How to Set Up a Brand-New SVM Validator — v0.0.3

blaze.apps (75)verified developerin Steem Dev • 4 days ago

A complete step-by-step guide for setting up a brand-new Steem Virtual Machine (SVM) validator from scratch using the latest v0.0.3 Bridge Oracle branch.

This guide is intended for validators joining the SVM testnet for the first time. The setup script automates most of the process, including node initialization, Steem account registration, faucet funding, validator creation, oracle configuration, and oracle startup.

What You Need

Before starting, make sure you have:

A fresh Ubuntu server with Docker and Docker Compose installed
A Steem account that will become your validator identity
Access to the Steem account's owner/active/posting public keys
A free CoinMarketCap API key
Sufficient disk space for the SVM node and blockchain data
A stable public server/network connection

1. Clone the SVM Repository

Clone the official SVM EVM repository:

git clone https://github.com/blazeapps007/SteemVirtualMachine-EVM.git
cd SteemVirtualMachine-EVM

Checkout the latest v0.0.3 Bridge Oracle branch:

git checkout v0.0.3-bridge-oracle

Verify that you are on the correct branch:

git branch --show-current

You should see:

v0.0.3-bridge-oracle

2. Start the New Validator Setup

Run:

sh new-validator.sh

The script will guide you through the complete validator setup.

Enter Your Steem Username

The script will ask:

Steem username (becomes your validator moniker):

Enter your Steem username.

For example:

blaze.apps

The username becomes your SVM validator moniker.

3. Verify Your Steem Public Keys

The script will fetch your Steem account keys and display them:

Fetched public keys for 'blaze.apps':
  owner:   STM64ToGY...
  active:  STM6R8Ces...
  posting: STM5YX1p3...

Use these? [Y/n]:

Carefully verify that the displayed keys belong to your Steem account.

If everything is correct, enter:

Security: Never share your Steem private keys or passwords. The setup requires the public keys for account verification.

4. Enter Your CoinMarketCap API Key

The Bridge Oracle requires a CoinMarketCap API key.

The script will ask:

CoinMarketCap API key (REQUIRED — free at coinmarketcap.com/api):

Enter your API key.

You can obtain a free API key from CoinMarketCap's API service.

The API key is used by the Bridge Oracle for price-feed functionality.

5. Select the Existing SVM Node

The setup script will ask for an existing SVM node RPC endpoint from which it can fetch the genesis and synchronize your new validator:

Existing node's RPC to fetch genesis + sync from [http://57.131.13.43:26657]:

Use the provided trusted SVM RPC endpoint, or another trusted SVM validator RPC if instructed by the network operators.

The script should then fetch the genesis:

✔ Genesis fetched from http://57.131.13.43:26657/genesis.

6. Start and Synchronize the Node

The script automatically configures the node and starts it.

You should see something similar to:

==> Setting node moniker to 'blaze.apps'…
==> Starting the node…
[+] up 1/1
==> Waiting for block height ≥ 1 (timeout 1800s)…
✔ Node is producing blocks (height 732).

At this stage, your SVM node is running and communicating with the network.

7. Generate Your SVM Validator Key

The script will generate a new SVM account:

==> Generating SteemVM key 'blaze.apps'…

You will receive output similar to:

- address: steem16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wx63g70f
  name: blaze.apps
  pubkey: '{"@type":"/cosmos.evm.crypto.v1.ethsecp256k1.PubKey","key":"..."}'
  type: local

IMPORTANT — SAVE YOUR MNEMONIC

The script will display a mnemonic phrase:

**Important** write this mnemonic phrase in a safe place.
It is the only way to recover your account if you ever forget your password.

Write this mnemonic down and store it securely.

Do not publish it, send it to anyone, or store it in a publicly accessible location.

If the script reports:

! could not auto-capture the mnemonic — copy it from the output above, it won't be shown again.

this is expected. Manually copy the mnemonic before continuing.

8. Record Your Validator Address

The script will display your validator information:

moniker:  blaze.apps
address:  steem16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wx63g70f
valoper:  steemvaloper16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wxsz8d52
date:     2026-08-21T13:05:26Z

✔ Address saved to validator-address.txt

Your important SVM addresses are:

Account address: steem1...
Validator operator address: steemvaloper1...

The validator operator address will be required when checking your validator status.

9. Register Your Steem Account

The script will instruct you to send STEEM from your Steem account to the SVM registration account.

The command will look like:

Send 0.001+ STEEM from 'YOUR_STEEM_USERNAME' to 'svm.bank',
memo EXACTLY:
svm-register YOUR_SVM_ADDRESS

For example:

svm-register steem16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wx63g70f

IMPORTANT

The memo must be exactly:

svm-register YOUR_SVM_ADDRESS

Do not add extra text to the memo.

