Operator Guide

Validators

Validator operation is a key custody, staking, node health, storage health, and recovery discipline. This guide covers the current user-facing staking lifecycle and the checks operators should automate.

StakeUnstakeWithdrawUnjail

01 Prepare Identity

axiom keygen --output ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys
axiom account-id --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys
axiom config set-keypair ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys

The validator keypair signs staking lifecycle actions. Treat it as production key material.

02 Check Network And Node Health

axiom status --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys
curl https://rpc.truthlinked.org/health
curl https://rpc.truthlinked.org/validators

Before staking, confirm the RPC reports live height, finalized height, peer state, and validator set visibility.

03 Staking Lifecycle

CommandPurpose
validator stakeStake TRTH as a validator.
validator unstakeBegin unbonding stake.
validator withdrawWithdraw unbonded stake.
validator unjailSubmit unjail action.
validator infoShow validator info for a keyfile.
axiom validator stake --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys --amount 100
axiom validator info --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys
axiom validator unstake --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys --amount 25
axiom validator withdraw --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys
axiom validator unjail --from ~/.truthlinked/validator.keys

04 Storage And Recovery Checks

Validators persist finalized state through DonaDB. Operators should watch storage metrics, WAL growth, snapshot size, SST levels, read amplification, and compaction activity.

curl https://rpc.truthlinked.org/storage_metrics
curl https://rpc.truthlinked.org/metrics

Use checkpoints for backup, handoff, and recovery staging. See DonaDB docs for the storage primitive.

05 Operational Checklist

  • Keypair exists and is backed up securely.
  • RPC health is ok or a known degraded state is being handled.
  • Height and finalized height are advancing.
  • Peer count is nonzero for network participation.
  • Storage metrics are visible.
  • Validator info resolves after staking.
  • Unbonding and withdrawal behavior are understood before reducing stake.
TruthLinked Labs