Ethereum Full Node Stack

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  │ ██┌──────────────────────────────────────┐███ │
  │ ██│                                      │███ │
  │ ██│  Ξ 🟢 ETHEREUM MAINNET NODE  Ξ  🟢  │███ │
  │ ██│                                      │███ │
  │ ██│  » Status   : SYNCED                 │███ │
  │ ██│  » Client   : GETH + LIGHTHOUSE      │███ │
  │ ██│  » Mode     : FULL / BEACON          │███ │
  │ ██│  » RPC      : ENABLED (localhost)    │███ │
  │ ██│  » P2P      : 30303 TCP/UDP          │███ │
  │ ██│                                      │███ │
  │ ██└──────────────────────────────────────┘███ │
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  └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
           │
           │───[🌐 NODE INFO]
           │     ├─ Network ID  : 1 (Mainnet)
           │     └─ Sync Mode   : Snap
           │
           │───[🛰️ CONNECTIONS]
           │     ├─ Peers       : x active
           │     ├─ Latency     : x ms avg
           │     └─ Region      : AU-East
           │
           └───[🛠️ TOOLCHAIN]
                 ├─ Docker Compose / WSL2
                 ├─ Monitoring via Prometheus
                 └─ Grafana Dashboards Enabled

A minimal, production-ready Ethereum node setup using Docker Compose. Combines Geth (EL) and Lighthouse (CL) for a complete post-merge node.

Tested on Windows 10 Home with WSL 2 (Ubuntu 22.04) and Docker Desktop 4.30

Components

Post-merge Ethereum requires two client layers working together:

• Execution Layer (Geth): Handles state, transactions, and RPC
• Consensus Layer (Lighthouse): Manages consensus and block finality

Running both gives you sovereign access to the network without trusting third parties.

Hardware Requirements

• 300+ GB fast SSD storage
• 8+ GB RAM (12+ GB recommended)
• Stable internet connection

Quick Start

# Clone and set up
git clone https://github.com/<your-handle>/ethereum-node-stack.git
cd ethereum-node-stack
cp .env.example .env

# Generate JWT secret for client authentication
./scripts/gen-jwt-secret.sh  # On Windows: use scripts\gen-jwt-secret.sh

# Launch the stack
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

# Watch the sync progress
docker compose logs -f

First sync requires ~112 GB (100 GB Geth + 12 GB Lighthouse). Plan accordingly.

Key Components

• docker-compose.yml: Orchestrates both clients with proper networking
• .env: Controls client versions and port mappings
• scripts/: Contains maintenance utilities:
  • gen-jwt-secret.sh: Creates authentication token
  • prune-geth.sh: Reduces Geth's disk usage
  • backup.sh: Creates archives of chain data

Make scripts executable:

• On Linux/macOS: chmod +x scripts/*.sh
• On Windows: icacls scripts\*.sh /grant Everyone:RX

Maintenance

Common tasks to keep your node healthy:

# Check sync status
curl -X POST http://localhost:8545 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_syncing","params":[],"id":1}'

# Prune Geth to save disk space (run weekly)
./scripts/prune-geth.sh

# Create full backup (offline process)
./scripts/backup.sh

Windows Setup

1. Enable virtualization in BIOS
2. Install WSL 2 via PowerShell (as admin):

   wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04

3. Install Docker Desktop with WSL 2 integration
4. Configure WSL resources in %UserProfile%\.wslconfig:

   [wsl2]
   memory=12GB
   processors=8

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Docker won't start	Check disk space (df -h), need 300+ GB
Authentication errors	Verify jwtsecret/jwt.hex permissions
Slow sync	Check internet connection and other bandwidth usage
Memory errors	Increase allocation in .wslconfig
Client connection issues	Ensure Geth is running before Lighthouse
High disk usage	Run ./scripts/prune-geth.sh

References

• Geth Documentation
• Lighthouse Documentation
• Ethereum Node Requirements

License

MIT