TOS Network Daemon Guide

The TOS Network Daemon is a background program that runs continuously and keeps your blockchain node alive. It maintains the TOS ledger, connects to other peers in the network, validates transactions, and participates in the revolutionary AI-Mining consensus mechanism.

This guide will help you get your TOS daemon up and running quickly, following the principle of “Don’t Trust, Verify it”.

What is a TOS Daemon?

The TOS daemon (tos_daemon) is the core software that:

Maintains the Blockchain: Downloads, validates, and stores the TOS blockchain
Network Participation: Connects to peers across the TOS network
Transaction Processing: Validates and relays transactions
AI-Mining Support: Participates in productive AI-Mining consensus
Privacy Protection: Handles homomorphic encryption and zero-knowledge proofs
API Services: Provides JSON-RPC and WebSocket APIs for applications

Node Types

Choose the node type that best fits your needs and resources:

Full Node

Description: Downloads and stores the entire blockchain history
Security: Most secure and trustless option - verify everything yourself
Storage: ~500GB+ (grows over time)
Use Case: Maximum security, running services, contributing to network decentralization
AI-Mining: Full participation in all AI-Mining activities

Pruned Node

Description: Validates all blocks but discards old transaction data
Storage: ~50GB (keeps only recent state)
Security: Still validates everything, just doesn’t store historical data
Use Case: Personal use with limited storage
AI-Mining: Can participate in current AI-Mining tasks

Light Node

Description: Connects to full nodes for blockchain data
Storage: ~1GB (minimal local storage)
Speed: Fastest sync time
Use Case: Mobile devices, quick access, limited resources
AI-Mining: Limited participation (depends on connected full nodes)

Archive Node

Description: Stores complete blockchain history with all intermediate states
Storage: 1TB+ (stores everything forever)
Use Case: Block explorers, analytics, research
AI-Mining: Full participation with historical data serving

Quick Installation

One-Line Install (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started:


# Download and install TOS daemon
curl -fsSL https://install.tos.network | bash
 
# Verify installation
tos_daemon --version

This script will:

Detect your operating system
Download the appropriate binary
Install to /usr/local/bin/
Set up basic configuration

Manual Installation

Download Precompiled Binary


# Download latest release
LATEST_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/tos-network/tos/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
 
# Linux
wget https://github.com/tos-network/tos/releases/download/${LATEST_VERSION}/tos-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf tos-linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo cp tos_daemon /usr/local/bin/
 
# macOS
curl -L https://github.com/tos-network/tos/releases/download/${LATEST_VERSION}/tos-macos-universal.tar.gz -o tos-macos.tar.gz
tar -xzf tos-macos.tar.gz
sudo cp tos_daemon /usr/local/bin/
 
# Verify installation
tos_daemon --version

Build from Source


# Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
source ~/.cargo/env
 
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/tos-network/tos.git
cd tos
cargo build --release --bin tos_daemon
 
# The binary will be at ./target/release/tos_daemon

Quick Start

1. Initialize Configuration


# Create default configuration
tos_daemon init
 
# This creates ~/.tos/ with:
# - config.toml (configuration file)
# - genesis.json (network genesis state)
# - node_key.json (your node identity)

2. Choose Your Network

Edit ~/.tos/config.toml:


[network]
# Choose your network
network_id = "mainnet"    # Production network with real TOS
# network_id = "testnet"  # Testing network with free test tokens
# network_id = "devnet"   # Local development
 
# Node type
node_type = "full"        # full, pruned, light, or archive

3. Start the Daemon


# Start daemon (foreground)
tos_daemon start
 
# Or start as background service
tos_daemon start --daemon
 
# Or using systemd (Linux)
sudo systemctl start tos-daemon

4. Check Node Status


# Check if daemon is running
tos_daemon status
 
# View node information
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"get_info","id":1}' \
  http://localhost:8080/json_rpc

Configuration

Basic Configuration

The main configuration file is ~/.tos/config.toml:


[network]
network_id = "mainnet"
bind_address = "0.0.0.0:2080"
max_peers = 50
 
[rpc]
enable = true
bind_address = "127.0.0.1:8080"
cors_origins = ["http://localhost:3000"]
 
[storage]
data_dir = "~/.tos/data"
node_type = "full"          # full, pruned, light, archive
cache_size = 1024          # MB
 
[mining]
enable = false             # Set to true for AI-Mining
miner_address = ""         # Your mining address
ai_threads = 4             # AI computation threads
 
[logging]
level = "info"             # trace, debug, info, warn, error
file_path = "~/.tos/logs/daemon.log"

AI-Mining Setup

To participate in AI-Mining:


[mining]
enable = true
miner_address = "tos1your-address-here..."
ai_threads = 4                    # Adjust based on your CPU
gpu_enabled = true                # Enable GPU acceleration
energy_threshold = 100            # Minimum TOS Energy to participate

Privacy Settings

TOS Network offers enhanced privacy features:


