# Run a Private Network with Docker This tutorial describes how to run a private XRP Ledger network on your computer with [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) and the latest version of [rippled](https://hub.docker.com/r/xrpllabsofficial/xrpld). While you can easily use the public XRP Testnet servers, running a private network can be useful when trying to understand how the XRP Ledger works, or when testing new features in isolation. This tutorial is suited for development or testing purposes only, and does not involve using real money. You should **not** use this configuration for a production network. ## Learning Goals In this tutorial, you will learn: - How to set up and configure a *small* network with three `rippled` validator nodes, including how to generate the keys for each node. - How to run the network with [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/). - How to verify the network is up and running. The following diagram shows a high-level overview of the containerized private network that you will set up. [](/assets/xrp-ledger-private-network-docker.d1ea6283a178f147d7f9c2106933bb3116172ec300cca99f5ceaa0d3bacd9dec.ac57e6ef.svg) ## Prerequisites To follow along with this tutorial, ensure that you have the latest version of **Docker** installed on your preferred platform. ## Generate the Validator Keys Generate the keys for **each** of your validator nodes by using the `validator-keys` tool provided with `rippled`. The generated keys should be saved in a text file on your computer for later use. 1. In your terminal, run the following to execute commands within the `rippled` Docker container shell: ``` docker run -it --entrypoint /bin/bash xrpllabsofficial/xrpld:latest ``` For Apple M1 or M2 chips, run `docker run -it --platform linux/amd64 --entrypoint /bin/bash xrpllabsofficial/xrpld:latest` instead. Sample output: ``` root@7732bd585b14:/# ``` 2. Generate a validator keypair using the `create_keys` command. ``` cd /opt/ripple/bin && ./validator-keys create_keys --keyfile /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator--keys.json ``` Sample output: ``` Validator keys stored in /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator--keys.json This file should be stored securely and not shared. ``` In a production or test environment you should follow best practices always and store the generated keys in a secure, offline, and recoverable location, such as an encrypted USB flash drive. However, as this tutorial is an example of a local development setup, storing the keys on your computer is sufficient. 3. Copy the **public_key** value from the JSON output, and store it in a text file on your computer. ``` cat /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator--keys.json ``` Sample output: ``` { "key_type" : "ed25519", "public_key" : "nHD9jtA9y1nWC2Fs1HeRkEisqV3iFpk12wHmHi3mQxQwUP1ywUKs", "revoked" : false, "secret_key" : "paLsUUm9bRrvNBPpvJQ4nF7vdRTZyDNofGMMYs9EDeEKeNJa99q", "token_sequence" : 0 } ``` 4. Create a validator token using the `create_token` command. ``` ./validator-keys create_token --keyfile /PATH/TO/YOUR/validator--keys.json ``` Copy the token value from the output and save it in a text file on your computer. For example: ``` [validator_token] eyJ2YWxpZGF0aW9uX3NlY3J|dF9rZXkiOiI5ZWQ0NWY4NjYyNDFjYzE4YTI3NDdiNT QzODdjMDYyNTkwNzk3MmY0ZTcxOTAyMzFmYWE5Mzc0NTdmYT|kYWY2IiwibWFuaWZl c3QiOiJKQUFBQUFGeEllMUZ0d21pbXZHdEgyaUNjTUpxQzlnVkZLaWxHZncxL3ZDeE hYWExwbGMyR25NaEFrRTFhZ3FYeEJ3RHdEYklENk9NU1l1TTBGREFscEFnTms4U0tG bjdNTzJmZGtjd1JRSWhBT25ndTlzQUtxWFlvdUorbDJWMFcrc0FPa1ZCK1pSUzZQU2 hsSkFmVXNYZkFpQnNWSkdlc2FhZE9KYy9hQVpva1MxdnltR21WcmxIUEtXWDNZeXd1 NmluOEhBU1FLUHVnQkQ2N2tNYVJGR3ZtcEFUSGxHS0pkdkRGbFdQWXk1QXFEZWRGdj