The script will then wait for the registration attestation.

You may see:

==> Waiting for attestation (timeout 1800s)…
==> still waiting (46s elapsed)
==> still waiting (107s elapsed)
✔ Registration #7 awaiting confirmation — confirming…

Once confirmed:

✔ Name 'blaze.apps' confirmed ACTIVE for steem16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wx63g70f.

Your Steem identity is now linked to your SVM validator account.

10. Receive Validator Faucet Funds

The setup script will automatically claim the validator faucet:

==> Claiming faucet…
✔ Faucet sent 5000 STEEM

It will then wait for the balance:

==> Waiting for balance (timeout 300s)…
✔ Funded (balance 5001000000000000000000).

The validator receives the initial SVM STEEM required to create and operate the validator.

11. Create the Validator

The script automatically generates the validator configuration:

==> Writing validator.json…
==> Creating the validator…

You should receive a successful transaction:

code: 0
txhash: F7653DA1A6AA84BC03297DB434CC227F94D4DF7D9FD6CB8FE5641A6C0BCE9867

✔ Validator create tx broadcast.

At this point, the validator creation transaction has been broadcast successfully.

12. Configure the Bridge Oracle

The setup script will export the validator key and create the Oracle environment:

==> Exporting key for oracle/.env…
✔ oracle/.env written.

The Bridge Oracle is now configured using your newly created validator identity.

13. Start the Bridge Oracle

Finally, the script starts the Oracle:

==> Starting the oracle (go profile)…
[+] up 2/2
 ✔ Container steemvm-node      Running
 ✔ Container steemvm-oracle-go Recreated
✔ All done.

Your SVM node and Bridge Oracle should now be running.

14. Confirm Your Validator Is Bonded

The script gives you the command to verify your validator:

docker exec steemvm-node /root/go/bin/steemvmd query staking validator YOUR_VALOPER_ADDRESS

For example:

docker exec steemvm-node /root/go/bin/steemvmd query staking validator steemvaloper16d9lejs0hpqv4vswzn5yle8xpp9w92wxsz8d52

Check the returned validator information and confirm that your validator has been created and bonded correctly.

15. Monitor Your Bridge Oracle

To continuously monitor the Oracle:

docker compose logs -f oracle-go

You should keep this running during the initial setup to verify that the Oracle is operating correctly.

You can also check the running containers:

docker compose ps

You should see both the SVM node and Oracle containers running.

Complete Setup Flow

The complete process is:

Clone Repository
       ↓
Checkout v0.0.3-bridge-oracle
       ↓
Run new-validator.sh
       ↓
Enter Steem Username
       ↓
Verify Steem Public Keys
       ↓
Enter CoinMarketCap API Key
       ↓
Fetch Genesis
       ↓
Start & Sync SVM Node
       ↓
Generate SVM Key
       ↓
SAVE MNEMONIC
       ↓
Register Steem Account
       ↓
Wait for Attestation
       ↓
Claim 5,000 STEEM Faucet
       ↓
Create Validator
       ↓
Configure Oracle
       ↓
Start Bridge Oracle
       ↓
Verify Validator
       ↓
Monitor Oracle

Final Verification

After setup, run:

docker compose ps

Then verify your validator:

docker exec steemvm-node /root/go/bin/steemvmd query staking validator YOUR_VALOPER_ADDRESS

And monitor the Oracle:

docker compose logs -f oracle-go

If all three checks are successful, your SVM Validator + Bridge Oracle installation is complete.

Important Notes

Do not skip the mnemonic backup. Your SVM account mnemonic is the recovery mechanism for the generated validator account.

Do not share your private keys or mnemonic.

Use the correct v0.0.3-bridge-oracle branch. Running an older branch can result in incompatible validator/oracle configuration.

Make sure the Steem registration memo is exact. The registration process depends on the svm-register memo format.

Keep the Bridge Oracle running. The validator setup is not complete merely because the validator transaction was broadcast; the Oracle is an important part of the v0.0.3 validator setup.

SVM v0.0.3 Bridge Oracle

With this setup, a brand-new validator can go from a clean server to a running SVM validator and Bridge Oracle with a largely automated process.

If you are joining the SVM testnet as a new validator, follow every step carefully and keep your mnemonic safe.

Welcome to the SVM Validator Network.

#svm #steemvirtualmachine #steemevm

4 days ago in Steem Dev by blaze.apps (75)verified developer

$14.49