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Author: HazenNetworkSolutions
Network: Gnoland Sapphire Testnet (Chain ID: sapphire-1)
Branch: chain/sapphire
Last Updated: August 2026

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Table of Contents

• Hardware Requirements
• Network Endpoints
• Step 1 — System Verification
• Step 2 — System Update and Dependencies
• Step 3 — Install Go
• Step 4 — Get the Binaries
• Step 5 — Initialize, Download Genesis and Config
• Step 6 — Configure the Node
• Step 7 — Create Systemd Service
• Step 8 — Sync Speed Note
• Step 9 — Start the Node
• Step 10 — Create a Wallet
• Step 11 — Register as a Validator
• Useful Commands
• Firewall
• Known Issue Fixed Since Topaz — AppHash Mismatch
• Staying Updated

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Hardware Requirements

ℹ️ Sapphire is a fresh chain (not a hardfork) with a ~2.6 MB genesis (85 curated packages) — disk and sync requirements stay light, same spirit as Topaz.

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Network Endpoints

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Step 1 — System Verification

After SSH-ing into your server, verify the system meets requirements:

lsb_release -a
uname -r
lscpu | grep -E "Model name|CPU\(s\)|Thread|Socket|Core"
free -h
df -h

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Step 2 — System Update and Dependencies

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl git wget htop tmux build-essential jq make lz4 gcc unzip \
  screen btop iotop nethogs hdparm cmake perl automake autoconf libtool libssl-dev zstd pv

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Step 3 — Install Go

Sapphire requires Go 1.25+ (its go.mod pins go 1.25.9, same pin as Topaz). This step installs Go 1.25.12 and configures the PATH:

cd $HOME
VER="1.25.12"
wget "https://golang.org/dl/go$VER.linux-amd64.tar.gz"
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/go
sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf "go$VER.linux-amd64.tar.gz"
rm "go$VER.linux-amd64.tar.gz"

[ ! -f ~/.bash_profile ] && touch ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/go/bin:$HOME/go/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export GNOROOT=$HOME/gno' >> ~/.bash_profile
source $HOME/.bash_profile
[ ! -d ~/go/bin ] && mkdir -p ~/go/bin
export PATH="$HOME/go/bin:$PATH"

Verify the installation:

go version

Expected output:

go version go1.25.12 linux/amd64

ℹ️ If your installed Go is older than 1.25 but at least 1.21, GOTOOLCHAIN=auto (the default) will transparently download and use go1.25.9 the first time you build — but installing 1.25+ directly avoids relying on that.

ℹ️ Unlike the Topaz release, the chain/sapphire release assets are built with CGO_ENABLED=0, so the prebuilt gnoland/gnokey/gnoweb binaries don't carry the newer-glibc dependency that forced Topaz operators to build from source. You can use either path in Step 4 below.

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Step 4 — Get the Binaries

You have two options: use the prebuilt release binaries, or build from source. Everything is built from the chain/sapphire branch.

Option A — Prebuilt binaries (recommended)

Download the binaries matching your OS/arch from the chain/sapphire release page (gnoland, gnokey, gnoweb, gno — linux_amd64, linux_arm64, darwin_amd64, darwin_arm64), then verify against the release's CHECKSUMS.txt:

cd $HOME
wget https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/gno_linux_amd64
wget https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/gnoland_linux_amd64
wget https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/gnokey_linux_amd64
wget https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/gnoweb_linux_amd64
wget https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/CHECKSUMS.txt

sha256sum -c CHECKSUMS.txt --ignore-missing

sudo install -m 0755 gno_linux_amd64 /usr/local/bin/gno
sudo install -m 0755 gnoland_linux_amd64 /usr/local/bin/gnoland
sudo install -m 0755 gnokey_linux_amd64 /usr/local/bin/gnokey
sudo install -m 0755 gnoweb_linux_amd64 /usr/local/bin/gnoweb

The rest of this guide runs its gnoland/gnokey commands from a $HOME/gno working directory (that's where Step 5 downloads genesis.json and where the systemd service's WorkingDirectory/GNOROOT point). Option B gets this directory for free from git clone; on the prebuilt-binary path you need to create it yourself:

mkdir -p $HOME/gno

Option B — Build from source

Clone the official gno repository and checkout the sapphire branch:

cd $HOME
git clone https://github.com/gnolang/gno.git
cd gno
git checkout chain/sapphire

Build and install all binaries:

make -C gno.land install.gnoland install.gnokey
make install
make -C contribs/gnogenesis install

Copy binaries to system path and set permissions:

for bin in gno gnokey gnodev gnoland gnogenesis gnoweb; do
  sudo cp /root/go/bin/$bin /usr/local/bin/
  sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/$bin
done

Verify the installation (either option)

gno version
gnoland version

Expected output (or similar):

gnoland version: chain/sapphire

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Step 5 — Initialize, Download Genesis and Config

Run a quick start to generate the default data directory structure, then stop with Ctrl+C:

cd $HOME/gno
gnoland start --lazy

ℹ️ Wait until you see the node start printing output, then press Ctrl+C to stop it.