VUSmEydzBpMjFlcTNNWXl3TFZKWm5GT3I3QzBrdzJBaVR6U0NqSXpkaXRROD0ifQ== ``` 5. Repeat steps **2-4** for the remaining validator nodes. Once you have generated the keys and tokens for *all* validators, enter `exit` in your terminal to exit the Docker container. ## Configure the Network This section describes how to configure the validator nodes in your network. The configuration in this tutorial enables the network to retain *some* ledger history, but the amount of transaction history stored will depend on how long the network has been online. ### Create the node directories On your computer, create the directories for all nodes in the private network, and their respective configuration folders. ``` xrpl-private-network/ ├── validator_1/ │ └── config ├── validator_2/ │ └── config └── validator_3/ └── config ``` In your terminal, run the following command to create the directories: ``` mkdir -p xrpl-private-network/{validator_1/config,validator_2/config,validator_3/config} ``` ### Create the validator configuration files For each validator node, follow these steps: 1. In the validator's `config` directory, create a `rippled.cfg` file. 2. Copy the information from the `rippled.cfg` template below into the file. ``` [server] port_rpc_admin_local port_rpc port_ws_admin_local port_ws_public port_peer # ssl_key = /etc/ssl/private/server.key # ssl_cert = /etc/ssl/certs/server.crt [port_rpc_admin_local] port = 5005 ip = 127.0.0.1 admin = 127.0.0.1 protocol = http [port_ws_admin_local] port = 6006 ip = 127.0.0.1 admin = 127.0.0.1 protocol = ws [port_ws_public] port = 80 ip = 0.0.0.0 protocol = ws [port_peer] port = 51235 ip = 0.0.0.0 protocol = peer [port_rpc] port = 51234 ip = 0.0.0.0 admin = 127.0.0.1 protocol = https, http [node_size] small # tiny # small # medium # large # huge [node_db] type=NuDB path=/var/lib/rippled/db/nudb advisory_delete=0 # How many ledgers do we want to keep (history)? # Integer value that defines the number of ledgers # between online deletion events online_delete=256 [ledger_history] # How many ledgers do we want to keep (history)? # Integer value (ledger count) # or (if you have lots of TB SSD storage): 'full' 256 [database_path] /var/lib/rippled/db [debug_logfile] /var/log/rippled/debug.log [sntp_servers] time.windows.com time.apple.com time.nist.gov pool.ntp.org [ips_fixed] validator_1 51235 validator_2 51235 validator_3 51235 [validators_file] validators.txt [rpc_startup] { "command": "log_level", "severity": "warning" } # severity (order: lots of information .. only errors) # debug # info # warn # error # fatal [ssl_verify] 0 [validator_token] ``` 3. Add the generated validator token that you created at the [beginning](#generate-the-validator-keys) of the tutorial. For example: ``` [validator_token] eyJtYW5pZmVzdCI6IkpBQUFBQUZ4SWUwcVd3ZnpLZ2tacWJTL01QVGxHVXlOeTVJZ2kzYzlG V1JvTDFIMGoydkNobk1oQTBOc2RHeFNXbWF6b0xkdU5NeDVmaVVZU2h3bjk2SnpSaUFReFJz cENuR2dka1l3UkFJZ1dLazV4cklSN3FNRWd1UmJwOTRrN0E0QnBOZmwrT2VYUm92bTNIOGtS YkVDSUZXYmVocHd5ZS9UWFpZRGYwUEgwTkxjN2I1cWNEOXUvbzVYUjA4YW1pUEJjQkpBYjEw NE95bG5IS0JSZTJmRW1qSVVjT24vZ2ZacE44bXdhZ1dGbUxlemc2RFRLL0hpTVkyektNQ3l0 aksreHpHNWpjc3JlS3k5Q29sRGtpKzk3V0JHQ2c9PSIsInZhbGlkYXRpb25fc2VjcmV0X2tl eSI6IjZFNTNFQjA1M0IwNEM1RTczNDc4M0VCMEU0RTBFOTg1NDVDNDQ0QzI3OTBFQjdBMzA2 NUQzMUVBOTU1QjQyMTIifQ== ``` Each validator node must have its own unique token. ### Create the validators.txt files Now that you have created the configuration files for your validators, you need to add a `validator.txt` file. This file defines which validators are trusted by your network. Follow these steps to add validator configuration files to each validator: 1. Create a `validators.txt` file. 2. Copy the public keys from the `validator-keys.json` files that you generated at the [beginning](#generate-the-validator-keys) of the tutorial. 