# Installation * [Create Aliases](#create-aliases) * [Lighthouse VC - Configure Service](#lighthouse-vc-configure-service) ### Create Aliases {% code fullWidth="true" %} ```bash echo "alias lighthouse-validator-log='journalctl -f -u lighthousevalidator.service -o cat | ccze -A'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-start='sudo systemctl start lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-stop='sudo systemctl stop lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-restart='sudo systemctl restart lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-status='sudo systemctl status lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-config='sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-enable='sudo systemctl enable lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc echo "alias lighthouse-validator-disable='sudo systemctl disable lighthousevalidator.service'" >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc ``` {% endcode %} ## Lighthouse VC - Configure Service Create `lighthousevalidator` user and set permissions. ```bash sudo useradd --no-create-home --shell /bin/false lighthousevalidator sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/lighthouse/validators sudo chown -R lighthousevalidator:lighthousevalidator /var/lib/lighthouse/validators # sudo chmod 700 /var/lib/lighthouse/validators ``` Configure `lighthousevalidator` service using the command line flags. ```bash sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/lighthousevalidator.service ``` {% tabs %} {% tab title="/etc/systemd/system/lighthousevalidator.service" %} {% code title="/etc/systemd/system/lighthousevalidator.service" %} ```bash [Unit] Description=Lighthouse Ethereum Client - Validator Client After=network-online.target Wants=network-online.target [Service] User=lighthousevalidator Group=lighthousevalidator Type=simple Restart=always RestartSec=5 Environment=NETWORK= # E.g. mainnet or holesky Environment=DATADIR= # Default: /var/lib/lighthouse Environment=GRAFFITI= # E.g. For the merge! Environment=METRICS_PORT= # Default: 5064 Environment=MONITORING_ENDPOINTS= Environment=SUGGESTED_FEE_RECIPIENT= Environment=BEACON_NODES= ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/lighthouse vc \ --network ${NETWORK} \ --datadir ${DATADIR} \ --graffiti ${GRAFFITI} \ --metrics \ --metrics-port ${METRICS_PORT} \ --monitoring-endpoint ${MONITORING_ENDPOINTS} \ --enable-doppelganger-protection \ --suggested-fee-recipient ${SUGGESTED_FEE_RECIPIENT} \ --builder-proposals \ --beacon-nodes ${BEACON_NODES} [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target ``` {% endcode %} {% endtab %} {% tab title="Lighthouse VC Flags Explained" %} | `/usr/local/bin/lighthouse vc` | Starts the validator node | | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `--network` |

Name of the chain Lighthouse will sync and follow

| | `--datadir` | Used to specify a custom root data directory for lighthouse keys and databases | | `--graffiti` | Specify your custom graffiti to be included in blocks | | `--monitoring-endpoint` | Set to a monitoring service e.g. [https://beaconcha.in](https://beaconcha.in/) | | `--enable-doppelganger-protection` |

Protects from the chance of two instances of the validator starting on the same system


Not perfect, and does have a penalty of waiting for 2-3 epochs (approx. 6.4 minutes per epoch)


It's a bit annoying to miss a few attestations, and would be very sad to miss a block, but the chance of me being a block proposer during that downtime is very low, and the benefits of not getting slashed are much greater

| | `--metrics` |

Enable the Prometheus metrics HTTP server

| | `--suggested-fee-recipient` | The fallback address provided to the `Beacon Node` if nothing suitable is found in the validator definitions or fee recipient file | | {% endtab %} | | | {% endtabs %} | | Start the service and check it's working as expected. ## Command Aliases ```bash daemon-reload # Reload any changes made to the lighthousevalidator.service lighthouse-validator-enable # Enable the lighthousevalidator.service lighthouse-validator-start # Start the lighthousevalidator.service lighthouse-validator-status # View the status of the lighthousevalidator.service lighthouse-validator-log # View the lighthousevalidator.service logs ``` At this point, the `lighthousevalidator.service` is running with no keystores. So it will just show a message saying something like `No validators present` which is fine. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.eridian.xyz/ethereum-dev/infrastructure/client-software/validator-clients/lighthouse/installation.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.