Testnet

Single node vs multi-node

You can run Boing in two ways: single node (one machine, no P2P) or multi-node (join the testnet and sync with other nodes).

Single node

Use case: Local development, trying the chain on your laptop, or running a private instance. No need to connect to anyone else.

Run the node without --p2p-listen. The node runs in isolation: it produces blocks if you pass --validator, and serves RPC. No bootnodes needed.

# Full node (no block production)
./boing-node --rpc-port 8545 --data-dir ./data

# Validator (produces blocks)
./boing-node --validator --rpc-port 8545 --data-dir ./data

RPC is available at http://127.0.0.1:8545/. Ideal for building and testing dApps against a local chain.

Multi-node testnet

Use case: Joining the public testnet — many nodes connected via P2P, syncing blocks and (optionally) validating together.

Run the node with --p2p-listen and --bootnodes. Your node will dial the bootnodes to discover the network, then sync and gossip with peers. If you pass --validator, it can produce blocks when it’s the leader.

./boing-node --p2p-listen /ip4/0.0.0.0/tcp/4001 \
  --bootnodes /ip4/<BOOTNODE>/tcp/4001 \
  --validator --rpc-port 8545 --data-dir ./data

See the Bootnodes page for how to get the official list, and Join Testnet for the full flow.

Quick comparison

	Single node	Multi-node
P2P	Off	On (`--p2p-listen`)
Bootnodes	Not needed	Required (`--bootnodes`)
Sync	N/A (only your chain)	Syncs with peers
Best for	Local dev, private chain	Public testnet participation