💎 Zenrock Gardia Testnet Full Node & Validator Setup Guide

A complete guide to running a Zenrock Gardia testnet full node and registering as a validator
System preparation, binary installation, Cosmovisor setup, and validator creation — step by step.

hazennetworksolutions.com

Network: Zenrock Gardia Testnet (Chain ID: gardia-9)
Version: v7.16.2
Last Updated: May 2026

Hardware Requirements
Network Endpoints
Step 1 — System Verification
Step 2 — System Update and Dependencies
Step 3 — Install Go
Step 4 — Download Binary
Step 5 — Install Cosmovisor
Step 6 — Create Systemd Service
Step 7 — Initialize the Node
Step 8 — Download Genesis and Config Files
Step 9 — Configure Ports and Pruning
Step 10 — Configure Seeds and Peers
Step 11 — Start the Node
Step 12 — Create a Wallet
Step 13 — Register as a Validator
Monitoring the Node
Useful Commands
Staying Updated

Hardware Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Operating System	Ubuntu 22.04+	Ubuntu 24.04
CPU	4 cores	8 cores
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
Disk	200 GB NVMe SSD	500 GB NVMe SSD
Network	100 Mbps	1 Gbps

Network Endpoints

Type	Endpoint
RPC	https://rpc.gardia.zenrocklabs.io
REST API	https://api.gardia.zenrocklabs.io
Explorer	https://explorer.gardia.zenrocklabs.io
Faucet	https://faucet.gardia.zenrocklabs.io
GitHub	https://github.com/Zenrock-Foundation/zrchain

Step 1 — System Verification

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

lsb_release -a          # Should be Ubuntu 22.04 or higher
uname -r                # Kernel version
lscpu | grep -E "Model name|CPU\(s\)|Thread|Socket|Core"
free -h                 # Minimum 8 GB RAM
df -h                   # Minimum 200 GB free disk

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

Step 3 — Install Go

Zenrock v7.16.2 requires Go 1.22+:

cd $HOME
VER="1.23.1"
wget "https://golang.org/dl/go$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=\$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:\$HOME/go/bin" >> ~/.bash_profile
source $HOME/.bash_profile
[ ! -d ~/go/bin ] && mkdir -p ~/go/bin

Verify the installation:

go version

Expected output: go version go1.23.1 linux/amd64

Step 4 — Download Binary

cd $HOME
wget -O zenrockd.zip \
  https://github.com/Zenrock-Foundation/zrchain/releases/download/v7.16.2/zenrockd.zip
unzip zenrockd.zip
rm zenrockd.zip
chmod +x $HOME/zenrockd

mkdir -p $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/genesis/bin
mv $HOME/zenrockd $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/genesis/bin/

ln -sfn $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/genesis $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/current
sudo ln -sfn $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/current/bin/zenrockd /usr/local/bin/zenrockd

Verify:

zenrockd version

Expected output: v7.16.2

Step 5 — Install Cosmovisor

go install cosmossdk.io/tools/cosmovisor/cmd/[email protected]

Verify:

cosmovisor version

Step 6 — Create Systemd Service

Set your moniker and port prefix:

MONIKER="YOUR_MONIKER"
PORT="26"   # Default is 26. Change to avoid conflicts (e.g. 27, 28...)

Create the service file:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/zenrockd.service > /dev/null << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Zenrock Node Service
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=$USER
ExecStart=$(which cosmovisor) run start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=65535
Environment="DAEMON_HOME=$HOME/.zrchain"
Environment="DAEMON_NAME=zenrockd"
Environment="UNSAFE_SKIP_BACKUP=true"
Environment="PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:$HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/current/bin"

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable zenrockd

Step 7 — Initialize the Node

zenrockd init $MONIKER --chain-id gardia-9
zenrockd config set client chain-id gardia-9
zenrockd config set client node tcp://localhost:${PORT}657
sed -i -e '/^keyring-backend = /c\keyring-backend = "test"' $HOME/.zrchain/config/client.toml

