🚧Build DigitalOcean Droplet

Digital Ocean Specific Build Process

Before we begin

Please make sure you created your SSH key pairs prior to starting these steps.

🔐SSH Remote Access

VPS Build Procedure

Creating your account on DigitalOcean is a simple process similar to all other SaaS model services. At the current time, we will leave this process up to you.

Before launching your validator node on DigitalOcean, it is recommended to add a valid payment method to your account.

In some cases, you may need to request access to larger Droplet sizes (i.e., virtual machines with higher CPU, RAM, or disk allocations). The DigitalOcean team may restrict these resources until they’ve verified your account for higher usage limits.

1

Sign Up with Digital Ocean

https://www.digitalocean.com/

To enhance the security of your validator node, it is strongly recommended to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your DigitalOcean account.

2

Create a Droplet (VPS)

Choose Droplets from the Create button on the top right.

3

Choose Region

Choose a Region that is closest to your local location.

4

Choose an image

Select Ubuntu and CHANGE the Version to 24.04 (LTS) x64 ( not 24.10 x64 )

5

Choose Size

You may keep Basic

Choose Regular Disk type SSD

Choose no less than 16Gb Memory, 8 CPUs, and 320Gb disk.

Recommended: 32Gb Memory configuration ( available with Premium Intel/AMD )

6

Skip next few sections

You may leave these with default options

7

Choose Authentication Method

Choose SSH Key

New SSH Key

Copy and Paste your PUBLIC key to the provided box.

Follow this document Upload SSH Public Key.

If the Name field does not populate, create a name for the key that will help you identify it later.

Click the Add SSH key button.

Select your SSH key if not already checked.

8

Monitoring and alerting (optional)

Select the check box to enable free metrics and alerting.

9

Finalize Details

Set the Quantity to 1

You do not need to change the hostname, this will be done for you later.

You do not need to add tags.

You may leave the default Project.

10

Create Droplet

11

Allow your Droplet to be created

Copy down the IP address to access your system later. In the example above your IP address would be similar to 138.197.99.126

12

Under the MANAGE section on the left side

Expand the section if necessary and choose Networking

13

Choose the Firewalls tab from the horizontal top tab

Click on Create Firewall

14

Create a name to identify our firewall rule set

No spaces allowed

15

Create an SSH rule

In the sources box leave the All IPv4 and All IPv6 if you want to have open access to this Droplet. Otherwise click the x on both the All IPv4 and All IPv6 to remove those items and add your local IP address. In the example the fake IP of 13.13.13.13/32 is used.

Once you enter the IP address you will see an Add "13.13.13.13/32 ( similar ) which you will need to click on to populate the Sources for your SSH remote access.

Please refer to Wide Open SSH Access document for details on the security implications of allowing any system that is connected to the internet to have access to your SSH port. This document contains instructions on how to determine your local IP address for entry in this section.

16

Create your Pubic & Peer to Peer rule

This rule is designed for both a Hypergraph hybrid layer validator DAG layer1 and a Dor data layer 1 nodes.

Click on the New rule choose Custom

Under the Port Range enter in 9010-9011

Leave the Sources as All IPv4 and All IPv6

17

Hypergraph Global Hybrid Validators ONLY

This rule is designed for validator Hypergraph layer0 nodes.

Click on the New rule choose Custom

Under the Port Range enter in 9000-9001

Leave the Sources as All IPv4 and All IPv6

18

Dor data layer1 nodes do not use these port settings. Open these ports will offer attackers an open port to your VPS without a service listening on the inside. This is not recommended.

Apply to Droplets

If you gave your droplet a hostname during the Finalize Details step above begin to type in that hostname and it should auto populate into the provided box.

If you left the hostname as default type in u and wait for the box to auto populate with default ubuntu name

Select the droplet to populate the Apply to Droplets box.

19

Create Firewall

Complete

You have successfully launched a VPS instance on DigitalOcean, Congratulations!

You are now ready to continue to connect to your node for the first time, install nodectl and turn your Droplet (VPS) into a Constellation Network Validator Node!