Arc Node Setup & Manager

One-script installer and management tool for running an Arc Network testnet node.
Arc is Circle's stablecoin-native Layer-1 blockchain — built for USDC and on-chain finance.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• System Requirements
• Quick Start
• All Commands
• Setup Options
• What the Script Does
  • Phase 1 — Welcome & Hardware Check
  • Phase 2 — Install Dependencies
  • Phase 3 — Build Arc Binaries
  • Phase 4 — Data Directories & Snapshots
  • Phase 5 — Initialise Consensus Layer
  • Phase 6 — Install systemd Services
  • Phase 7 — Verify Node is Syncing
• Node Endpoints & Ports
• Post-Install Management
  • Live Monitor Dashboard
  • Status Snapshot
  • Log Tailing
  • Update Node Version
  • Restart / Stop / Start
  • Uninstall
  • Rollback Sudo
• Advanced Options
  • Swap File
  • Expose RPC for MetaMask / LAN
  • Firewall (ufw)
  • Skip Snapshots
  • Pin a Specific Arc Version
  • Non-Interactive / CI Mode
• Keypair VPS — Passwordless Sudo
• Resume After Interruption
• File Layout
• Troubleshooting
• Resources
• Support & Donations

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Overview

setup.sh is a single Bash file that handles the entire lifecycle of an Arc testnet node:

What it does	How
Installs system packages, Rust, and Foundry	apt-get + rustup + foundryup
Builds 3 Arc binaries from source	cargo install from circlefin/arc-node
Downloads blockchain snapshots (~84 GB compressed)	arc-snapshots download
Initialises your node's P2P identity key	arc-node-consensus init
Registers auto-start + crash-restart services	systemd unit files
Provides live monitoring, logging, and updates	Built-in subcommands

Setup takes 20–60 minutes on a fast machine (dominated by Rust compilation).

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System Requirements

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12	Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
CPU	8 cores	16+ cores
RAM	64 GB	128 GB
Disk	200 GB free SSD	1 TB+ NVMe SSD
Network	Stable broadband	1 Gbps unmetered
User	Non-root with sudo	—
Init	systemd	—

RAM note: Each Rust build is limited to nproc / 2 jobs to avoid OOM during the Reth link phase. If you have exactly 64 GB of RAM, consider passing --swap 32G to add headroom.

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Quick Start

# One command to setup
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/candyburst/arc-node-setup/main/setup.sh | bash -s -- setup --yes

Or equivalently:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/candyburst/arc-node-setup/main/setup.sh | bash -s -- setup -y

# Download
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/candyburst/arc-node-setup/main/setup.sh
chmod +x setup.sh

# Run guided interactive setup
./setup.sh

# — or — fully unattended (CI / provisioning)
./setup.sh setup --yes

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All Commands

./setup.sh [COMMAND] [OPTIONS]

Command	Description
setup	Full interactive node setup (default)
monitor	Live dashboard — refreshes every 5 s (Ctrl+C to exit)
status	Quick one-shot status snapshot
logs el	Tail execution-layer logs
logs cl	Tail consensus-layer logs
logs both	Tail both layers simultaneously
update	Auto-detect latest Arc version and rebuild
update v0.7.1	Upgrade to a specific version
restart	Restart both services (safe tear-down order)
stop	Stop both services
start	Start both services
uninstall	Guided removal of services, binaries, and data
rollback-sudo	Remove a passwordless sudo drop-in for this user
help	Show usage help

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Setup Options

All options apply to the setup command:

Flag	Description
-y, --yes	Skip all yes/no prompts (non-interactive / CI mode)
--skip-snap	Skip snapshot download — only for existing compatible data
--expose-rpc	Bind JSON-RPC on 0.0.0.0 — for private/LAN access
--with-firewall	Auto-configure ufw firewall rules
--swap SIZE	Create a swap file, e.g. --swap 16G
--version VER	Install a specific Arc version, e.g. --version v0.7.1
-h, --help	Show help

Examples:

./setup.sh                                    # Guided interactive setup
./setup.sh setup --yes                        # Fully unattended / CI
./setup.sh setup --expose-rpc --with-firewall # Open to LAN + configure firewall
./setup.sh setup --swap 32G --yes             # Add 32 GB swap, no prompts
./setup.sh setup --version v0.7.1            # Install a specific version

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What the Script Does

Phase 1 — Welcome & Hardware Check

Displays a banner, then checks:

• RAM ≥ 64 GB (warns, does not block)
• Disk ≥ 200 GB free (warns, does not block)
• OS is Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+
• User is not root (root execution is blocked)
• systemd is present

If any check fails you are asked whether to continue. All results are written to ~/arc-setup.log.

