babylond testnet

Create a multi-validator testnet with necessary configuration files.

Overview

The babylond testnet command creates a complete testnet environment by generating directories for multiple validators, each populated with essential files including private validator keys, genesis configuration, and node configuration. This command is essential for development, testing, and local network setup.

Key Features

• Creates multiple validator directories with complete configurations
• Generates genesis file with all validators
• Sets up peer-to-peer networking configuration
• Configures Bitcoin staking parameters
• Initializes economic and consensus parameters

Usage

babylond testnet [flags]

Quick Start

Basic 4-Validator Testnet

babylond testnet --v 4 --output-dir ./testnet --starting-ip-address 192.168.10.2

This creates a testnet with:

• 4 validators (node0, node1, node2, node3)
• Output directory: ./testnet
• IP addresses starting from 192.168.10.2

Configuration Flags

Network Setup

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--v	int	Number of validators to initialize	4
-o, --output-dir	string	Directory to store testnet data	"./mytestnet"
--starting-ip-address	string	Starting IP address for persistent peers	"192.168.0.1"
--chain-id	string	Genesis file chain-id (randomly created if blank)
--node-daemon-home	string	Home directory of node's daemon configuration	"babylond"
--node-dir-prefix	string	Prefix for node directory names	"node"
--keyring-backend	string	Keyring backend (os|file|test)	"os"
--key-type	string	Key signing algorithm	"secp256k1"

Bitcoin Configuration

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--btc-network	string	Bitcoin network (simnet|testnet|regtest|mainnet)	"simnet"
--btc-base-header	string	Hex of the base Bitcoin header	"0100000000000000..."
--btc-base-header-height	uint32	Height of the base Bitcoin header	0
--btc-confirmation-depth	uint32	Confirmation depth for Bitcoin headers	6
--btc-finalization-timeout	uint32	Finalization timeout for Bitcoin headers	20
--checkpoint-tag	string	Hex encoded tag for Babylon checkpoint on BTC	"01020304"

Bitcoin Staking Parameters

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--covenant-pks	string	Covenant public keys (comma separated)	Multiple keys
--covenant-quorum	uint32	Bitcoin staking covenant quorum	3
--max-staking-amount-sat	int	Maximum staking amount in satoshis	100000000000
--min-staking-amount-sat	int	Minimum staking amount in satoshis	500000
--max-staking-time-blocks	uint16	Maximum staking time in blocks	10000
--min-staking-time-blocks	uint16	Minimum staking time in blocks	100
--min-slashing-fee-sat	int	Minimum slashing fee in satoshis	1000
--slashing-pk-script	string	Slashing pk script (hex encoded)	"76a914010101..."
--slashing-rate	string	Bitcoin staking slashing rate	"0.1"
--unbonding-fee-sat	int	Required unbonding transaction fee in satoshis	1000
--unbonding-time	uint16	Unbonding timelock in BTC blocks	21

Consensus & Validation

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--max-active-validators	uint32	Maximum number of validators	10
--max-active-finality-providers	uint32	Maximum active finality providers	100
--epoch-interval	uint	Blocks between epochs (must be > 0)	400
--activation-height	uint	Finality activation height	1
--vote-extension-enable-height	int	Vote extension enable height	1
--time-between-blocks-seconds	uint	Time between blocks in seconds	5
--blocks-per-year	uint	Blocks per year	6311520

Economic Parameters

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--inflation-max	float	Maximum inflation rate	0.2
--inflation-min	float	Minimum inflation rate	0.07
--inflation-rate-change	float	Inflation rate change	0.13
--goal-bonded	float	Bonded tokens goal	0.67
--minimum-gas-prices	string	Minimum gas prices	"0.000006ubbn"
--block-gas-limit	int	Block gas limit	50000000
--min-commission-rate	string	Minimum validator commission rate	"0"

Finality & Liveness

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--finality-sig-timeout	int	Finality vote timeout in blocks	3
--jail-duration	string	Minimum jail duration	"24h0m0s"
--min-signed-per-window	string	Minimum signing ratio to avoid jail	"0.500000000000000000"
--signed-blocks-window	int	Sliding window size for liveness tracking	100

Additional Options

Flag	Type	Description	Default
--genesis-time	int	Genesis time (Unix timestamp)	1747294051
--additional-sender-account	boolean	Add extra pre-funded account per validator	false
--allowed-reporter-addresses	string	Bitcoin header reporter addresses

Examples

Development Testnet (Local)

babylond testnet \
  --v 3 \
  --output-dir ./devnet \
  --chain-id babylon-dev \
  --starting-ip-address 127.0.0.1

Bitcoin Testnet Integration

babylond testnet \
  --v 5 \
  --output-dir ./btc-testnet \
  --btc-network testnet \
  --btc-confirmation-depth 3 \
  --min-staking-amount-sat 100000 \
  --max-staking-amount-sat 10000000000

Custom Economic Parameters

babylond testnet \
  --v 4 \
  --output-dir ./custom-testnet \
  --inflation-max 0.15 \
  --inflation-min 0.05 \
  --goal-bonded 0.75 \
  --minimum-gas-prices "0.001ubbn"

Performance Testing Network

babylond testnet \
  --v 10 \
  --output-dir ./perfnet \
  --time-between-blocks-seconds 2 \
  --block-gas-limit 100000000 \
  --epoch-interval 100

Finality Provider Testing

babylond testnet \
  --v 4 \
  --output-dir ./finality-test \
  --max-active-finality-providers 50 \
  --finality-sig-timeout 5 \
  --signed-blocks-window 50 \
  --min-signed-per-window "0.8"

Generated Directory Structure

After running the command, the output directory contains:

./testnet/
├── node0/
│   ├── babylond/
│   │   ├── config/
│   │   │   ├── app.toml
│   │   │   ├── config.toml
│   │   │   ├── genesis.json
│   │   │   └── priv_validator_key.json
│   │   └── data/
│   └── babylond.log
├── node1/
│   └── ...
├── node2/
│   └── ...
├── node3/
│   └── ...
└── gentxs/
    ├── node0.json
    ├── node1.json
    ├── node2.json
    └── node3.json

Starting the Testnet

Start All Nodes

# Start each node in separate terminals
cd ./testnet/node0 && babylond start --home ./babylond
cd ./testnet/node1 && babylond start --home ./babylond
cd ./testnet/node2 && babylond start --home ./babylond
cd ./testnet/node3 && babylond start --home ./babylond

Docker Compose Example

version: '3.8'
services:
  node0:
    image: babylon:latest
    command: babylond start --home /babylon/node0/babylond
    volumes:
      - ./testnet:/babylon
    ports:
      - "26656:26656"
      - "26657:26657"
      - "1317:1317"
      - "9090:9090"
  
  node1:
    image: babylon:latest
    command: babylond start --home /babylon/node1/babylond
    volumes:
      - ./testnet:/babylon
    ports:
      - "26756:26656"
      - "26757:26657"