# Join the Public Testnet This page shows how to run your own node on the public DecentralChain Testnet, the network behind `testnet-node.decentralchain.io`. Your node follows the chain and serves its own REST API (and gRPC, if you enable it). It does not forge blocks. ```{important} The public Testnet is a **custom chain** (`dcc.blockchain.type = CUSTOM`). The node's built-in `testnet` profile (`DCC_NETWORK=testnet` with no config file) is a different network and **will not join it**. Use the configuration file below. ``` ```{note} Verified on a clean Docker host (macOS 15.5, Docker Desktop 29.2.1) against node-scala v1.8.1, 2026-10-27: following this page word for word, the node synced from genesis to the tip, height 99,976, in 31 minutes, and the block IDs it reported matched the public node's. The same configuration, run from a tarball built on a clean Ubuntu 24.04, synced to height 100,132 in 22 minutes. Every value on this page was checked against the live Testnet on 2026-10-18. The configuration mirrors the Testnet operators' own node configuration (`node-config/testnet/dcc.conf` in the [infra repository](https://github.com/Decentral-America/infra)). If the two ever disagree, the infra file is authoritative. ``` ## Network facts | Item | Value | |---|---| | Chain ID | `!` (ASCII 33) | | Address prefix | `31` | | Genesis block ID | `5be1Fs9oqWGnUt1vVpBDXaJNN583tqic72hFwY9mmMf56n5WevrmwqMzdLSRVdEu7DWGhuQkVL1zhYBn4iuz9DX4` | | Genesis timestamp | `1788539579643` (2026-09-04) | | Target block time | 30 seconds | | Peer to connect to | `50.116.30.244:6868` | | P2P port | `6868` | | Public REST API | `https://testnet-node.decentralchain.io` | | Node image | `ghcr.io/decentral-america/node-scala:testnet-latest` | | Finality | Deterministic Finality (feature 25) plus HotStuff fast finality, enabled and authoritative on the Testnet only | | Data service | `https://testnet-data-service.decentralchain.io/v0` | | WebSocket API | `wss://testnet-ws.decentralchain.io/ws` | | Matcher API | `https://testnet-matcher.decentralchain.io/matcher` | | Matcher public key | `BEtB5b2kX8Yge4sb5RRbTUqd5Va8Ah8PhphowcW31z6Y` | | Matcher address | `31VMNVAvVh67dPZ41nMnYZvhoZFW7wwPrmq` | | Explorer | `https://testnet.decentralscan.com/` | | Faucet | `https://testnet.decentralscan.com/faucet` | | Wallet and DEX | `https://testnet.decentral.exchange/` | The exact image digest the Testnet runs is recorded in `node-config/testnet/vps-image.env` in the infra repository. Use that digest instead of `testnet-latest` if you want to run byte-for-byte the same build. ## 1. Write the configuration file Save this as `dcc.conf`. The `blockchain` section must match the Testnet exactly; any difference (a genesis value, a functionality parameter or the reward settings) makes your node reject the chain. ```text dcc { blockchain { type = CUSTOM custom { address-scheme-character = "!" functionality { feature-check-blocks-period = 3000 blocks-for-feature-activation = 2700 generation-balance-depth-from-50-to-1000-after-height = 0 block-version-3-after-height = 0 pre-activated-features = null pre-activated-features = { 1 = 0, 2 = 0, 3 = 0, 4 = 0, 5 = 0, 6 = 0, 7 = 0, 8 = 0 9 = 0, 10 = 0, 11 = 0, 12 = 0, 13 = 0, 14 = 0, 15 = 0, 16 = 0 17 = 0, 18 = 0, 