Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arc.io/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
System requirements
| Component | Minimum |
|---|
| OS | Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+) |
| CPU | Higher clock speed over core count |
| Memory | 64 GB+ |
| Storage | 1 TB+ NVMe SSD (TLC recommended) |
| Network | Stable 24 Mbps+ bandwidth |
See Reth system requirements for
more detail on Execution Layer configuration.
During sustained high load, such as startup or extended sync when the node is
far behind, Execution Layer memory usage surges on some hardware. Systems that
meet the listed requirements handle these surges without intervention. If you
observe memory growth, enable backpressure to throttle execution to the speed of
disk writes. See
Enabling backpressure
for configuration details.
Required binaries
Build all three binaries from the
arc-node repository before starting
your node. See
Run an Arc Node
for full installation instructions.
| Binary | Description |
|---|
arc-node-execution | Execution Layer client (Reth-based). Executes transactions and serves RPC. |
arc-node-consensus | Consensus Layer client (Malachite-based). Fetches and verifies blocks. |
arc-snapshots | Downloads blockchain snapshots for faster initial sync. |
Versions
| Network | Version |
|---|
| Arc Testnet | v0.6.0 |
Network endpoints
Your Consensus Layer connects to relay endpoints to fetch blocks from the
network. Specify multiple endpoints for redundancy.
| Network | Endpoints |
|---|
| Arc Testnet | https://rpc.drpc.testnet.arc.network https://rpc.quicknode.testnet.arc.network https://rpc.blockdaemon.testnet.arc.network |
For developer RPC endpoints (connecting to Arc as an application, not running a
node), see Connect to Arc. For step-by-step
setup instructions, see Run an Arc Node.
Exposed ports
| Port | Protocol | Mode | Description |
|---|
| 8545 | HTTP | Both | JSON-RPC API (Execution Layer) |
| 8551 | HTTP | RPC only | Engine API authentication |
| 9001 | HTTP | Both | Prometheus metrics (Execution Layer) |
| 29000 | HTTP | Both | Prometheus metrics (Consensus Layer) |
| 31000 | HTTP | Both | Consensus Layer RPC endpoint |
The Execution Layer and Consensus Layer communicate through either IPC sockets
or RPC. Choose one mode; they are mutually exclusive.
IPC mode (default): Both processes run on the same host. Lower latency, no
authentication required.
| Socket path | Purpose |
|---|
/run/arc/reth.ipc | ETH RPC (Consensus Layer reads chain state) |
/run/arc/auth.ipc | Engine API (Consensus Layer drives block import) |
RPC mode: Processes run on separate hosts. Uses HTTP on ports 8545 and 8551
with JWT authentication. Requires generating a shared JWT secret.
See
Run an Arc Node:RPC mode
for configuration details.
Pruning
Both the EL and CL accept the --full flag to enable pruning. However, EL
pruning is currently considered unstable and is not recommended at this time.