System Requirements
Hardware requirements for nodes customized for various tasks (e.g., RPC/WS, hubs, validators, etc.) should be consistent with the specs outlined below. Consider tailoring your individual system based on your intended use case.
Types of Nodes
Section titled “Types of Nodes”It is possible to run xahaud in diverse configurations, based on a users needs. Similarly, one xahaud server can be configured for multiple purposes, such as a full history server that is also used for RPC/WS calls. The server’s purpose dictates necessary system requirements. Some xahaud configurations might include:
- Stock server - This term is commonly used to refer to any xahaud node that is not configured as a validator. A stock server generally has very few changes from the default configuration.
- Full history servers - Are useful for querying historic data. In addition to a large amount of storage space, potentially higher disk IOPS and network bandwidth are needed, depending on the number of users querying the server.
- RPC/Websocket servers - Are tailored for tasks such as submitting transactions or querying current ledger data, like order books or the validation stream. Nginx or other proxy sofware is often placed in front of RPC/WS servers to provide load balancing, encryption, and other benefits.
- Hub server - Peering between nodes is critical for relaying messages across the Xahau Network, and a single server can be configured to provide peering for hundreds of peers. However, a large amount of bandwidth can be required (10 Gbit+).
- Validating servers - Validators differ from other types of nodes, in that they require an additional cryptographic key to be installed, so they can sign off on the sequence of transactions in a proposed ledger. As availability and security are critical, it is not recommended to use a validator for other functions.
General Notes
Section titled “General Notes”- Builds are typically tested on Ubuntu LTS. However, Docker, portable binaries, custom builds, and other install methods allow for diverse operating system support.
- Typically one IPv4 and/or IPv6 address is needed for each xahaud instance. Running multiple instances behind one IPv4 address is not recommended.
- Machines storing full history must use XFS or similar to avoid limitations with single file size in EXT4 (max. file size of 16TB). If storing less history, EXT4 is sufficient.
- It may be possible to run xahaud on machines that do not meet the below “Minimum” specifications for production servers. However, doing so risks instability.
- These system requirements may grow over time. For example, disk space for full history servers is consistently increasing.
- As of August 6, 2025 the full history for the Xahau Network is approximately 8TB.
Recommended Specs for Production xahaud Servers
Section titled “Recommended Specs for Production xahaud Servers”| Minimum | Preferred | Ideal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU (2.5+ GHz x86_64) | 8 cores | 20 cores | 40+ cores |
| Memory | 32GB | 64GB | 128GB+ |
| Disk IO (sustained) | 15k random RW | 20k random RW | 30k random RW |
| Disk Size | 500GB | 1TB | 20TB+ |
| Filesystem | XFS | XFS | XFS |
| Network IO | 500Mbit+ | 1Gbit | 10Gbit |