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Getting started without Docker

This tutorial guides you through the same setup as the docker-based one, but without using Docker containers and only using executables and scripts.

Shortcut using nix

All steps of this tutorial are also available in a combined process-compose setup via nix run .#demo

Preparation​

Make sure that you have a cardano-node, hydra-node and hydra-tui executable in your scope. You can either

  • use nix develop .#demo or
  • cabal build and cabal exec them (do not forget the -- before passing further arguments).

All further commands are written as if executed from the demo folder in the project repository:

cd demo
Tip for nix-direnv users

Allowing the demo/.envrc will ensure you have the nix shell environment available whenever you are in the demo/ directory. To use this, opt-in via direnv allow after cd demo.

Tmux shortcut

In the demo nix shell, there is a run-tmux script which starts a new tmux session with multiple windows and panes executing all the commands below!

Set up the devnet​

First, let's prepare and start an ad-hoc, single cardano-node devnet using our configuration. Note that this will create a devnet directory in your current working directory:

./prepare-devnet.sh
cd devnet
cardano-node run \
  --config cardano-node.json \
  --topology topology.json \
  --database-path db \
  --socket-path node.socket \
  --shelley-operational-certificate opcert.cert \
  --shelley-kes-key kes.skey \
  --shelley-vrf-key vrf.skey

From the demo folder you can use the seed-devnet.sh script by passing it the path/command to a cardano-cli and hydra-node executable to use, instead of having it using the Docker container. For example:

export CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH=devnet/node.socket
./seed-devnet.sh $(which cardano-cli) $(which hydra-node)

Note, should you want to use cabal, pass the invocation for example like this "cabal exec hydra-node --".

Start Hydra nodes​

Then, in 3 different terminals, start 3 Hydra nodes from the demo/ directory:

Note

We are trying to force ipv4 addresses by using --peer 127.0.0.1. If you don't see any connected peers in the tui it probably means that your system is configured to use ipv6.

source .env && hydra-node \
  --node-id 1 --port 5001 --api-port 4001 --monitoring-port 6001 \
  --peer 127.0.0.1:5002 \
  --peer 127.0.0.1:5003 \
  --hydra-signing-key alice.sk \
  --hydra-verification-key bob.vk \
  --hydra-verification-key carol.vk \
  --hydra-scripts-tx-id $HYDRA_SCRIPTS_TX_ID \
  --cardano-signing-key devnet/credentials/alice.sk \
  --cardano-verification-key devnet/credentials/bob.vk \
  --cardano-verification-key devnet/credentials/carol.vk \
  --ledger-protocol-parameters devnet/protocol-parameters.json \
  --testnet-magic 42 \
  --node-socket devnet/node.socket \
  --persistence-dir devnet/persistence/alice

If things go well, the nodes should start logging once connected to the chain.

Run Hydra clients​

Connect to the nodes using hydra-tui.

hydra-tui \
  --connect 0.0.0.0:4001 \
  --cardano-signing-key devnet/credentials/alice-funds.sk \
  --testnet-magic 42 \
  --node-socket devnet/node.socket