Overview

Welcome to the Darknode documentation! This book is for new and existing Darknode owners. It has everything you need to know about deploying and managing Darknodes.

• The Getting Started guide teaches you how to install your darknode.

• The User Manual teaches you how your Darknode Dashboard works , including general FAQs.

• The Update and Shutdown sections help you to update and/or shutdown your Darknode, including reclaiming your 100k REN bond.

Darknode Quick Reference Guide

Ren is powered by a decentralized network of machines, called Darknodes. They contribute their compute power and storage space in exchange for rewards.

• Requirements for running a Darknode is 100,000 REN staked as collateral + running the Darknode software via a Virtual Private Server (VPS).

• The total number of Darknodes is bound by an upper limit of 10,000 - determined by the finite supply of 1,000,000,000 REN (1B) and the 100,000 REN bond per Darknode.

• Darknodes earn rewards for powering the network.

What is a Darknode?

Ren is a decentralized virtual machine. This virtual machine is replicated over thousands of machines that work together to power it, contributing their network bandwidth, their computational power, and their storage capacity. These machines are known as Darknodes.

Darknodes communicate with other Darknodes around the world to keep Ren running. Ren uses Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus algorithms and secure multiparty computations so that Darknodes can be operated by anyone without needing to trust them.

You host your Darknode on a Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and update it remotely via your computer's Command Line Interface (CLI). Every day management, such as viewing your rewards, is done from your Darknode Dashboard (accessible from the Command Center).

Why run a Darknode?

Ren assumes that all Darknodes are rational and will not contribute resources to Ren unless they are economically incentivized to do so. Users must pay fees whenever they use Ren to bridge cryptoassets from one blockchain to another. These fees are paid out to Darknodes as a reward for contributing their resources to Ren. To read more about Ren's economic incentives, head to the Wiki.

Launched a Darknode? Read the User Manual

We've put a Darknode User Manual, including Frequently Asked Questions and what to do with a newly registered Darknode, Read it here.