Phase 2 — Install Dependencies

Installs via apt-get:

git  curl  wget  build-essential  pkg-config  libssl-dev
clang  libclang-dev  cmake  unzip  jq  screen  htop  iotop  net-tools

Then installs Rust via rustup (or updates if already present) and Foundry via foundryup (provides the cast tool for RPC queries).

Both installers are downloaded to a temp file, their SHA-256 is printed for manual verification, and you are prompted before execution (bypassed with --yes).

Also configures journald log retention: 2 GB max, 4-week history.

Phase 3 — Build Arc Binaries

Clones circlefin/arc-node, checks out the target version tag, and compiles three Rust crates:

Binary	Role
arc-node-execution	Executes transactions, serves the JSON-RPC endpoint (Reth-based)
arc-node-consensus	Fetches and verifies blocks (Malachite BFT)
arc-snapshots	Downloads blockchain snapshots

All binaries are installed to /usr/local/bin/. Build time is 20–60 minutes depending on hardware. The number of parallel jobs is capped at nproc / 2 to avoid OOM on machines at the 64 GB RAM minimum.

Phase 4 — Data Directories & Snapshots

Creates:

~/.arc/execution/     ← Execution-layer chain data
~/.arc/consensus/     ← Consensus-layer state
/run/arc/             ← IPC socket directory

Then offers to download the testnet snapshots. The upstream Arc repo currently lists the latest snapshots as roughly 68 GB EL + 16 GB CL compressed, expanding to roughly 103 GB EL + 36 GB CL. The script requires 200 GB free before starting so the compressed archives and extracted data both have room.

The Arc node docs say a fresh node needs a snapshot to bootstrap; syncing a new node from genesis is currently not supported. Snapshot download is given a 4-hour timeout.

Phase 5 — Initialise Consensus Layer

Runs arc-node-consensus init to generate your node's P2P identity key at:

~/.arc/consensus/config/priv_validator_key.json

This is a one-time operation. The key is automatically backed up to ~/.arc-key-backup/ with a timestamp. Keep this backup — losing it means a new P2P identity.

Phase 6 — Install systemd Services

Writes two systemd unit files:

Service	Binary	Key Behaviour
arc-execution	arc-node-execution	Runs Reth EL with Arc's --full pruning preset; exposes JSON-RPC on localhost:8545 (or 0.0.0.0:8545 with --expose-rpc)
arc-consensus	arc-node-consensus	Runs the BFT consensus layer in follow mode with --full and execution-persistence backpressure; connects to EL via IPC socket

Both services:

• Start automatically on boot (WantedBy=multi-user.target)
• Restart automatically (Restart=always, 10-second delay)
• Log to journald
• Have LimitNOFILE=1048576

The service flags follow the upstream Arc node binary guide: both layers start with --full, and the consensus layer adds --execution-persistence-backpressure --execution-persistence-backpressure-threshold=50.

The script waits up to 120 seconds for the execution-layer IPC socket (/run/arc/reth.ipc) to appear before starting the consensus layer.

If --with-firewall was passed, ufw is configured automatically (see Firewall).

Phase 7 — Verify Node is Syncing

Confirms both services are active, then uses cast block-number to:

1. Query the local node at http://localhost:8545
2. Wait up to 30 seconds for the block number to advance

A block advance confirms the node is receiving and processing new blocks.