19 = 0, 20 = 0, 21 = 0, 22 = 0, 23 = 0 24 = 0, 25 = 0 } double-features-periods-after-height = 0 min-asset-info-update-interval = 5 min-block-time = 5s delay-delta = 8 generation-period-length = 100 hot-stuff-equivocation-penalty-height = 60000 } rewards { term = 100000 term-after-capped-reward-feature = 50000 initial = 600000000 min-increment = 50000000 voting-interval = 10000 } genesis { average-block-delay = 30s initial-base-target = 218 timestamp = 1788539579643 block-timestamp = 1788539579643 signature = "5be1Fs9oqWGnUt1vVpBDXaJNN583tqic72hFwY9mmMf56n5WevrmwqMzdLSRVdEu7DWGhuQkVL1zhYBn4iuz9DX4" initial-balance = 10000000000000000 transactions = [ { recipient = "31VMNVAvVh67dPZ41nMnYZvhoZFW7wwPrmq", amount = 1000000000000000 } { recipient = "31LQd8WcvtYXMjHzNKzRrgZy8P3NnLQvPnk", amount = 1000000000000000 } { recipient = "31PmKNdHAU5sZbtg8TrzKh8WfE7E8xBc9WD", amount = 2000000000000000 } { recipient = "31dLhqhGoGVhtkf5msWFmgZn1ErrVR6b9qV", amount = 2000000000000000 } { recipient = "31RPEKcz71a3hdxt8z7qLhTpRMuRV2kUyr6", amount = 4000000000000000 } ] } } } network { port = 6868 known-peers = ["50.116.30.244:6868"] # Set this to your public IP:port if other nodes should be able to dial you. # declared-address = "203.0.113.10:6868" } miner { enable = no } wallet { password = "" } } ``` ## 2. Start the node ```bash docker run -d \ --name dcc-testnet \ --restart unless-stopped \ -p 6868:6868 \ -p 127.0.0.1:6869:6869 \ -v "$PWD/dcc.conf:/etc/dcc/dcc.conf:ro" \ -v dcc-testnet-data:/var/lib/dcc \ -e DCC_NETWORK=custom \ -e DCC_HEAP_SIZE=2g \ -e DCC_REST_API_BIND=0.0.0.0 \ ghcr.io/decentral-america/node-scala:testnet-latest ``` `DCC_NETWORK=custom` keeps the built-in `testnet` profile's peers and port out of the merged configuration; the `blockchain` section of your file selects the chain. ## 3. Check that it follows the chain Your node replays the chain from genesis, then follows the tip. Compare it with the public node: ```bash curl -s http://127.0.0.1:6869/blocks/headers/at/1 | jq -r .id # 5be1Fs9oqWGnUt1vVpBDXaJNN583tqic72hFwY9mmMf56n5WevrmwqMzdLSRVdEu7DWGhuQkVL1zhYBn4iuz9DX4 curl -s http://127.0.0.1:6869/blocks/height curl -s https://testnet-node.decentralchain.io/blocks/height docker logs dcc-testnet 2>&1 | grep -c 'Accepted handshake' # 1 or more: your node is connected to a peer ``` Once the two heights match, pick a height a few blocks below the tip and compare the block IDs. They must be identical: ```bash H=$(( $(curl -s https://testnet-node.decentralchain.io/blocks/height | jq .height) - 5 )) curl -s http://127.0.0.1:6869/blocks/headers/at/$H | jq -r .id curl -s https://testnet-node.decentralchain.io/blocks/headers/at/$H | jq -r .id ``` ## Getting Testnet DCC Open the [faucet](https://testnet.decentralscan.com/faucet) and enter a Testnet address (it starts with `31`). To create an address, use the [wallet](https://testnet.decentral.exchange/) or `libs.crypto.address(seed, '!')` from `@decentralchain/transactions` (see [How-To Guides](../04_building-apps/03_how-to-guides)). ## Ports | Port | Purpose | Open to the internet? | |---|---|---| | `6868` | P2P | Yes, if you set `declared-address`; otherwise outbound only is enough | | `6869` | REST API | No: keep it on localhost or behind a reverse proxy |