Set environment variables permanently:

echo "export MONIKER=$MONIKER" >> $HOME/.bash_profile
echo "export ZENROCK_CHAIN_ID=\"gardia-9\"" >> $HOME/.bash_profile
echo "export ZENROCK_PORT=$PORT" >> $HOME/.bash_profile
source $HOME/.bash_profile

Step 8 — Download Genesis and Config Files

Zenrock uses official pre-configured app.toml and config.toml files from the validator repository:

# Download genesis
curl -s https://rpc.gardia.zenrocklabs.io/genesis | jq .result.genesis \
  > $HOME/.zrchain/config/genesis.json

# Download addrbook
wget -O $HOME/.zrchain/config/addrbook.json \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hazennetworksolutions/zenrock/refs/heads/main/addrbook.json

# Replace app.toml with official testnet config
rm -rf $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml
wget -O $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zenrocklabs/zenrock-validators/refs/heads/master/scaffold_setup/configs_testnet/app.toml

# Replace config.toml with official testnet config
rm -rf $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml
wget -O $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zenrocklabs/zenrock-validators/refs/heads/master/scaffold_setup/configs_testnet/config.toml

# Set your moniker in config.toml
sed -i "s/^moniker = .*/moniker = \"$MONIKER\"/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml

Verify genesis checksum:

sha256sum $HOME/.zrchain/config/genesis.json

Step 9 — Configure Ports and Pruning

Custom Ports

sed -i.bak -e "s%:1317%:${ZENROCK_PORT}317%g;
s%:8080%:${ZENROCK_PORT}080%g;
s%:9090%:${ZENROCK_PORT}090%g;
s%:9091%:${ZENROCK_PORT}091%g;
s%:8545%:${ZENROCK_PORT}545%g;
s%:8546%:${ZENROCK_PORT}546%g" $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml

sed -i.bak -e "s%:26658%:${ZENROCK_PORT}658%g;
s%:26657%:${ZENROCK_PORT}657%g;
s%:6060%:${ZENROCK_PORT}060%g;
s%:26656%:${ZENROCK_PORT}656%g;
s%^external_address = \"\"%external_address = \"$(wget -qO- eth0.me):${ZENROCK_PORT}656\"%;
s%:26660%:${ZENROCK_PORT}660%g" $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml

Gas Prices

sed -i 's|minimum-gas-prices =.*|minimum-gas-prices = "2.5urock"|g' \
  $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml

Pruning

sed -i -e "s/^pruning *=.*/pruning = \"custom\"/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml
sed -i -e "s/^pruning-keep-recent *=.*/pruning-keep-recent = \"100\"/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml
sed -i -e "s/^pruning-interval *=.*/pruning-interval = \"19\"/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/app.toml

Enable Prometheus (optional)

sed -i -e "s/prometheus = false/prometheus = true/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml

Disable Indexer (saves disk space)

sed -i -e "s/^indexer *=.*/indexer = \"null\"/" $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml

Step 10 — Configure Seeds and Peers

SEEDS="50ef4dd630025029dde4c8e709878343ba8a27fa@zenrock-testnet-seed.itrocket.net:56656"
PEERS="5458b7a316ab673afc34404e2625f73f0376d9e4@zenrock-testnet-peer.itrocket.net:11656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:51656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:10056,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:12656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:26656,[email protected]:56656"

sed -i -e "/^\[p2p\]/,/^\[/{s/^[[:space:]]*seeds *=.*/seeds = \"$SEEDS\"/}" \
       -e "/^\[p2p\]/,/^\[/{s/^[[:space:]]*persistent_peers *=.*/persistent_peers = \"$PEERS\"/}" \
       $HOME/.zrchain/config/config.toml

Step 11 — Start the Node

sudo systemctl start zenrockd
sudo journalctl -u zenrockd -f --no-pager -o cat

Verify the service is running:

sudo systemctl status zenrockd --no-pager

The service should show active (running).

Check sync status:

zenrockd status 2>&1 | jq .SyncInfo

Wait until catching_up is false before proceeding to validator registration.

Step 12 — Create a Wallet

zenrockd keys add wallet --keyring-backend test

⚠️ CRITICAL: Save your mnemonic phrase in a secure location. Without it, you cannot recover your wallet.

