My Journey to Running a Namada Node: Challenges, Lessons, and Progress

General
1

Hello Namada Family,

I’m excited to be part of this journey toward a privacy-focused world. My name is LaDale, but you can call me Lowo. I’m a ZEC Hub member, and that’s how I discovered this incredible blockchain—Namada, a Layer 1 privacy chain built on proof of stake that I wholeheartedly support.

The Setup

Currently, I’m in the process of running a Node/Validator on NAM, guided by LEONINE DAO and my fellow DAO member, Dismad, who is helping me through the setup.

The first step was syncing my node. I installed Namada v1.1.1 for mainnet and created two types of wallets:

  1. A validator wallet for operations

  2. A payment wallet for transactions and fees

As a Windows user, installing Namada with WSL was somewhat challenging, taking me about two days. One of the issues I faced was a mismatch in the CometBFT version; I was initially using v0.37.2, but upon careful review, I realized I needed v0.37.15. After downloading the correct version, the problem was resolved.

Another challenge was joining the mainnet, as I encountered a 404 error because the mainnet genesis files weren’t public yet. To resolve this, I set the correct environment variables:
export NAMADA_NETWORK_CONFIGS_SERVER=“https://github.com/anoma/namada-mainnet-genesis/releases/download/mainnet-genesis” export CHAIN_ID=“namada.5f5de2dd1b88cba30586420”

This experience taught me the importance of verifying exact version requirements before installing dependencies. Skipping prerequisites can lead to downstream failures, but with patience, careful checking, and seeking help when needed, I was able to get my node syncing.

Key Success Factors in My Setup:

  • Correct Prerequisites: Installing CometBFT v0.37.15 (the exact version required by Namada)

  • Proper Network Configuration: Using the correct environment variables for the mainnet genesis

  • Successful Network Join: Using the join-network command to create the mainnet configuration directory

  • Node Startup: Running namada node ledger to start the node and begin the sync process

The node is now syncing and wait to finish sync to start my validator I’m so exited this was a true milestone for me having. Zebra node and soon a Namada node/Validator is special for me with my website coming soon this will be a good show off for my site to bring awareness to this great project.

Looking forward to contributing and growing within this community. Complex systems require systematic problem solving paying attention to details. Never give up challenges are just steps toward success!

Lowo

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