Using Docker

Deploy an archival fullnode using Docker containers with data restoration from Movement Labs backups.

This guide describes how to deploy an archival fullnode using Docker.

Supported only on x86-64 CPUs

Running aptos-core via Docker is currently only supported on x86-64 CPUs. If you have an Apple M1/M2 (ARM64) Mac, use the source code approach instead.

Prerequisites

Docker installed
restic installed for data restoration
Sufficient storage (mainnet ~700GB, testnet ~260GB)

Step 1: Create Working Directory

# For mainnet
mkdir -p mainnet-archival && cd mainnet-archival

# For testnet
mkdir -p testnet-archival && cd testnet-archival

Step 2: Download Configuration Files

Download the archival fullnode configuration and genesis files:

For Mainnet

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/mainnet/configs/archival-fullnode.yaml
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/mainnet/genesis.blob
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/mainnet/waypoint.txt
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/mainnet/genesis_waypoint.txt

For Testnet

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/testnet/configs/archival-fullnode.yaml
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/testnet/genesis.blob
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/testnet/waypoint.txt
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/testnet/genesis_waypoint.txt

Step 3: Restore Data from Backup

Restore blockchain data from Movement Labs' public backups using the restore script:

# Download the restore script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/movementlabsxyz/movement-networks/main/l1_restore.sh
chmod +x l1_restore.sh

# Restore data (use 'mainnet' or 'testnet')
./l1_restore.sh mainnet ./data

# Move data to the correct location for Docker
mv data/opt/data/aptos/* data/
rm -rf data/opt

Restore Time

Restoring from backup can take several hours depending on your network speed. Mainnet data is approximately 700GB and testnet is approximately 260GB.

Step 4: Run the Archival Node

Start the archival node using Docker:

docker run --pull=always \
  --rm -p 8080:8080 \
  -p 9101:9101 -p 6180:6180 \
  -v $(pwd):/opt/aptos \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/opt/aptos/data \
  --workdir /opt/aptos \
  --name=aptos-archival-node \
  ghcr.io/movementlabsxyz/aptos-node:f24a5bc \
  -f /opt/aptos/archival-fullnode.yaml

Running in Background

To run the node in the background, add the -d flag:

docker run --pull=always -d \
  --rm -p 8080:8080 \
  -p 9101:9101 -p 6180:6180 \
  -v $(pwd):/opt/aptos \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/opt/aptos/data \
  --workdir /opt/aptos \
  --name=aptos-archival-node \
  ghcr.io/movementlabsxyz/aptos-node:f24a5bc \
  -f /opt/aptos/archival-fullnode.yaml

View logs with: docker logs -f aptos-archival-node

After restoring from backup, your archival node will need to sync the remaining transactions from the backup point to the current chain head. This typically takes a few hours depending on how recent the backup is.