#Docker Installation

ARK Nodes execute many query intensive operations. The most cost-effective approach for running a high-performance node is choosing SSD over HDD. Increasing the total RAM improves cache performance.

#Prerequisites to be installed

docs.docker.com

Get Docker

Download and install Docker on the platform of your choice, including Mac, Linux, or Windows.

docs.docker.com

Overview of installing Docker Compose

Learn how to install Docker Compose. Compose is available natively on Docker Desktop, as a Docker Engine plugin, and as a standalone tool.

#Install Docker Community Edition

On a fresh OS installation, follow these steps:

#Install Docker CE - Ubuntu / Debian

• Preferably use latest stable OS version!
• Uninstall old versions:

1sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

1. Install prerequisites:

1sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg2 software-properties-common

1. Add Docker’s official GPG key:

1curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/$(grep "^ID=" /etc/os-release | cut -d\= -f2)/gpg | sudo apt-key add -

1. Add Docker’s official repository:

1sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/$(grep "^ID=" /etc/os-release | cut -d\= -f2) $(lsb_release -cs) stable"

1. Install Docker CE:

1sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

1. Make Docker usage as a non-root user possible:

1sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}

You’ll have to logout and login again or just open another session in order to activate the last step.

#Install Docker CE - CentOS

• Preferably use latest stable OS version!
• Uninstall old versions:

1sudo yum remove docker docker-client docker-client-latest docker-common docker-latest docker-latest-logrotate docker-logrotate docker-engine

1. Install prerequisites:

1sudo yum install -y yum-utils device-mapper-persistent-data lvm2

1. Add Docker’s official repository:

1sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo  https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

1. Install Docker CE:

1sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

1. Start Docker CE:

1sudo systemctl start docker && sudo systemctl enable docker

1. Make Docker usage as a non-root user possible:

1sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}

You’ll have to logout and login again or just open another session in order to activate the last step.

#Install Docker Compose

#Docker Compose Install (Ubuntu / Debian / CentOS Latest Stable Releases)

1sudo curl -sL "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/`curl -fsSLI -o /dev/null -w %{url_effective} https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest | sed 's#.*tag/##g' && echo`/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose && sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

#Using Official ARK Core Docker Image

#Getting the Needed Files

1mkdir mainnet &&
2cd mainnet &&
3curl -sOJ https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArkEcosystem/core/master/docker/production/mainnet/docker-compose.yml &&
4curl -sOJ https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArkEcosystem/core/master/docker/production/mainnet/mainnet.env

#Running the Node

For normal Node operation, make sure TCP port 4001 is accessible from outside.

• If you prefer ARK Core settings other than defaults, please make your changes prior running the Core (file=mainnet.env)

#Starting the Relay

1docker-compose up -d

If you prefer to use custom DB Name, DB User and DB Password simply adjust variables POSTGRES_PASSWORD, POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_DB (file=docker-compose.yml) and CORE_DB_PASSWORD, CORE_DB_USERNAME and CORE_DB_DATABASE (file=mainnet.env) correspondingly.

• In case you want to use a remote PostgreSQL server simply adjust variable CORE_DB_HOST in your mainnet.env and run only Core container:

1docker-compose up -d core

#Troubleshooting

• Make sure your containers are up and running:

1docker ps -a --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}"

You should see something similar to:

1NAMES               STATUS
2core-mainnet        Up 4 minutes
3postgres-mainnet    Up 4 minutes

• If some of the containers status is not Up, check docker logs:

1docker logs core-mainnet

1docker logs postgres-mainnet

#Maintenance

#Monitoring Relay Logs

1docker logs --tail 50 core-mainnet -f

#Update

#Docker Live Updates Are Now Possible With CLI

• As a preliminary step, installation of development tools is necessary (only needed once, when doing initial update):

1docker exec -it core-mainnet sudo apk add make gcc g++ git python

• We are all set! Run the update and follow instructions:

1docker exec -it core-mainnet ark update

Updates and all changes made to the containers are kept even on container or host restart.

#Update is also possible by destroying and running Core container from scratch, so it downloads the latest image

Make sure you destroy only Core container in order to keep your database and avoid syncing the blockchain from zero block. The commands example below does it.

1cd mainnet
2docker stop core-mainnet
3docker rm core-mainnet
4docker rmi $(docker images -q)
5docker-compose up -d core

#FAQ

#How Do I Start With Empty DB?

Just execute the following code:

1docker-compose down -v
2docker-compose up -d

#How Do I Start Everything from Scratch?

Just stop and trash all containers and images:

1docker stop $(docker ps -aq)
2docker rm $(docker ps -aq)
3docker rmi $(docker images -q)
4docker volume prune -f
5docker network prune -f