babylond start

Run the full node application with CometBFT in or out of process.

Overview

The babylond start command launches a full Babylon node with CometBFT. By default, the application runs with CometBFT in process, providing a complete blockchain node that can participate in the network, validate transactions, and maintain the blockchain state.

Usage

babylond start [flags]

Pruning Strategies

Pruning options can be configured via the --pruning flag or with --pruning-keep-recent and --pruning-interval for custom configurations:

Strategy	Description
default	Keep the last 362,880 states, pruning at 10 block intervals
nothing	Archive node - save all historic states, nothing deleted
everything	Keep only 2 latest states, pruning at 10 block intervals
custom	Manual configuration via --pruning-keep-recent and --pruning-interval

Choosing a Pruning Strategy

• Use nothing for archive nodes that need full history
• Use default for most validator and full nodes
• Use everything for lightweight nodes with minimal storage
• Use custom for specific storage requirements

Node Halting

Configure automatic node shutdown using halt flags:

• --halt-height: Stop at a specific block height
• --halt-time: Stop at a specific Unix timestamp

During the ABCI Commit phase, the node checks these conditions and gracefully shuts down if met, preventing the block from being committed.

Query-Only Mode

Enable query-only mode with --grpc-only to:

• Run only gRPC and JSON HTTP API services
• Bypass CometBFT for legacy queries
• Support post-upgrade query requirements

info

When --grpc-only is enabled, gRPC is automatically enabled as well.

Configuration Flags

Core Application

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--home	string	Application home directory	/Users/dariaagadzhanova/.babylond
--chain-id	string	Genesis file chain-id (randomly created if blank)
--moniker	string	Node name	"Darias-MacBook-Air.local"
--with-comet	boolean	Run ABCI app embedded with CometBFT	true
--grpc-only	boolean	Start in gRPC query only mode	false

API Server

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--api.enable	boolean	Enable the API server	false
--api.address	string	API server listen address	"tcp://localhost:1317"
--api.enabled-unsafe-cors	boolean	Enable CORS (unsafe - use at your own risk)	false
--api.max-open-connections	uint	Maximum open connections	1000
--api.rpc-max-body-bytes	uint	CometBFT maximum request body (bytes)	1000000
--api.rpc-read-timeout	uint	CometBFT RPC read timeout (seconds)	10
--api.rpc-write-timeout	uint	CometBFT RPC write timeout (seconds)
--api.swagger	boolean	Auto-register swagger documentation	false

gRPC Server

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--grpc.enable	boolean	Enable the gRPC server	true
--grpc.address	string	gRPC server listen address	"localhost:9090"
--grpc-web.enable	boolean	Enable gRPC-Web server	true

P2P Networking

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--p2p.laddr	string	Node listen address	"tcp://0.0.0.0:26656"
--p2p.external-address	string	IP:port to advertise to peers
--p2p.persistent_peers	string	Comma-delimited ID@host:port persistent peers
--p2p.seeds	string	Comma-delimited ID@host:port seed nodes
--p2p.private_peer_ids	string	Comma-delimited private peer IDs
--p2p.unconditional_peer_ids	string	Comma-delimited unconditional peer IDs
--p2p.pex	boolean	Enable/disable Peer-Exchange	true
--p2p.seed_mode	boolean	Enable/disable seed mode	false

Database & Storage

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--db_backend	string	Database backend: goleveldb | cleveldb | boltdb | rocksdb | badgerdb	"goleveldb"
--db_dir	string	Database directory	"data"
--iavl-disable-fastnode	boolean	Disable fast node for IAVL tree	false
--inter-block-cache	boolean	Enable inter-block caching	true

Pruning Configuration

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--pruning	string	Pruning strategy (default|nothing|everything|custom)	"default"
--pruning-keep-recent	uint	Recent heights to keep (custom pruning only)
--pruning-interval	uint	Height interval for pruning (custom pruning only)
--min-retain-blocks	uint	Minimum block height offset for CometBFT block pruning

Consensus

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--consensus.create_empty_blocks	boolean	Produce blocks when no transactions	true
--consensus.create_empty_blocks_interval	string	Interval between empty blocks	"0s"
--consensus.double_sign_check_height	int	Blocks to check for consensus votes before joining

BLS & Security

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--no-bls-password	boolean	Generate BLS key without password (suitable for RPC nodes)	true
--insecure-bls-password	string	Use specified BLS password
--bls-password-file	string	Load BLS password from file (not recommended)
--keyring-backend	string	Keyring backend (os|file|kwallet|pass|test)	"os"

RPC Configuration

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--rpc.laddr	string	RPC listen address	"tcp://127.0.0.1:26657"
--rpc.grpc_laddr	string	GRPC listen address (BroadcastTx only)
--rpc.pprof_laddr	string	pprof listen address
--rpc.unsafe	boolean	Enable unsafe RPC methods	false

Performance & Profiling

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--cpu-profile	string	Enable CPU profiling and write to file
--query-gas-limit	uint	Maximum gas for Rest/gRPC queries (0 = unbounded)
--mempool.max-txs	int	MaxTx value for app-side mempool	-1
--minimum-gas-prices	string	Minimum gas prices (e.g., 0.01photino;0.0001stake)

State Sync

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--state-sync.snapshot-interval	uint	State sync snapshot interval
--state-sync.snapshot-keep-recent	uint32	State sync snapshots to keep	2

WASM Configuration

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--wasm.memory_cache_size	uint32	In-memory cache for WASM modules (MiB, 0 = disabled)	100
--wasm.query_gas_limit	uint	Max gas for WASM contract queries	3000000
--wasm.simulation_gas_limit	string	Max gas for simulation transactions
--wasm.skip_wasmvm_version_check	boolean	Skip libwasmvm/wasmvm version check	false

Node Halting

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--halt-height	uint	Block height to gracefully halt the chain
--halt-time	uint	Unix timestamp to gracefully halt the chain

Advanced Options

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--abci	string	ABCI transport (socket | grpc)	"socket"
--address	string	Listen address	"tcp://127.0.0.1:26658"
--transport	string	Transport protocol (socket | grpc)	"socket"
--proxy_app	string	Proxy app address	"tcp://127.0.0.1:26658"
--priv_validator_laddr	string	Socket for external priv_validator process
--genesis_hash	bytesHex	Optional SHA-256 hash of genesis file
--inv-check-period	uint	Assert invariants every N blocks
--shutdown-grace	duration	Resource cleanup wait duration on shutdown
--trace	boolean	Full stack traces for ABCI Log errors	false
--trace-store	string	Enable KVStore tracing to file
--unsafe-skip-upgrades	ints	Skip upgrade heights to continue old binary
--x-crisis-skip-assert-invariants	boolean	Skip x/crisis invariants check on startup	false