[privacy]
homomorphic_encryption = true     # Enable encrypted balances
zero_knowledge_proofs = true      # Enable ZK transaction proofs
mixnet_enabled = true             # Enable transaction mixing
tor_proxy = ""                    # Optional: "127.0.0.1:9050"

Bootstrap and Sync

Fast Sync with Snapshot

For faster initial sync, use a blockchain snapshot:


# Download latest snapshot (optional)
curl -L https://snapshots.tos.network/latest/mainnet-snapshot.tar.gz -o snapshot.tar.gz
 
# Extract to data directory
tar -xzf snapshot.tar.gz -C ~/.tos/data/
 
# Start daemon (will sync remaining blocks)
tos_daemon start

Sync Status

Monitor your sync progress:


# Check sync status
tos_daemon sync-status
 
# Or via RPC
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"get_sync_info","id":1}' \
  http://localhost:8080/json_rpc

Docker Deployment

Quick Docker Start


# Run TOS daemon in Docker
docker run -d \
  --name tos-node \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 2080:2080 \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v tos-data:/data \
  -e TOS_NETWORK=mainnet \
  tosnetwork/tos-node:latest
 
# Check logs
docker logs -f tos-node

Docker Compose

Create docker-compose.yml:


version: '3.8'
 
services:
  tos-daemon:
    image: tosnetwork/tos-node:latest
    container_name: tos-daemon
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "2080:2080"  # P2P port
      - "8080:8080"  # RPC port
    volumes:
      - tos-data:/data
      - ./config:/config
    environment:
      - TOS_NETWORK=mainnet
      - TOS_NODE_TYPE=full
      - TOS_LOG_LEVEL=info
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "tos_daemon", "status"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
 
volumes:
  tos-data:

Start with:


docker-compose up -d

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Daemon Won’t Start

Error: Failed to bind to port 2080

Solution: Check if port is already in use


sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 2080
# Kill process using the port, or change port in config

2. Sync Is Slow

Problem: Blockchain sync taking too long

Solutions:


# Use snapshot for faster sync
curl -L https://snapshots.tos.network/latest/mainnet-snapshot.tar.gz -o snapshot.tar.gz
 
# Increase peer connections
# Edit ~/.tos/config.toml: max_peers = 100
 
# Check your internet connection
ping seed1.tos.network

3. High Memory Usage

Problem: Daemon using too much RAM

Solutions:


# Reduce cache size in config.toml
cache_size = 512  # Reduce from default 1024 MB
 
# Switch to pruned node
node_type = "pruned"
 
# Restart daemon to apply changes
tos_daemon restart

4. AI-Mining Not Working

Problem: Not earning AI-Mining rewards

Check:


# Verify mining is enabled
tos_daemon mining-status
 
# Check TOS Energy balance (needed for AI-Mining)
tos_daemon balance --energy
 
# Verify miner address is correct
grep miner_address ~/.tos/config.toml

5. Can’t Connect to Peers

Problem: Node isolated from network

Solutions:


# Check network connectivity
tos_daemon peer-list
 
# Try connecting to seed nodes manually
tos_daemon connect-peer seed1.tos.network:2080
 
# Check firewall settings
sudo ufw status
# Allow TOS ports: sudo ufw allow 2080

Log Analysis

Check daemon logs for detailed error information:


# View recent logs
tail -f ~/.tos/logs/daemon.log
 
# Search for errors
grep ERROR ~/.tos/logs/daemon.log
 
# Increase log verbosity for debugging
# Edit config.toml: level = "debug"

Getting Help

If you’re still having issues:

Check Network Status: Visit https://status.tos.network
Community Discord: Join our Discord for real-time help
GitHub Issues: Report bugs at https://github.com/tos-network/tos/issues
Documentation: Full reference at https://docs.tos.network

Security Best Practices

Production Deployment

For production nodes:


[network]
# Bind only to specific interface in production
bind_address = "10.0.0.5:2080"  # Your server's IP
 
[rpc]
# Restrict RPC access
bind_address = "127.0.0.1:8080"  # Local only
# Or bind to private network: "10.0.0.5:8080"
 
[security]
# Enable additional security features
rate_limiting = true
max_connections_per_ip = 10

Firewall Configuration


# Allow only necessary ports
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow 2080/tcp          # P2P port
sudo ufw allow ssh               # SSH access
# Don't expose RPC port (8080) to internet
sudo ufw enable

Backup and Recovery


# Backup important files
tar -czf tos-backup.tar.gz ~/.tos/config.toml ~/.tos/node_key.json
 
# Store backup securely
# The node_key.json is your node's identity - keep it safe!

Next Steps

Once your daemon is running:

Set up a Wallet: Wallet Setup Guide
Start AI-Mining: AI-Mining Guide
Build Applications: Developer API
Monitor Performance: Monitoring Guide

Welcome to TOS Network! 🚀

Your daemon is now part of a global network committed to “Don’t Trust, Verify it” - where privacy, security, and productive AI-Mining create the future of blockchain technology.