Your Environment

Now that you’ve got the repo, let’s set up the environment. You’ll need to ensure you have an Ethereum L1 full node RPC available. Set OP_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC and OP_NODE_L1_BEACON in the .env.* file.

• If you’re running your own L1 node, make sure it’s fully synced. Base won’t sync until your L1 node is up to date.
• Uncomment the line relevant to your network (.env.sepolia or .env.mainnet) under the 2 env_file keys in docker-compose.yml.

Step 3: Fire Up Docker

Time to bring your node to life! Run the following command to get everything up and running:

docker compose up

You can confirm your node is working by running:

curl -d '{"id":0,"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["latest",false]}' \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" http://localhost:8545

If you get a response, congrats! Your node is officially alive.

Step 4: Speed Up with Snapshots (Optional)

Syncing your node can take days—yes, days. To save some time, you can restore from a snapshot. Here’s how:
 

1. Create a Data Folder:

   In your Base Node directory, create a folder named geth-data or reth-data.
    

2. Fetch the Snapshot:

   Use the following command to download the latest snapshot for your network:

   wget https://mainnet-full-snapshots.base.org/$(curl https://mainnet-full-snapshots.base.org/latest)
    

3. Untar and Place:

   Untar the snapshot and place the geth subfolder inside geth-data.
    

4. Restart Your Node:
   
   cd ..
   docker compose up --build
   
   Your node should now start syncing from the last block in the snapshot.
    

Step 5: Monitor Your Syncing Progress

Want to check how your sync is going? Use this command:

echo Latest synced block behind by: $((($(date +%s)-$( \
 curl -d '{"id":0,"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"optimism_syncStatus"}' \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json" http://localhost:7545 | \
 jq -r .result.unsafe_l2.timestamp))/60)) minutes

This will give you an idea of how far behind your node is from the latest block. If everything looks good, you’re on your way to having a fully synced Base Node!

Running into issues? No worries—it happens to the best of us. If you’re stuck, you can:

• Check the GitHub Issues: Base Node GitHub is a good place to start.
   
• Ask for Help on Discord: The Base community is pretty active, so don’t hesitate to jump in and ask for support.
   

Ready to run a Base node but want a simpler way to do it? Moralis has you covered! Whether you're building a dApp or just exploring the Base network, Moralis makes it easy to spin up a node. Let's walk you through it!

Source

Step 1: Create a Moralis Account

Before anything else, you'll need a Moralis account. If you don't have one yet, head over to the Moralis website and click the “Start for Free” button in the top right corner to sign up.

Step 2: Login and Access the Nodes Tab

Once logged in, navigate to the “Nodes” tab in your dashboard. This is where the magic happens.
 

Source

 

Step 3: Create Your Base Node

Now, click on the “+ Create Node” button to begin setting up your Base node.
 

Source

 

Step 4: Configure the Base Network

In the node creation panel, select Base as your network, choose Mainnet, and then hit “Create Node.”
 

Source

After completing these steps, Moralis will provide you with two URLs—your RPC endpoints—which you can use to integrate your Base node into your Web3 projects.

And that's it! Running Base nodes with Moralis is incredibly straightforward.

Step 1: Set Up Your Development Environment

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js v14+
• npm or yarn

Next, open your preferred IDE, set up a new project folder, and initialize it with:

npm init

Then, install ethers.js by running:

npm install ethers

To enable modern JavaScript features, add "type": "module" to your package.json file.

Step 2: Write Your Script

Create a new index.js file and add the following code:

Important: Replace "YOUR_NODE_URL" with one of the Base node URLs you received from Moralis. Also, update the address variable to the wallet address you'd like to query.

Step 3: Run the Script

With everything set up, you can now execute your script by running:

node index.js

You should see the native balance of the specified address returned in the console. It might look something like this:

Balance:  0.077088742255355898

Congratulations! You've successfully made an RPC call to your Base node.

While running a Base node provides you with raw access to the blockchain, it’s not always the most efficient way to interact with the network. Here are some limitations you might encounter:

• Chain Specificity: Nodes are tied to a particular blockchain, so you’ll need to run and maintain separate nodes for each network you work with. This can become costly if you're developing cross-chain dApps.
   
• Query Complexity: Nodes aren’t designed to handle complex queries, such as determining which tokens a specific wallet holds. You’ll need to make multiple requests to various networks and manually consolidate the data.
   
• Raw Data: Nodes provide raw blockchain data that needs to be decoded, interpreted, and formatted before it becomes useful, which can be time-consuming.
   

You Did It!

Running a Base Node isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’ve made it this far, you’re well on your way to becoming a true Web3 power user. Whether you’re contributing to the network or just curious to see how things work under the hood, running your own node is a rewarding experience.

So, are you ready to get started? Dive in, and welcome to the future of decentralized networks!

And hey, if you're writing and deploying smart contracts on Base mainnet, make sure to get them audited with the help of a security firm like QuillAudits.

Plus, you can use their AI agent tool, QuillShield, to manually check the code and keep your project secure.

Keep Buidlin!