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Infrastructure

Running infrastructure for Glue is essential to supporting the network’s performance and security. Operators must focus on reliability, ensure proper configuration, and meet the necessary hardware requirements to contribute effectively to the decentralized ecosystem.

Choosing the Right Role​

Selecting your role depends on your goals, resources, and expertise. Below are detailed considerations for each role.

Relaychain vs parachain

Since the Glue ecosystem consists already of the Glue relaychain and the L2-parachain, you could also run a collator for one of the upcoming parachains. We are working on preparations to allow external collators for parachains. You can however already run your own L2-parachain node (see below).

Running a node for the Glue relaychain or the L2-parachain:​

  • Purpose - a node provides access to network data and supports API queries. It is commonly used for:
    • Development and testing - offers a local instance to simulate network conditions and test applications
    • Production use - acts as a data source for dApps, clients, and other applications needing reliable access to the blockchain
  • Requirements - moderate hardware resources to handle blockchain data efficiently
  • Responsibilities - a node’s responsibilities vary based on its purpose:
    • Development and testing - enables developers to test features, debug code, and simulate network interactions in a controlled environment
    • Production use - provides consistent and reliable data access for dApps and other applications, ensuring minimal downtime

Running a validator:​

  • Purpose - validators play a critical role in securing the Glue relay chain. They validate parachain block submissions, participate in consensus, and help maintain the network's overall integrity
  • Requirements - becoming a validator requires:
    • Staking - a variable amount of GLUE tokens to secure the network and demonstrate commitment
    • Hardware - high-performing hardware resources capable of supporting intensive blockchain operations
    • Technical expertise - proficiency in setting up and maintaining nodes, managing updates, and understanding Glue's consensus mechanisms
    • Community involvement - building trust and rapport within the community to attract nominators willing to delegate funds to your validator contributing to your stake (using the nominationPools pallet)
  • Responsibilities - validators have critical responsibilities to ensure network health:
    • Uptime - maintain near-constant availability to avoid slashing penalties for downtime or unresponsiveness
    • Network security - participate in consensus and verify parachain transactions to uphold the network's security and integrity
    • Availability - monitor the network for events and respond to issues promptly, such as misbehavior reports or protocol updates