Remove the default data and genesis to prepare for a clean setup:

rm -rf gnoland-data/ genesis.json

Download the official Sapphire genesis file:

wget -O genesis.json \
  https://github.com/gnolang/gno/releases/download/chain/sapphire/genesis.json

Verify the genesis checksum — the hash must match exactly:

shasum -a 256 genesis.json

Expected output:

d511e0e5b767d4e53f5c1afeeea1bc61d2c7b2118146c820f1f3e4296f67498e  genesis.json

⚠️ If the checksum does not match, do not continue. Re-download the genesis file.

Initialize node secrets and config:

gnoland secrets init
gnoland config init

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Step 6 — Configure the Node

Set your moniker (replace with your own node name):

MONIKER="YOUR_MONIKER"

Apply all required configuration settings:

cd $HOME/gno

gnoland config set moniker "$MONIKER"
gnoland config set application.prune_strategy syncable
gnoland config set consensus.timeout_commit 3s
gnoland config set consensus.peer_gossip_sleep_duration 10ms
gnoland config set p2p.flush_throttle_timeout 10ms
gnoland config set p2p.pex true
gnoland config set p2p.max_num_outbound_peers 40
gnoland config set mempool.size 10000
gnoland config set telemetry.metrics_enabled false
gnoland config set p2p.laddr "tcp://0.0.0.0:26656"
gnoland config set rpc.laddr "tcp://127.0.0.1:26657"
gnoland config set p2p.external_address "YOUR-SERVER-IP:26656"
gnoland config set p2p.persistent_peers \
  "g10xll77gz6yzg43v9mdalj8360ng6sunt2vvvhf@seed-1.sapphire.testnets.gno.land:26656,g1gw2d7qsmrg06p204ty2qs8ygzd32t2c7p46te0@seed-2.sapphire.testnets.gno.land:26656"

ℹ️ Replace YOUR-SERVER-IP with your actual server's public IP address.

ℹ️ Sapphire's own official VALIDATOR.md already lists these addresses under p2p.persistent_peers directly (this is the field the node actually reads) — unlike Topaz's VALIDATOR.md, which pointed at the unused p2p.seeds field. No workaround needed here.

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Step 7 — Create Systemd Service

Create the systemd service file to run the node as a managed background process:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/gnoland.service > /dev/null << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Gnoland sapphire-1 Node
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/root/gno
Environment=GNOROOT=/root/gno
Environment=HOME=/root
ExecStart=$(which gnoland) start \
  --chainid sapphire-1 \
  --genesis /root/gno/genesis.json \
  --skip-genesis-sig-verification
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s
LimitNOFILE=65535
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=gnoland

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gnoland

⚠️ --skip-genesis-sig-verification is required — some genesis transactions carry placeholder/patched signatures (e.g. the r/sys/names.Enable bootstrap call), and the node panics on startup without this flag.

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Step 8 — Sync Speed Note

Like Topaz, Sapphire starts from a fresh, empty ~2.6 MB genesis (85 curated packages) instead of replaying history. In practice a full sync from height 0 to chain tip takes well under an hour on a normal VPS once peers are connected (Step 6).

If you still want to check progress instead of waiting blind, see the sync-status command in Step 9 or Useful Commands.

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Step 9 — Start the Node

Start the gnoland service:

sudo systemctl restart gnoland

Follow the live logs to confirm the node is running:

sudo journalctl -u gnoland -f --no-hostname -o cat

Verify the service status:

sudo systemctl status gnoland --no-pager

Expected output:

● gnoland.service - Gnoland sapphire-1 Node
     Active: active (running) since ...

Check sync status:

curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info

Expected output when fully synced:

{
  "latest_block_height": "XXXXXX",
  "catching_up": false
}

⚠️ Wait until catching_up is false before proceeding to validator registration.

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Step 10 — Create a Wallet

Create a new wallet:

gnokey add wallet

⚠️ CRITICAL: You will be shown a mnemonic phrase. Save it in a secure location immediately. Without it, you cannot recover your wallet.

To recover an existing wallet from mnemonic:

gnokey add wallet --recover

List your wallets and get your g1... address:

gnokey list

Expected output:

* wallet (local) - addr: g1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx pub: gpub1...

Get testnet GNOT from the faucet: https://sapphire.testnets.gno.land/faucet

ℹ️ Sapphire balances start from zero for everyone — nothing carries over from Topaz, even if you reuse the same wallet/mnemonic.

Verify your balance:

gnokey query \
  -remote "https://rpc.sapphire.testnets.gno.land" \
  auth/accounts/YOUR-G1-ADDRESS

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Step 11 — Register as a Validator

⚠️ Gnoland uses a GovDAO-based validator registration system. Registration is done by calling a realm (smart contract). Becoming active in the validator set requires a GovDAO governance proposal to pass — registration alone only lists you as a candidate.

