xrpl-dev-portal/content/tutorials/manage-the-rippled-server/configuration/run-rippled-as-a-wallet-server.md

Run rippled as a Wallet Server

A Wallet Server is a catch-all configuration for rippled. With a Wallet Server, you can submit transactions to the XRP Ledger, access ledger history, and use the latest tools to integrate with XRP.

A Wallet Server will:

• Connect to a network of peers

• Relay cryptographically signed transactions

• Maintain a local copy of the complete shared global ledger

• Behave as a validator by issuing validation messages

1. Install rippled

For more information, see Install rippled.

2. Enable validation on your Wallet Server

Enabling validation on your wallet server means providing a validator token in your server's rippled.cfg file. Ripple recommends using the validator-keys tool (included in rippled RPMs) to securely generate and manage your validator keys and tokens.

In a location not on your Wallet Server:

1. Manually build and run the validator-keys tool, if you don't already have it installed via a rippled RPM.

   For information about manually building and running the validator-keys tool, see validator-keys-tool.

2. Generate a validator key pair using the create_keys command.

    $ validator-keys create_keys
   

   Sample output on Ubuntu:

    Validator keys stored in /home/my-user/.ripple/validator-keys.json
   
    This file should be stored securely and not shared.
   

   Sample output on macOS:

    Validator keys stored in /Users/my-user/.ripple/validator-keys.json
   
    This file should be stored securely and not shared.
   

   Warning: Store the generated validator-keys.json key file in a secure, offline, and recoverable location, such as an encrypted USB flash drive. Do not modify its contents. In particular, be sure to not store the key file on the wallet server where you intend to use the keys. If your wallet server's secret_key is compromised, revoke the key immediately.

   For more information about the validator-keys tool and the key pairs it generates, see the Validator Keys Tool Guide.

3. Generate a validator token using the create_token command.

    $ validator-keys create_token --keyfile /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator-keys.json
   

   Sample output:

    Update rippled.cfg file with these values:
   
    # validator public key: nHUtNnLVx7odrz5dnfb2xpIgbEeJPbzJWfdicSkGyVw1eE5GpjQr
   
    [validator_token]
    eyJ2YWxpZGF0aW9uX3NlY3J|dF9rZXkiOiI5ZWQ0NWY4NjYyNDFjYzE4YTI3NDdiNT
    QzODdjMDYyNTkwNzk3MmY0ZTcxOTAyMzFmYWE5Mzc0NTdmYT|kYWY2IiwibWFuaWZl
    c3QiOiJKQUFBQUFGeEllMUZ0d21pbXZHdEgyaUNjTUpxQzlnVkZLaWxHZncxL3ZDeE
    hYWExwbGMyR25NaEFrRTFhZ3FYeEJ3RHdEYklENk9NU1l1TTBGREFscEFnTms4U0tG
    bjdNTzJmZGtjd1JRSWhBT25ndTlzQUtxWFlvdUorbDJWMFcrc0FPa1ZCK1pSUzZQU2
    hsSkFmVXNYZkFpQnNWSkdlc2FhZE9KYy9hQVpva1MxdnltR21WcmxIUEtXWDNZeXd1
    NmluOEhBU1FLUHVnQkQ2N2tNYVJGR3ZtcEFUSGxHS0pkdkRGbFdQWXk1QXFEZWRGdj
    VUSmEydzBpMjFlcTNNWXl3TFZKWm5GT3I3QzBrdzJBaVR6U0NqSXpkaXRROD0ifQ==
   

On your Wallet Server:

1. Add [validator_token] and its value to your wallet server's rippled.cfg file.

2. Restart rippled.

    $ sudo systemctl restart rippled.service
   

3. Use the server_info command to get information about your wallet server to verify that validation has been enabled.

    $ rippled server_info
   

   • The pubkey_validator value in the response should match the public_key in the validator-keys.json file that you generated for use with your wallet server.

   • The server_state value should be proposing.

Security Tip: Change the permissions on your rippled.cfg file to be more restrictive. On Linux it is recommended to be 0600. You can do this with chmod 0600 rippled.cfg

3. Connect to the network

This section describes three different configurations you can use to connect your Wallet Server to the XRP Ledger network. Use the configuration that best suits your use case.

