Aztec Public Testnet
Welcome to the official guide for participating in the Aztec Public Testnet. Whether you're a developer, validator, or Web3 enthusiast, this guide will help you deploy smart contracts, participate in governance, and run your own Aztec Sequencer Node.
🔗 Quick Links
🧠 What is Aztec?
Aztec is a next-generation Layer 2 privacy-focused blockchain that combines the power of zero-knowledge cryptography and the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It enables developers to build fully private applications with on-chain logic and off-chain confidentiality — offering programmable privacy for Web3.
With Aztec, smart contracts can execute in complete privacy, preserving confidentiality for both logic and data while maintaining Ethereum’s security and decentralization.
🔐 Privacy by default. 🧠 Programmability without compromise. 💡 Built with Noir, Aztec’s own zero-knowledge programming language.
Learn more at aztec.network/learn
⚒️ Developer Actions
Visit the Aztec Developer Portal.
➡️ Click on Deploy Smart Contract.
➡️ Proceed to Voting.
✅ You're done!
🛠️ How to Run an Aztec Sequencer Node
🧰 Hardware Requirements
Minimum:
💻 8 Core CPU
🧠 16 GB RAM
💾 1 TB NVMe SSD
🌐 25 Mbps up/down internet connection
A modern desktop or laptop will work.
1️⃣ Install Prerequisites
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y && \
sudo apt autoremove && \
screen -S Aztec-Sequencer
➡️ Install Docker (if not installed):
sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common && \
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg && \
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null && \
sudo apt update -y && sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin && \
sudo systemctl status docker
2️⃣ Install Aztec Sandbox
bash -i <(curl -s https://install.aztec.network)
➡️ Update Aztec Tool:
aztec-up alpha-testnet
# or
/root/.aztec/bin/aztec-up alpha-testnet
3️⃣ Node Configuration
mkdir ~/aztec-sequencer && cd ~/aztec-sequencer
Create .env
file:
echo -e "VALIDATOR_PRIVATE_KEY=EDIT-WITH-ETH-PRIVATE-KEY\nP2P_IP=EDIT-WITH-YOUR-VPS-IP" > .env
🟢 Be sure to replace
EDIT-WITH-ETH-PRIVATE-KEY
andEDIT-WITH-YOUR-VPS-IP
.
Create docker-compose.yml
:
version: "3.8"
services:
node:
image: aztecprotocol/aztec:0.85.0-alpha-testnet.5
container_name: aztec-sequencer
environment:
ETHEREUM_HOSTS: "https://ethereum-sepolia-rpc.publicnode.com"
L1_CONSENSUS_HOST_URLS: "https://ethereum-sepolia-beacon-api.publicnode.com"
DATA_DIRECTORY: /data
VALIDATOR_PRIVATE_KEY: "${VALIDATOR_PRIVATE_KEY}"
P2P_IP: "${P2P_IP}"
LOG_LEVEL: debug
entrypoint: >
sh -c "node --no-warnings /usr/src/yarn-project/aztec/dest/bin/index.js start --network alpha-testnet --node --archiver --sequencer"
network_mode: host
volumes:
- /home/my-node/node:/data
restart: unless-stopped
Optional RPC & Port Customization:
ports:
- 50500:40400/tcp
- 50500:40400/udp
- 9090:8080
🔗 Official Docker Setup Reference
4️⃣ Start the Sequencer Node
cd $HOME/aztec-sequencer && docker compose up -d
📦 Node Management Commands
View Logs:
docker-compose logs -f
Stop Node:
cd $HOME/aztec-sequencer && docker compose down -v
Restart Node:
cd $HOME/aztec-sequencer && docker restart aztec-sequencer
✅ You’re All Set!
You've successfully deployed and configured an Aztec Sequencer Node. Help secure the network and explore the next-gen private smart contract environment.
For updates and community discussion, follow Aztec on X.
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