How to configure access to blockchain networks with a managed service

To quickly connect to the Kima testnet, you can use managed services like Infura, Alchemy, QuickNode, or Ankr. These services simplify blockchain infrastructure by providing RPC endpoints you can access with API keys.

Here’s how to create API keys for each service:

When selecting networks ensure you select the Kima-supported networks (see the official documentation for the list).

Infura

Visit the Infura website and create an account. Follow the prompts to create an API key.

Alchemy

Sign up at Alchemy's website. Navigate to the dashboard and select Apps in the left-hand menu. Create a new App, selecting the network(s) you need. Once saved, your API key will be displayed at the top right of the page.

QuickNode

Sign up at QuickNode's website. After logging in, create your first endpoint by following the on-screen instructions.

Ankr

Visit Ankr's website . In the top navigation menu, click on Products and select Web3 API. Set up an account, then navigate to the endpoint creation page to configure your API.

The Kima blockchain relies on a network of validator nodes for its security and consensus. KIMA tokens are distributed to validators as an incentive for their participation in the network.

You can read more about both Kima's incentive model and its innovative security architecture in the White Paper

Two areas of Kima's security architecture stand out:

• Threshold signature schemes (TSSs) allow a group of participants (“cosigners”) to securely generate and control the secret signing key for a digital signature scheme, such that a certain threshold (e.g. 2-out-of-3 or 7-out-of-10) cosigners must participate in, and agree upon, the signing protocol in order to generate a signature.

• To further complement security, Kima wardens run the threshold signature scheme inside an SGX enclave, thus the TSS key-shares are not directly accessible to the wardens or their system administrators.

For this reason, would-be validators need to ensure that they either have access to a machine that is compliant with the relevant SGX requirements, either by:

• Owning the relevant hardware

• Running their node on Azure

• Other enclave technologies such as AMD SEV-SNP may be supported in the future. Please contact us if you are interested in other enclave architectures.

Read the validator requirements page for more details.

If you have questions about setup, or would prefer to be guided through the process, get in touch here.

Because of the very specific nature of Kima's security model, explained in the validators intro and in the Kima White Paper, you need to ensure you meet the following hardware requirements before you become a Kima validator:

Must be an Intel XEON E-series or any other XEON supporting SGX-SPS (Server Platform Services). The motherboard must also support SGX.

• CPU: 4vCPU (8vCPU recommended)

• RAM: 16GB (32GB recommended)

• Storage: 512GB HDD (1TB recommended)

• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04

SGX requirements

Must be an Intel XEON E-series or any other XEON supporting SGX-SPS (Server Platform Services). The motherboard must also support SGX. The below list of supported SGX-compliant CPUs List is current for the second half of 2024

Compliant servers

• Intel XEON E-2174G

• Intel XEON E-2176G

• Intel XEON E-2178G

• Intel XEON E-2186G

• Intel XEON E-2188G

• Intel XEON E-2274G

• Intel XEON E-2276G

• Intel XEON E-2278G

• Intel XEON E-2286G

• Intel XEON E-2288G

• Intel XEON E-2334G

• Intel XEON E-2386G

• Intel XEON E-2388G

Compliant servers

Prerequisites

Programs and applications

curl: Required for fetching external IPs and interacting with web services. Ensure it is installed and configured on your system. git: Needed for cloning repositories and managing code changes. Install it and ensure familiarity with basic commands. text editor: Use any editor (e.g., Vim, Nano) to update configuration files as needed

Currently, validators are selected manually and require access to private GitHub repositories. These repositories will be made open-source in the near future.

To gain access and prepare your environment, you must: 1. Set up an SSH key

• Generate an SSH key.

• Add the SSH key to your GitHub account. 2. Accept the repository invitation

• Once your SSH key is linked to your GitHub account, you will receive an invitation to access the necessary repositories. 3. Ensure required permissions and tools You will need sudo access on your machine to manage installations and configurations.

Ensure the git command is installed and configured, as it is required to clone the Kima repositories. Note: For assistance with setting up an SSH key or linking it to GitHub, refer to GitHub's SSH setup guide.

Proper SSH configuration and access permissions ensure secure and seamless repository access.

Network

Public static IP

Open Ports:

• 22: SSH (Secure Shell) protocol

• 26656: Cosmos app CometBFT gossiping port for consensus

• 26657: Cosmos app CometBFT RPC port

• 9090: Cosmos app gRPC port

• 5051: TSS-ECDSA P2P port 5052: TSS-EDDSA P2P port

• 5053: TSS app EDDSA (Solana chain signer) gossiping port

• 8081: TSS-ECDSA info address 8082: TSS-ECDSA info address

• 7070: Cosmos validator management on genesis node port

Initial setup:

Download scripts from the Github repository to your server using any convenient method.

git clone git@github.com:kima-finance/kima-external-validator.git

Prepare the scripts:

Make the files executable with:

sudo chmod +x setup-validator.sh
sudo chmod +x update-config.sh
sudo chmod +x run-validator.sh

Prepare the environment:

Navigate to the validator directory:

	cd $HOME

Create an empty .env file:

touch .env

Copy the template file to .env:

⚠️ Note: This will overwrite any existing .env file. Ensure you want to proceed.

cp .env.template .env

Add the blockchain networks configuration

In the same .env file, add the RPC and WSS endpoints for the blockchain networks you will connect to:

ETH_RPC_HOST="https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/<YOUR_INFURA_API_KEY>"
ETH_WSS_HOST="wss://sepolia.infura.io/ws/v3/<YOUR_INFURA_API_KEY>"

⚠️ Important: Use a high-performance RPC endpoint. Free or basic paid plans may not suffice. Replace <YOUR_INFURA_API_KEY> with your actual API key. Update the URLs and details for other networks as needed.

Suggestions for Testnet API Keys: Services like Alchemy, QuickNode, or Ankr support various chains, including Ethereum, Polygon, AVAX, BSC, and more. Refer to their documentation for API key acquisition and configuration.

📝 Tip: Check each blockchain's official documentation for the latest public testnet endpoints or additional API services.

Execute the first script:

Execute the following script to install necessary components and start the installation:

	./1-setup-validator.sh <validator-node-name>

Upon successful installation, your node will begin synchronizing with the blockchain network. To monitor progress:

watch -n 1 'kimad status | jq .SyncInfo'

You will see synchronization details like this:

{  
  "latest_block_height": "12345",  
  "catching_up": true  
}

Wait for catching_up to turn false; indicating the sync is complete.

Execute the second script:

Complete the setup by executing the following:

./1-run-validator.sh

Once this script completes, your node will be fully operational, and you will become a validator on the Kima Network blockchain.