Get your Validator Public Key

Run from the /root/gno directory:

cd /root/gno && gnoland secrets get validator_key

Expected output:

{
  "address": "g1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  "pub_key": "gpub1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}

⚠️ In Sapphire, only the pub_key is used for registration. The address here is the consensus key address — do not use it as the operator address. Use your wallet address from gnokey list instead.

Submit Validator Registration

Replace all placeholder values before running. The registration must be signed by your operator key — the gnokey account whose g1... address you pass as the operator address; the realm rejects the call if the signer doesn't control that address:

gnokey maketx call \
  --pkgpath gno.land/r/gnops/valopers \
  --func Register \
  --args "MONIKER" \
  --args "DESCRIPTION" \
  --args "cloud|on-prem|data-center" \
  --args "OPERATOR_ADDRESS" \
  --args "VAL_PUBKEY" \
  --gas-fee 1000000ugnot \
  --gas-wanted 50000000 \
  --chainid sapphire-1 \
  --remote https://rpc.sapphire.testnets.gno.land \
  --broadcast \
  WALLETNAME

ℹ️ After a successful transaction you can view your profile at:
https://sapphire.testnets.gno.land/r/gnops/valopers

Registering only lists you as a candidate — a GovDAO member must then create and pass a proposal (via r/sys/validators/v3) to add you to the active validator set. Once that proposal executes, your node joins the valset.

Update Description (Optional)

Description limit is 2048 characters. To update after registration:

gnokey maketx call \
  --pkgpath gno.land/r/gnops/valopers \
  --func UpdateDescription \
  --args "YOUR-G1-OPERATOR-ADDRESS" \
  --args "YOUR-NEW-DESCRIPTION" \
  --gas-fee 1000000ugnot \
  --gas-wanted 50000000 \
  --chainid sapphire-1 \
  --remote https://rpc.sapphire.testnets.gno.land \
  --broadcast \
  WALLETNAME

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Useful Commands

Service Management

sudo systemctl start gnoland
sudo systemctl stop gnoland
sudo systemctl restart gnoland
sudo systemctl status gnoland

Logs & Sync

# Live logs
sudo journalctl -u gnoland -f --no-hostname -o cat

# Logs from last hour
sudo journalctl -u gnoland --since "1 hour ago"

# Sync status
curl -s http://localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info

# Connected peers
curl -s http://localhost:26657/net_info | jq .result.n_peers

Node Info

ℹ️ Run secrets commands from /root/gno directory:

cd /root/gno && gnoland secrets get node_id
cd /root/gno && gnoland secrets get validator_key
cd /root/gno && gnoland secrets get

Wallet & Balance

# List wallets
gnokey list

# Check balance
gnokey query \
  -remote "https://rpc.sapphire.testnets.gno.land" \
  auth/accounts/YOUR_ADDRESS

Send Tokens

gnokey maketx send \
  -send "1000000ugnot" \
  -to "RECIPIENT_ADDRESS" \
  -gas-fee 1000000ugnot \
  -gas-wanted 10000000 \
  -broadcast \
  -chainid "sapphire-1" \
  -remote "https://rpc.sapphire.testnets.gno.land" \
  wallet

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Firewall

# P2P — must be open to the public
sudo ufw allow 26656/tcp comment "gnoland P2P"

# RPC — open only if you serve public endpoints
sudo ufw allow 26657/tcp comment "gnoland RPC"

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Known Issue Fixed Since Topaz — AppHash Mismatch

Topaz (and gno.land's Tendermint2 fork generally) suffered from a race condition — gnolang/gno#6011 — where concurrent RPC queries during block commit could corrupt the app's state hash computation, eventually crashing the node with a wrong Block.Header.AppHash panic and no in-place repair.

The Sapphire release changelog lists the fix — tm2: snapshot-isolated query paths and write-proof bptree fast-index maintenance (#6018) — among its baseline changes, so chain/sapphire nodes already carry this fix from genesis. Hazen independently reproduced #6011 in production on topaz-1 (3 incidents + 3 deliberate reproductions) and validated #6018 against it: the fixed build synced genesis→tip under heavier query load than the load that reliably killed the unfixed build, with zero panics.

ℹ️ Because this fix ships in Sapphire's own baseline, there is no equivalent "Disaster Recovery / AppHash Mismatch" workaround section in this guide — keep regular off-server backups of secrets/ and config/ as routine hygiene regardless.

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Staying Updated

• Discord: Gnoland Discord
• GitHub: gnolang/gno
• Official Docs: docs.gno.land
• Explorer: sapphire.testnets.gno.land

Upgrade to a New Version

sudo systemctl stop gnoland

cd $HOME/gno
git fetch --all --tags
git checkout chain/NEXT_TAG
make -C gno.land install.gnoland install.gnokey
make install
make -C contribs/gnogenesis install

sudo cp /root/go/bin/gnoland /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gnoland

sudo systemctl restart gnoland
sudo journalctl -u gnoland -f --no-hostname -o cat

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About the Author

This guide was prepared by HazenNetworkSolutions.
🌐 hazennetworksolutions.com