Every registered human can run an Aequitas node — no stake, no crypto knowledge, one command. The node keeps the whole chain and checks every block itself. You link it to yourself by scanning a QR code with the app; your wallet's private key never goes on the server. One human, one validator: a node whose operator is not a registered human is refused. Block producers are admitted by the operator by hand today, until every node recomputes every value of a block itself. They receive a daily share of the Validators Pool (40% of all swap fees), weighted only by the minutes of the day in which their node took part.
One command · no crypto knowledge needed · about 20 minutes, most of it waiting
What you need
A rented Linux server (VPS) with Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and a public IPv4 address: 8 CPU cores of a current generation, 16 GB RAM, 60 GB NVMe SSD, ports 8080 and 4001 open — about 20–40 € a month at most providers. The Aequitas app on your phone, with your registration done. That is all: no domain, no MetaMask, no private key to copy. Your wallet, its word list and its private key never go on the server — only its address does. A weaker server is rejected: the script checks the hardware, the node measures itself, and the network measures it once more (at least 50,000 signatures per second).
Step 1 — Connect to your server
Rent a server with Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 at any provider; the IP address and the password arrive by e-mail. On Windows open “PowerShell”, on a Mac “Terminal”, type the line below with your server's IP address and enter the password. Nothing appears while you type the password — that is normal.
ssh root@YOUR-SERVER-IP
Step 2 — Paste three lines
Copy the three lines, paste them into the window and press Enter. The first installs Docker, the second fetches Aequitas, the third sets everything up. The script asks for one thing: your wallet address from the app (under “Receive”, starts with 0x) — and lets you confirm the server's IP address. It builds and starts the node by itself; the first time takes about 10 minutes.
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
git clone https://github.com/hanoi96international-gif/Aequitas.git
cd Aequitas/deploy/validator && bash einrichten.sh
Step 3 — Scan the QR code with the app
At the end a QR code appears in the window. In the app open the Node tab → Bind node (scan QR), scan the code and tap Confirm. The signature costs nothing and moves no money. The app checks that the code was made for your wallet and that the node really holds the key it shows — a foreign or altered code is refused before you sign. The script notices the confirmation by itself and restarts the node. Nothing to copy, nothing to type.
Step 4 — Admission as a block producer
Your node now runs as a full observer: it keeps the whole chain and checks every block itself. Block producers are still admitted by the operator by hand — as long as not every node recomputes every value of a block itself, a malicious producer could otherwise create money. Send your node's signing address (the script shows it) to the Telegram group linked on the front page. Once that check is complete, admission falls away and every registered human with a node becomes a producer automatically.
Is it running?
curl -s http://localhost:8080/api/status | grep -oE '"height":[0-9]+'
curl -s https://aequitas.digital/api/status | grep -oE '"height":[0-9]+'
Both numbers should be the same, give or take a few blocks. To watch the log: docker compose logs -f node — Ctrl+C only closes the view, the node keeps running.
Updating
cd ~/Aequitas && git pull && cd deploy/validator && docker compose up -d --build
The node comes back by itself after a restart and catches up on what it missed.
Back up one file
The file .env holds your node's keys. Copy it to your own computer (the line below, run there). If it is lost, the node gets a new identity: bind it again and be admitted again. Moving to a new server? Take the old .env along and everything stays as it was.
scp root@YOUR-SERVER-IP:Aequitas/deploy/validator/.env .
If something goes wrong
“not a registered human” — register in the app first. “No confirmation from the app” — run bash einrichten.sh again and scan the new code. App: “made for a different wallet” — you entered another address during setup; set up again with the address shown in the app. Height falls behind — open ports 8080 and 4001 in your provider's firewall. Still stuck? Ask in the Telegram group — never send a private key or the .env file.