To recover an existing wallet:

zenrockd keys add wallet --recover --keyring-backend test

Get testnet tokens from the faucet:

🚰 Faucet: faucet.gardia.zenrocklabs.io

Check your balance:

zenrockd query bank balances $(zenrockd keys show wallet -a --keyring-backend test)

Step 13 — Register as a Validator

The node must be fully synced before creating a validator.

Get your pubkey:

zenrockd comet show-validator

Create validator JSON:

cat > $HOME/validator.json << EOF
{
  "pubkey": $(zenrockd comet show-validator),
  "amount": "1000000urock",
  "moniker": "YOUR_MONIKER",
  "identity": "",
  "website": "",
  "security": "",
  "details": "",
  "commission-rate": "0.05",
  "commission-max-rate": "0.20",
  "commission-max-change-rate": "0.01",
  "min-self-delegation": "1"
}
EOF

Submit the transaction:

zenrockd tx staking create-validator $HOME/validator.json \
  --from wallet \
  --chain-id gardia-9 \
  --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto \
  --gas-adjustment 1.4 \
  --fees 500urock \
  -y

Verify your validator:

zenrockd query staking validator \
  $(zenrockd keys show wallet --bech val -a --keyring-backend test)

Monitoring the Node

Watch live block commits:

sudo journalctl -u zenrockd -f --no-pager | grep "committed block"

Full logs:

sudo journalctl -u zenrockd -f --no-pager

Sync status:

zenrockd status 2>&1 | jq .SyncInfo

Service management:

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart zenrockd

# Stop service
sudo systemctl stop zenrockd

# Check status
sudo systemctl status zenrockd

Useful Commands

Wallet

# List wallets
zenrockd keys list --keyring-backend test

# Show wallet address
zenrockd keys show wallet -a --keyring-backend test

# Check balance
zenrockd query bank balances $(zenrockd keys show wallet -a --keyring-backend test)

Staking

# Delegate tokens
zenrockd tx staking delegate \
  $(zenrockd keys show wallet --bech val -a --keyring-backend test) 1000000urock \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

# Redelegate tokens
zenrockd tx staking redelegate \
  $(zenrockd keys show wallet --bech val -a --keyring-backend test) <NEW_VALOPER> 1000000urock \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

# Undelegate tokens
zenrockd tx staking unbond \
  $(zenrockd keys show wallet --bech val -a --keyring-backend test) 1000000urock \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

Rewards

# Withdraw all rewards
zenrockd tx distribution withdraw-all-rewards \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

# Withdraw commission
zenrockd tx distribution withdraw-rewards \
  $(zenrockd keys show wallet --bech val -a --keyring-backend test) --commission \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

Governance

# List proposals
zenrockd query gov proposals

# Vote on a proposal
zenrockd tx gov vote 1 yes \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

Validator Operations

# Edit validator
zenrockd tx staking edit-validator \
  --new-moniker "NEW_MONIKER" \
  --identity "" \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

# Unjail validator
zenrockd tx slashing unjail \
  --from wallet --chain-id gardia-9 --keyring-backend test \
  --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4 --fees 500urock -y

# Check validator signing info
zenrockd query slashing signing-info $(zenrockd comet show-validator)

Staying Updated

Follow these channels to stay informed about upgrades and announcements:

Discord: Zenrock Discord
GitHub Releases: Zenrock-Foundation/zrchain Releases
Validators Repo: zenrocklabs/zenrock-validators

Upgrade with Cosmovisor (example: v8.0.0)

cd $HOME
wget -O zenrockd.zip \
  https://github.com/Zenrock-Foundation/zrchain/releases/download/v8.0.0/zenrockd.zip
unzip zenrockd.zip
rm zenrockd.zip
chmod +x $HOME/zenrockd

mkdir -p $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/upgrades/v8.0.0/bin
mv $HOME/zenrockd $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/upgrades/v8.0.0/bin/
chmod +x $HOME/.zrchain/cosmovisor/upgrades/v8.0.0/bin/zenrockd

Cosmovisor will automatically switch to the new binary at the upgrade block height.

Guide maintained by HazenNetworkSolutions

Zenrock Testnet