• Discovered peers: Connect to any servers in the peer-to-peer network.

• Proxies: Run stock rippled servers as proxies between your wallet server and the rest of the peer-to-peer network.

• Public hubs: Connect only to specific public servers with a high reputation.

For a comparison of these approaches, see Pros and Cons of Peering Configurations.

Connect using discovered peers

This configuration connects your wallet server to the XRP Ledger network using discovered peers. This is the default behavior for rippled servers.

To connect your wallet server to the XRP Ledger network using discovered peers, omit the [peer_private] stanza or set it to 0 in your wallet server's rippled.cfg file. The example rippled.cfg file is delivered with this configuration.

Connect using proxies

This configuration connects your wallet server to the network through stock rippled servers that you run yourself. These proxy servers sit between your wallet server and inbound and outbound network traffic.

To connect your wallet server to the XRP Ledger network using proxies:

1. Set up stock rippled servers. For more information, see Install rippled.

2. Configure your wallet server and stock rippled servers to run in a cluster.

3. In your wallet server's rippled.cfg file, set [peer_private] to 1. This prevents your wallet server's IP address from being forwarded. For more information, see Private Peers. It also prevents your wallet server from connecting to servers other than those defined in the [ips_fixed] stanza you defined to run your wallet server in a cluster.

   Warning: Be sure that you don't publish your wallet server's IP address in other ways.

4. Configure your wallet server host machine's firewall to allow the following traffic only:

   • Inbound traffic: Only from IP addresses of the stock rippled servers in the cluster you configured.

   • Outbound traffic: Only to the IP addresses of the stock rippled servers in the cluster you configured and to https://vl.ripple.com through port 443.

5. Restart rippled.

    $ sudo systemctl restart rippled.service
   

6. Use the Peer Crawler endpoint on one of your stock rippled servers. The response should not include your wallet server. This verifies that your wallet server's [peer_private] configuration is working. One of the effects of enabling [peer_private] on your wallet server is that your wallet server's peers do not include it in their Peer Crawler results.

    $ curl --insecure https://STOCK_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS_HERE:51235/crawl | python3 -m json.tool
   

Connect using public hubs

This configuration connects your wallet server to the network using two public hubs. This configuration is similar to connecting using proxies you run yourself, but instead you connect through public hubs.

To connect your wallet server to the network using public hubs:

1. In your wallet server's rippled.cfg file, include the following [ips_fixed] stanza. The two values, r.ripple.com 51235 and zaphod.alloy.ee 51235, are default public hubs. This stanza tells rippled to always attempt to maintain peer connections with these public hubs.

    [ips_fixed]
    r.ripple.com 51235
    zaphod.alloy.ee 51235
   

   Caution: This configuration connects your wallet server to the network using default public hubs. Because these are the default public hubs, they may sometimes be too busy to provide your wallet server with a connection to the network. To help avoid this issue, connect to more public hubs and, even better, connect to non-default public hubs.

   You can include the IP addresses of other rippled servers here, but only if you can expect them to:

   • Relay messages without censoring.
   • Stay online consistently.
   • Not DDoS you.
   • Not try to crash your server.
   • Not publish your IP address to strangers.

2. Also in your wallet server's rippled.cfg file, include the following [peer_private] stanza and set it to 1. This instructs your wallet server’s peers not to broadcast your wallet server’s IP address. This setting also instructs your wallet server to connect to only the peers configured in your [ips_fixed] stanza. This ensures that your wallet server connects to and shares its IP with only peer rippled servers you know and trust.

    [peer_private]
    1
   

   Warning: Be sure that you don't publish your wallet server's IP address in other ways.

   With [peer_private] enabled, rippled ignores any connections suggested by the [ips] stanza. If you need to connect to an IP currently in your [ips] stanza, put it in the [ips_fixed] stanza instead, but only if you can expect them to behave responsibly as described in step 1.

3. Restart rippled.

    $ sudo systemctl restart rippled.service
   

5. Verify your network connection

Here are some methods you can use to verify that your wallet server has a healthy connection to the XRP Ledger network:

• Use the peers command to return a list of all rippled servers currently connected to your wallet server. If the peers array is null, you don’t have a healthy connection to the network. If you've set up your wallet server using the instructions in this document, the peers array should include the same number of objects as the number of peers defined in your [ips_fixed] stanza.