3. Add the public keys of *all* the validators. For example: ``` [validators] nHBgaEDL8buUECuk4Rck4QBYtmUgbAoeYJLpWLzG9iXsznTRYrQu nHBCHX7iLDTyap3LumqBNuKgG7JLA5tc6MSJxpLs3gjkwpu836mY nHU5STUKTgWdreVqJDx6TopLUymzRUZshTSGcWNtjfByJkYdiiRc ``` 4. Copy the same `validators.txt` file into the `config` directory for *each* validator. ```sh cp validators.txt validator_1/config/ cp validators.txt validator_2/config/ cp validators.txt validator_3/config/ ``` ## Start the Network Docker Compose lets you manage multiple containers on your computer with a simple `yaml` file configuration. This section describes how to run the network with Docker Compose, and how to verify that the network is running successfully. Docker Compose ensures the containers are part of the same Docker virtual network by default, so you don't need to take any additional steps for the `rippled` containers to communicate with each other. To start running your private network, follow these steps: 1. Create a `docker-compose.yml` file in the root of the private network directory, `xrpl-private-network`, and add the following content: ``` services: validator_1: platform: linux/amd64 container_name: validator_1 image: "xrpllabsofficial/xrpld" ports: - "8001:80" - "5006:5005" - "4001:6006" - "9001:51235" volumes: - ./validator_1/config:/config/ validator_2: platform: linux/amd64 container_name: validator_2 image: "xrpllabsofficial/xrpld" ports: - "8002:80" - "5007:5005" - "4002:6006" - "9002:51235" volumes: - ./validator_2/config:/config/ validator_3: platform: linux/amd64 container_name: validator_3 image: "xrpllabsofficial/xrpld" ports: - "8003:80" - "5008:5005" - "4003:6006" - "9003:51235" volumes: - ./validator_3/config:/config/ ``` The `volumes` key in each `service` represents the location where your config files are stored. For example, `./validator_1/config:/config/` maps the `/validator_1/config` directory on your host computer to `/config/` in the Docker container. Any changes made in the host directory will be reflected in the container automatically. 2. From your terminal, in the location where you created the `docker-compose.yml` file, run `docker-compose up -d`. You should see a similar output to the one below: ``` [+] Running 4/4 ✔ Network xrpl-private-network_default Created 0.0s ✔ Container validator_3 Started 0.5s ✔ Container validator_1 Started 0.5s ✔ Container validator_2 Started 0.5s ``` ## Verify the Network Now that the private ledger network is up, you need to verify that **each** validator node is running as expected: 1. Open a terminal in the validator_1 container: ``` docker exec -it validator_1 bin/bash ``` You can use the same syntax to execute commands in the other Docker containers. Replace `bin/bash` with the command to run and `validator_1` with the name of the container. 2. Run the `rippled server_info` command to check the state of the validator: ``` rippled server_info | grep server_state ``` Sample Output: ``` "server_state" : "proposing" ``` If the state is not updated to **proposing**, repeat step **2** after a few minutes as the ledger can take some time to update. 3. Verify the number of peers connected to the validator. ``` rippled server_info | grep peers ``` Sample Output: ``` "peers" : 2 ``` 4. Run the following command to check the genesis account information: ``` rippled account_info rHb9CJAWyB4rj91VRWn96DkukG4bwdtyTh validated ``` Sample Output: ``` { "result" : { "account_data" : { "Account" : "rHb9CJAWyB4rj91VRWn96DkukG4bwdtyTh", "Balance" : "100000000000000000", "Flags" : 0, "LedgerEntryType" : "AccountRoot", "OwnerCount" : 0, "PreviousTxnID" : "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000", "PreviousTxnLgrSeq" : 0, "Sequence" : 1, "index" : "2B6AC232AA4C4BE41BF49D2459FA4A0347E1B543A4C92FCEE0821C0201E2E9A8" }, "ledger_hash" : "CFCEFB049A71E26DE812529ABB212F330FAF583A98FE073F14713B0644D7CEE9", "ledger_index" : 10181, "status" : "success", "validated" : true } } ``` If the ledger does not have `"validated": true`, double check that you put matching `validators.txt` files with all three public keys in each container's config directory, and restart the container if you need to make changes. 