Node Documentation

Run your own Zentalk relay node to strengthen the network, improve message delivery, and earn CHAIN token rewards.

Staking & Rewards

Relay operators stake CHAIN tokens to participate in the network and earn rewards for relaying messages.

Offline Penalties

Quick Setup (One Command)

curl -sSL https://zentalk.io/setup-relay.sh | sudo bash

This script will:

1. Install Docker if needed
2. Guide you through wallet setup
3. Wait for your stake deposit
4. Start your relay node
5. Show real-time status

Relay Network

Zentalk uses a distributed relay network for message delivery with strong privacy guarantees.

Core Functions

• Message Forwarding - Relay nodes forward encrypted messages between users
• Offline Message Queue - Store messages for offline recipients (encrypted, time-limited)
• 3-Hop Relay Routing - Zentalk’s own relay system through guard, middle, and exit relays (not Tor)

3-Hop Relay Routing

Each relay only knows the previous and next hop, never the full path. The sender wraps the message in 3 encryption layers, and each relay strips one layer.

Components

A full node deployment consists of three services:

Relay Server (Port 9001)

The primary relay service that handles:

• WebSocket connections from clients
• Message forwarding between nodes
• Circuit establishment for 3-hop relay routing

DHT Bootstrap (Port 9000)

Kademlia-based DHT for:

• Peer discovery
• Node address lookups
• Network health monitoring

Mesh Storage (Port 8081)

Distributed storage layer for:

• Offline message queuing
• Encrypted blob storage
• Redundant message delivery

Running a Node

Requirements

• Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
• 2GB RAM minimum
• 20GB storage
• Static IP or domain name
• Ports 9000, 9001, 8081 open

Quick Start

Option 1: Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

brew tap ZentaChain/tap
brew install zentalk-validator

Option 2: Direct Download

Download the latest release for your platform:

Extract and run:

# macOS/Linux
tar -xzf zentalk-v1.2.0_*.tar.gz
./relay --help
 
# Windows
# Extract zip, then run relay.exe

Option 3: Docker

1. Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

2. Clone the node repository

git clone https://github.com/ZentaChain/zentalk-node.git
cd zentalk-node

3. Configure your node

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

4. Start the services

docker-compose up -d

5. Verify it’s running

docker-compose ps
curl http://localhost:9001/health

Configuration

Key settings in .env:

NODE_NAME=my-relay
PUBLIC_IP=203.0.113.10
BOOTSTRAP_PEERS=dht1.zentalk.io:9000,dht2.zentalk.io:9000
MAX_CONNECTIONS=1000
STORAGE_RETENTION_HOURS=72

Privacy Features

Zentalk nodes implement multiple privacy protections:

Guard Relays

• First hop in the circuit
• Trusted entry points to the network
• Prevents traffic analysis at network edge

Traffic Padding

• Constant-rate dummy traffic between nodes
• Masks real message patterns
• Prevents timing correlation attacks

Timestamp Bucketing

• Messages grouped into time buckets
• Reduces timestamp precision
• Prevents correlation of send/receive times

Additional Protections

• No Logging - Nodes don’t log message metadata
• Memory-Only Queues - Offline messages stored in RAM when possible
• Forward Secrecy - Node keys rotated regularly

Monitoring

Check node health:

# Service status
docker-compose ps
 
# Relay connections
curl http://localhost:9001/stats
 
# DHT peers
curl http://localhost:9000/peers
 
# Storage usage
curl http://localhost:8081/status

Troubleshooting

Node not connecting to network

1. Verify ports are open: netstat -tlnp | grep -E '9000|9001|8081'
2. Check firewall rules
3. Ensure bootstrap peers are reachable

High memory usage

• Reduce MAX_CONNECTIONS in config
• Check for connection leaks with docker stats

Messages not being delivered

• Verify DHT connectivity
• Check storage service is healthy
• Review logs: docker-compose logs relay