  If you listed a public hub in your [ips_fixed] stanza and it is busy, it may reject your wallet server's connection. In this case, you may end up with fewer connections than configured in your [ips_fixed] stanza. Your wallet server retries the connection if it's initially rejected.

  If you are having trouble maintaining a reliable and safe connection to the network and haven't set up connections using public hubs or proxies, see 4. Connect to the network. Using one of the methods described in the section may help your wallet server remain healthily connected to the network.

• Use the server_info command to return some basic information about your wallet server. The server_state should be set to proposing. It may also be set to full or validating, but only for a few minutes before moving into proposing.

  If the server_state does not spend the majority of its time set to proposing, it may be a sign that your wallet server is unable to fully participate in the XRP Ledger network. For more information about server states and using the server_info endpoint to diagnose issues with your wallet server, see rippled Server States and Get the server_info.

• Use the validators command to return the current list of published and trusted validators used by the wallet server. Ensure that the validator_list_expires value is either never or not expired or about to expire.

6. Provide domain verification

To help validation list publishers and other participants in the XRP Ledger network understand who operates your wallet server, provide domain verification for your wallet server. At a high level, domain verification is a two-way link:

• Use your domain to claim ownership of a validator key.

• Use your validator key to claim ownership of a domain.

Creating this link establishes strong evidence that you own both the validator key and the domain. Providing this evidence is just one aspect of being a good validator.

To provide domain verification:

1. Choose a domain name you own that you want to be publicly associated with your wallet server. You must run a public-facing HTTPS server on port 443 of that domain and you must have access to the private key file associated with that server's TLS certificate. (Note: TLS was formerly called SSL.) As a precaution against DDoS attempts, your domain name should not resolve to the ip address of your wallet server.

2. Serve an xrp-ledger.toml file at your domain, and complete the domain verification steps.

3. Share your wallet server's validator public key with the public, especially other rippled operators. For example, you can share your wallet server's validator public key on your website, on social media, in the XRPChat community forum, or in a press release.

4. Submit a request to have your wallet server listed in XRP Charts' Validator Registry as a validator using this Google Form. Having your wallet server listed as a validator in this registry provides another form of public verification that your wallet server and domain are owned by you. To complete the form, you'll need the following information:

   1. Find your validator public key by running the following on the wallet server.

      $ /opt/ripple/bin/rippled server_info | grep pubkey_validator

    Provide the value returned in the **Validator Public Key** field of the Google Form.
   

   2. Sign the validator public key using your web domain's TLS private key. The TLS private key file does not need to be stored on your wallet server.

      $ openssl dgst -sha256 -hex -sign /PATH/TO/YOUR/TLS.key <(echo YOUR_VALIDATOR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE)

    Sample output:
   
        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
   
    Provide the value returned in the **SSL Signature** field of the Google Form.
   

   3. Using the validator-keys tool (included in rippled RPMs), sign the domain name.

      $ validator-keys --keyfile /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator-keys.json sign YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME

    Sample output:
   
        E852C2FE725B64F353E19DB463C40B1ABB85959A63B8D09F72C6B6C27F80B6C72ED9D5ED6DC4B8690D1F195E28FF1B00FB7119C3F9831459F3C3DE263B73AC04
   
    Provide the value returned in the **Domain Signature** field of the Google Form.
   

5. After submitting the completed Google Form, you'll receive an email from XRP Charts that tells you whether your domain verification succeeded or failed. If your domain verification succeeds, XRP Charts lists your wallet server and domain in its Validator Registry.

Revoke validator keys

If your wallet server's master private key is compromised, you must revoke it immediately and permanently.

For information about how to revoke a master key pair you generated for your wallet server using the validator-keys tool, see Key Revocation.

See Also

• Concepts:
  • XRP Ledger Overview
  • Consensus Network
  • The rippled Server
• Tutorials:
  • Cluster rippled Servers
  • Install rippled
  • Capacity Planning
  • XRP Ledger Businesses
• References:
  • Validator Keys Tool Guide
  • [consensus_info method][]
  • [validator_list_sites method][]
  • [validators method][]

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