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Node Endpoints & Ports

Endpoint	Default Address	Flag to change
JSON-RPC	http://localhost:8545	--expose-rpc → 0.0.0.0:8545
Consensus RPC	http://localhost:31000	—
EL Metrics (Prometheus)	http://localhost:9001/metrics	—
CL Metrics (Prometheus)	http://localhost:29000/metrics	—
EL P2P TCP	0.0.0.0:30303	—
EL P2P UDP	0.0.0.0:30303	—
CL P2P TCP	0.0.0.0:27000	—

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Post-Install Management

Live Monitor Dashboard

./setup.sh monitor

Clears the terminal and refreshes every 5 seconds, showing:

• Services — running status with uptime
• Sync Status — local block, network head, lag, peer count
• Resources — CPU %, RAM (RSS), disk usage
• Recent Logs — last 5 lines from execution, last 3 from consensus

Press Ctrl+C to exit.

Status Snapshot

./setup.sh status

One-shot output: service state, installed version, block height, peers, disk usage.

Log Tailing

./setup.sh logs el      # Execution layer
./setup.sh logs cl      # Consensus layer
./setup.sh logs both    # Both simultaneously

Uses journalctl -f under the hood. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Update Node Version

./setup.sh update              # Auto-detect latest version from GitHub
./setup.sh update v0.7.1       # Upgrade to a specific version

The update process:

1. Stops both services
2. Backs up current binaries to /usr/local/bin/*.bak
3. Checks out the new version tag and recompiles
4. If any build step fails, automatically rolls back to the backed-up binaries and restarts services
5. Patches ARC_VERSION_DEFAULT in the script itself
6. Restarts services

Restart / Stop / Start

./setup.sh restart    # Stop consensus → stop execution → start execution → wait for IPC → start consensus
./setup.sh stop       # Stop consensus then execution (safe order)
./setup.sh start      # Start execution → wait for IPC → start consensus

The ordering (consensus before execution on stop, execution before consensus on start) ensures the IPC socket is ready and avoids state conflicts.

Uninstall

./setup.sh uninstall

Guided removal. You are asked separately (with a danger prompt) about:

1. Services and binaries — removed automatically after confirmation
2. Chain data at ~/.arc (~139+ GB with current snapshots) — separate yes-to-confirm prompt
3. Source code at ~/arc-node-src — optional
4. Passwordless sudo drop-in (if present)

The key backup at ~/.arc-key-backup/ is intentionally kept.

Rollback Sudo

./setup.sh rollback-sudo

Removes /etc/sudoers.d/<USER>-nopasswd if you created it for a keypair-only VPS. Safe to run even if the file does not exist.

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Advanced Options

Swap File

If your server has less than 64 GB of RAM (or exactly 64 GB and you want extra headroom during compilation):

./setup.sh setup --swap 16G
./setup.sh setup --swap 32G --yes

The script:

• Skips creation if swap is already active
• Allocates with fallocate (fallback: dd)
• Warns on Btrfs/ZFS (nodatacow may be required)
• Adds the entry to /etc/fstab for persistence across reboots

Expose RPC for MetaMask / LAN

./setup.sh setup --expose-rpc

Binds the JSON-RPC server on 0.0.0.0:8545 instead of localhost:8545. Use this for private/LAN access or with explicit cloud firewall/VPC source restrictions. If --with-firewall is also used, the script opens only the selected Arc ports, but it does not restrict which remote IPs can reach 8545.

Firewall (ufw)

./setup.sh setup --with-firewall

Configures ufw with these rules:

Rule	Purpose
allow ssh	Prevent lockout
allow 30303/tcp + 30303/udp	EL P2P — without this, incoming peers are silently dropped
allow 27000/tcp	CL P2P
allow 8545/tcp	JSON-RPC (only if --expose-rpc is also set)
deny incoming (default)	Block everything else

Warning: Always ensure SSH is allowed before enabling ufw. The script does this automatically.

Skip Snapshots

./setup.sh setup --skip-snap

Skips only the script-managed snapshot download. Use this only if compatible execution and consensus data already exists, or if you will bootstrap it manually before expecting the services to sync. The current Arc node docs say a fresh node cannot bootstrap from genesis.

Pin a Specific Arc Version

./setup.sh setup --version v0.7.1
./setup.sh setup --version v0.7.1 --yes

Version strings must match v<MAJOR>.<MINOR>.<PATCH> exactly. The tag must exist in circlefin/arc-node.

