DERO Daemon (Node)

DERO Daemon

The DERO daemon (derod) is the core software that runs the DERO blockchain network. It validates transactions, maintains the blockchain, and connects peers in a decentralized P2P network.

Download: GitHub Releases (opens in a new tab)

What Does a Daemon Do?

Function	What It Does	Source Code
Transaction Validation	Verify proofs, ring sigs, bulletproofs	`blockchain/transaction_verify.go`
Block Processing	Execute transactions, update balances	`blockchain/transaction_execute.go:239`
P2P Networking	Sync with peers, propagate blocks/TXs	`p2p/connection.go`
Mining	Provide PoW templates, validate solutions	`blockchain/mining.go`
RPC API	Serve wallet requests, smart contract calls	`rpc/rpc_dero.go`

Network Ports

Mainnet

Service	Port	Purpose
P2P	10101	Node-to-node communication
RPC	10102	Daemon RPC API
Wallet RPC	10103	Wallet communication

Testnet

Service	Port	Purpose
P2P	40401	Node-to-node communication
RPC	40402	Daemon RPC API
Wallet RPC	40403	Wallet communication

Source: config/config.go - Network configuration

Running Your Own Node

Basic command:

./derod-linux-amd64
 
# With custom settings
./derod-linux-amd64 --rpc-bind=0.0.0.0:10102 --p2p-bind=0.0.0.0:10101

System Requirements:

CPU: 2 to 4 cores minimum
RAM: 4GB minimum
Disk: 15GB+ SSD (grows over time)
Network: Stable internet connection

Integrator Rewards

The 10% Daemon Bonus

How it works:

Every 10 miniblocks → 1 integrator block
  • 9 regular miniblocks (normal difficulty)
  • 1 integrator block (9× difficulty)
  
Integrator block reward → Your daemon address
Result: Daemon operators earn ~10% of blocks mined on their node

Why run your own daemon:

✅ Earn 10% integrator rewards (vs 1.6% fee to pool operators)
✅ Support network decentralization
✅ Full privacy (no third-party node)
✅ Contribute to blockchain security

Source: Miniblock system described in blockchain/blockchain.go

Sync Status

Understanding the numbers:

# Daemon display
Height: 6090778/6090778  ← Synced!
         ^local  ^network
 
Not synced: 5500000/6090778
Syncing:    6090000/6090778 (99.9%)
Synced:     6090778/6090778 ✓

Fast sync vs Full sync:

Full sync: Downloads and validates entire blockchain (slow, complete)
Fast sync: Downloads state snapshots (faster, still secure)

Daemon as Mining Pool

Each daemon acts as its own mining pool:

Role	Fee	How It Works
Daemon Operator	1.6%	Runs node, provides infrastructure
Miners	88.4%	Connect and mine, split proportionally
Integrator	10%	Daemon's address for integrator blocks

Total: 100% (nothing wasted)

Connect miners to your daemon:

# Miner connects to daemon
./dero-miner-linux-amd64 -daemon-rpc-address=127.0.0.1:10100 -wallet-address=dero1qy...

Daemon tracks shares and distributes rewards automatically

Source: Mining pool logic in blockchain/miniblocks.go

Key Features

Privacy-Preserving

✅ TLS-encrypted P2P connections
✅ Stores encrypted balances (ElGamal)
✅ Validates without revealing amounts
✅ No metadata leakage

Lightweight Storage

Blockchain storage:
  • Account: 66 bytes (encrypted balance)
  • Total accounts: Scales efficiently
  • Pruning: Can reduce disk usage
  
1 billion accounts = ~200GB (with overhead)
Source: README.md (lines 92-98)

Fast Validation

Block time: ~16 seconds
Transaction verification: under 25ms
Instant balance queries: 66 bytes

Daemon Commands

Interactive mode:

$ ./derod
 
Commands available:
  status          # Show blockchain height, peers
  peer_list       # Connected peers
  diff            # Current difficulty
  print_bc        # Print blockchain info
  print_block     # Show specific block
  print_tx        # Show transaction details
  exit            # Stop daemon

Useful RPC calls:

# Get blockchain info
curl http://127.0.0.1:10102/json_rpc \
  -d '{"method":"DERO.GetInfo"}'
 
# Get block details  
curl http://127.0.0.1:10102/json_rpc \
  -d '{"method":"DERO.GetBlock","params":{"height":100000}}'

Why Run a Daemon?

Benefits:

Benefit	Description
Privacy	No third-party sees your queries
Integrator Rewards	Earn 10% of blocks mined on your node
Network Support	Contribute to decentralization
Self-Sovereignty	Complete control, no trust needed
Mining Pool	Support friends/family mining

Trade-offs:

Requires: Always-on machine, disk space, bandwidth
Maintains: Full blockchain copy
Syncs: Initially time-consuming

Get Started:

Running a Node - Complete VPS setup guide
DERO Mining - How to mine with your node

API & Integration:

Daemon RPC API - Full API reference
Network Ports & Setup - P2P network details

Understanding DERO:

DERO Blockchain - How DERO works
Smart Contracts - DVM integration