5. To leave the Docker container shell, enter `exit` in the terminal. ### Perform a test transaction Perform a **test** transaction to ensure you can send money to an account. 1. In your terminal, run the the following command to submit a transaction: ``` docker exec -it validator_1 \ rippled submit 'snoPBrXtMeMyMHUVTgbuqAfg1SUTb' '{ "Account": "rHb9CJAWyB4rj91VRWn96DkukG4bwdtyTh", "Amount": "1000000000", "Destination": "r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs", "TransactionType": "Payment", "Fee": "10" }' ``` Sample Output: ``` { "result" : { "engine_result" : "tesSUCCESS", "engine_result_code" : 0, "engine_result_message" : "The transaction was applied. Only final in a validated ledger.", "status" : "success", "tx_blob" : "1200002280000000240000000161400000003B9ACA0068400000000000000A73210330E7FC9D56BB25D6893BA3F317AE5BCF33B3291BD63DB32654A313222F7FD02074463044022057CCEED351A4278F35C13FD104A55338DC8F48C1F9902D58045A4CD0CE89C92A0220184026BD3B1E2C21239017CAF1BBF683 35EDC57F6F98D952E263763DE449561B8114B5F762798A53D543A014CAF8B297CFF8F2F937E883145988EBB744055F4E8BDC7F67FD53EB9FCF961DC0", "tx_json" : { "Account" : "rHb9CJAWyB4rj91VRWn96DkukG4bwdtyTh", "Amount" : "1000000000", "Destination" : "r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs", "Fee" : "10", "Flags" : 2147483648, "Sequence" : 1, "SigningPubKey" : "0330E7FC9D56BB25D6893BA3F317AE5BCF33B3291BD63DB32654A313222F7FD020", "TransactionType" : "Payment", "TxnSignature" : "3044022057CCEED351A4278F35C13FD104A55338DC8F48C1F9902D58045A4CD0CE89C92A0220184026BD3B1E2C21239017CAF1BBF68335EDC57F6F98D952E263763DE449561B", "hash" : "EB516738841794B24819C68273E0F853A3D234350E6534F7F2841F620CE99437" } } } ``` 2. For each validator, verify that the destination account `r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs` has 1000000000 XRP. For example: ``` docker exec -it validator_1 \ rippled account_info r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs validated ``` Sample Output: ``` { "result" : { "account_data" : { "Account" : "r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs", "Balance" : "1000000000", "Flags" : 0, "LedgerEntryType" : "AccountRoot", "OwnerCount" : 0, "PreviousTxnID" : "EB516738841794B24819C68273E0F853A3D234350E6534F7F2841F620CE99437", "PreviousTxnLgrSeq" : 36, "Sequence" : 1, "index" : "0F2E4615AE24EEF58EE82BD1E67D237234ED41BFC8B7885630B7AC05082E97AA" }, "ledger_hash" : "6F9F54903CC4546F7A426CD78AFD68D907F5DC40B1780DF31A662CF65920E49C", "ledger_index" : 51, "status" : "success", "validated" : true } } ``` All validator nodes should respond with the same balance of 1000000000 XRP for the `r9wRwVgL2vWVnKhTPdtxva5vdH7FNw1zPs` account. ## Stop the Network If you wish to stop running the private network: 1. In your terminal, go to the `xrpl-private-network` directory. 2. Run the following command to shut down the network: ``` docker-compose down ``` Sample Output: ``` [+] Running 4/4 ✔ Container validator_3 Removed 1.7s ✔ Container validator_1 Removed 1.6s ✔ Container validator_2 Removed 1.6s ✔ Network xrpl-private-network_default Removed 0.0s ``` ## See Also - **Networks and Servers:** - [Peer Protocol](/es-es/docs/concepts/networks-and-servers/peer-protocol) - **References:** - [XRPL Testnet Setup Scripts for Docker](https://github.com/UNIC-IFF/xrpl-docker-testnet)