Non-Interactive / CI Mode

./setup.sh setup --yes

Skips all yes/no prompts. Danger prompts (uninstall, irreversible data deletion) are never bypassed by --yes — they always require typing yes in full.

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Keypair VPS — Passwordless Sudo

Many cloud VPS providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean) use SSH key authentication with no password set on the account. If the image already grants passwordless sudo, setup proceeds normally. If sudo prompts for a password but the account has no password, setup cannot elevate itself.

The script detects this by inspecting the shadow password field. If the account has no password (!, !!, or *) and sudo is not already usable, it prints the sudoers drop-in to create from your provider console, cloud-init, or another root/admin session:

/etc/sudoers.d/<USER>-nopasswd

Contents:

<USER> ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
Defaults:<USER> !use_pty
Defaults:<USER> !authenticate

Validate the temporary file with visudo -c before installing it. After setup is complete, remove it:

./setup.sh rollback-sudo

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Resume After Interruption

If setup is interrupted (network drop, manual Ctrl+C, OOM kill), simply re-run:

./setup.sh

Completed phases are recorded in ~/.arc-setup-state. Already-finished phases are skipped automatically, so the script resumes from where it left off. A lock file (~/.arc-setup.lock) prevents concurrent runs from racing.

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File Layout

After a successful install:

~/
├── arc-setup.log           ← Full setup log (all output)
├── arc-node-src/           ← Cloned + compiled source (circlefin/arc-node)
├── .arc/
│   ├── execution/          ← Reth execution-layer data (~103 GB with current snapshots)
│   └── consensus/          ← Consensus-layer data (~36 GB with current snapshots)
│       └── config/
│           └── priv_validator_key.json   ← Your P2P identity key
└── .arc-key-backup/
    └── priv_validator_key_<timestamp>.json  ← Timestamped key backup (keep safe!)

/usr/local/bin/
├── arc-node-execution      ← EL binary
├── arc-node-consensus      ← CL binary
└── arc-snapshots           ← Snapshot tool

/etc/systemd/system/
├── arc-execution.service
└── arc-consensus.service

/run/arc/
└── reth.ipc                ← IPC socket (EL ↔ CL communication)

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Troubleshooting

Services not starting after setup

sudo journalctl -u arc-execution -n 50
sudo journalctl -u arc-consensus -n 50
./setup.sh logs both

Node not syncing / zero peers

• Ensure ports 30303 (TCP+UDP) and 27000 (TCP) are open inbound on your firewall/VPC security group.
• Check you have outbound internet access.
• Run ./setup.sh monitor and watch the peer count.

RPC not responding

cast block-number --rpc-url http://localhost:8545

If this returns nothing, check arc-execution is active and the IPC socket exists at /run/arc/reth.ipc.

Snapshot download failed or timed out The script allows 4 hours. Re-run ./setup.sh — the script will resume from the data phase.

Build failed (cargo OOM) Add swap before retrying:

./setup.sh setup --swap 32G

Permission denied on sudo If you are not on a keypair VPS and sudo prompts for a password:

sudo -v   # cache credentials, then re-run setup

Check what phases have completed

cat ~/.arc-setup-state

Full log

cat ~/arc-setup.log

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Resources

Resource	URL
Arc Docs	https://docs.arc.io
Block Explorer	https://testnet.arcscan.app
Testnet Faucet	https://faucet.circle.com
Arc Discord	https://discord.com/invite/buildonarc
Arc Node Source	https://github.com/circlefin/arc-node
This Repo	https://github.com/candyburst/arc-node-setup

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Support & Donations

Built and maintained by @cryptoasuran

• Discord: livingbycrypto
• Telegram: @livingbycrypto

If this script saved you hours of work and you'd like to say thanks:

EVM Donation Wallet:

0xb58b6E9b725D7f865FeaC56641B1dFB57ECfB43f

Any chain, any token — every bit is appreciated! ☕

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Arc Network is on public testnet. The network may experience instability, resets, or breaking changes. Always back up your priv_validator_key.json.

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MIT License — use freely, fork freely, improve freely.