Set up an Avail Validator with OnFinality
How to Set Up A Validator For Avail with OnFinality
OnFinality is a blockchain infrastructure platform that saves web3 builders time and makes their lives easier. We deliver easy-to-use, reliable and scalable API endpoints for the biggest blockchain networks and empower developers to automatically test, deploy, scale and monitor their own blockchain nodes in minutes.
We are already supporting over 100 networks across Layer-1 ecosystems such as Ethereum, Polkadot, Avalanche and Cosmos, and are continuously expanding these mission-critical services to other ecosystems to help developers build the decentralised future, faster!
Introduction
In this How-To Guide, you will learn how to set up your own Validator forAvail network. This guide should be used alongside Avail's official guide which is kept up to date and includes more detail.
What is Avail?
Avail is a Web3 infrastructure layer that allows modular execution layers to scale and interoperate in a trust minimized way.
Avail's ecosystem is designed to offer a superior experience for both users and developers, balancing the essentials of scalability, interoperability and security without compromise.
Why Run A Validator For Avail
Like all nominated Proof-of-Stake (nPoS) networks, validators play a crucial role in securing and ensuring the success of the Avail Network.
Avail has a limited set of validators, view their documentation for information on how to take part
Useful Links
Avail's Official Validator Guide
Disclaimer
Running a Validator comes with a high risk and requires a high level of technical knowledge and skill. As per our Terms of Service, OnFinality is neither responsible for any rewards nor losses incurred when running a Validator node on OnFinality. Users should read and fully understand the relevant documentation for the Network (Avail) before setting up the node, and get in touch directly with the Network if they have any questions or concerns.
HOW TO SET UP AN AVAIL VALIDATOR
1. Log In To OnFinality
Create an account and log in to OnFinality, then add a payment method.
2. Create Dedicated Node
Select the Dedicated Nodes menu and press “Deploy New Node”
2.1 Select Network
Search for Avail and then click “Deploy Node”
2.2 Configure Avail Node
Enter an easily identifiable Display Name and select the Validator Node Type. Select the latest Image Version, and the Region you wish to run the node
Lightning Restore gets the node running as fast as possible.
Use at least the recommended configuration suggested by the network, then press “Next”
2.3 Configure Launch Arguments
Next, review the node’s Launch Configuration. The recommended settings are usually sufficient, but we recommend comparing with official documentation to be certain.
Important! — rpc-methods must be set to “Unsafe” while configuring the collator on chain, then changed to “Safe” once the setup is complete.
Press “Next” at the bottom of the screen
2.4 Review Node
Finally, review the node’s settings and press “Deploy Node”
3. Sync Your Dedicated Node
Once your node is successfully deployed, you can find it in the “Dedicated Nodes” section on our portal. Click on your node and confirm the following:
Relay chain/parachain blocks are syncing appropriately
No configuration errors in the console log. You can find your console by clicking on “Console logs” on the top right hand.
CPU, Memory, and Storage are within reasonable range of use.
You can cross-reference the respective network blocks on the Avail Block Explorer.
Confirm that the Syncing Status is Synced before continuing
4. Set Up Account And Bond
Before you can become an active validator, you need to bond your funds to your node. This involves creating an Avail account
As of January 2025, you need at least 50,000 AVAIL to join the wait list. This is likely to change, check the Avail documentation for recent information
BONDING TIPS
Don't bond all your AVAIL tokens as you'll need some for transaction fees. You can always bond more tokens later. Note: Withdrawing any bonded amount is subject to the duration of the unbonding period.
Navigate to the Staking tab in the Explorer.
Click on
Stashto initiate the bonding process.
Fill in the bonding preferences. Then click
BondandSign and Submit.
5. Generate Session Keys
Session keys are what links the validator or collator to your account.
First, locate your Dedicated Node’s RPC endpoints under API Endpoints. Access is secured by an API Key at the end of the URL, so keep it safe and private.
Generate the session keys on your Dedicated Node in your CLI via the author_rotateKeys RPC Request, using your Dedicated Node’s RPC — Http url.
Example request
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"id":1, "jsonrpc":"2.0", "method": "author_rotateKeys", "params":[]}' 'https://node-....onfinality.io/jsonrpc?apikey=...'
You will get a response like this
{
“jsonrpc”: “2.0”,
“result”:”0xc05a9d093e4db4c1bde31977716e7a0a39d6f3d1f1bf749e7fec8371147de730af6860aeef81a11130c9fcd317b96e736f6c36141c28f382a18f9faf6e7df797eaa951ead00d12db10937003f0956e3d3444d1774d452ed045dbc1b84d1bf1471abf5d77bf5033845f01be1188a852c6f0ba703042b4d06d14314841c1096c50",
“id”:1
}
The content after “result” is the session keys of your validator node
6. Set Session Keys
You must inform the network of your Session keys by signing and submitting the setKeys extrinsic. This action associates your validator with your Controller account.
Navigate back to the Staking tab.
Click on
Set Session Keyand enter the hex-encoded result.Click
Set Session Keyand enter your password when prompted.
Once your session keys have been successfully set, we recommend updating your node’s Launch Arguments to set
7. Register as a Validator
Click
Validateon the Staking tab.
Set your validator commission percentage.
Enter your password and click
Validate.
9. Verify Validator Status
Your validator is now prepared to begin the validation process. If you wish to discontinue, you can click the stop icon. Please note that the Avail interface doesn't automatically verify if your node is synchronized; you'll need to confirm this manually.
To verify that your node is ready for possible selection at the end of the next era, follow these steps:
Go to the Staking tab and select
Waitingto see if your account appears.If your node has enough stake, it will be elected in the next era or two.
A new set of validators is chosen every era, based on the amount staked.
Congratulations!
Congratulations on successfully setting up your Avail Validator node! You should be seeing something like this:
As you move forward, here are some essential actions to consider:
Start Monitoring: If you haven't already, set up monitoring tools to keep track of your validator's performance. Check out Avail’s Monitoring Guide for recommendations.
Join the Community: Connect with other validators and the Avail team on the official Discord Channel. It's a great place to share experiences, ask questions, and get updates.
More Resources
Developer documentation:
https://documentation.onfinality.io/support/
Monitoring your OnFinality Node: https://documentation.onfinality.io/support/visualise-node-metrics
About OnFinality
OnFinality is a blockchain infrastructure platform that saves web3 builders time and makes their lives easier. OnFinality delivers scalable API endpoints for the biggest blockchain networks and empowers developers to automatically test, deploy, scale and monitor their own blockchain nodes in minutes. To date, OnFinality has served over 300 billion RPC requests across 70 networks including Polkadot, Ethereum, Moonbeam, Astar, Avalanche and Cosmos, and is continuously expanding these mission-critical services so developers can build the decentralised future, faster!