How do I set up my node on Vultr (VPS provider)?

The following instructions are specific to Vultr and are used as an example.  Element does not endorse only Vultr and its services.  There are several VPS providers available, and the following is just one example of how that setup would function.  Follow along with our video tutorial.

1. Log in to Vultr or create an account
2. Create a VPS instance by clicking the plus icon on the top right
3. Select Cloud Compute
4. Select Regular Performance
5. Select the region closest to your location
6. Select Debian 11 x64
7. Select the 25 GB SSD priced at $5/month
8. Turn off "Enable Auto Backups"
9. "Additional Features" remain the same
10. Under Server Hostname & Label, name your server. The Hostname will be the same for all VPS setups you complete, and the Label Name will be the name for that specific server.

For example:

Hostname: ElementNode01

Server Label Name: ElementSmartNode01

11. Click Deploy Now to deploy 1 server.

**If you need to deploy more than one server, (ex: I own 2 smart nodes and 103 lite nodes) update the quantity at the bottom of the page (my quantity would be 4), update your Hostnames and then click Deploy Now.

Wait for the installation to finish (this may take up to 10 minutes).  If you continue before installation has completed, you will receive an error and be forced to begin this process over.  WAIT.

12. Once the installation has finished AND the status says Running, click on the name of the server
13. Copy the password by clicking the clipboard icon, to the right of the password
14. Click on the computer screen icon, on the right side of the page to view console.

This will open a new window that you will use to complete the setup.

If text is still loading wait for it to complete before continuing to the next step. Failure of the server to be completely deployed may result in you needing to destroy the server and start the process over.

15. In the console window, type the word “root” and click ENTER
16. Click the toolbar icon on the left side of the window
17. With the toolbar expanded, click the clipboard icon
18. Click in the text area, and paste (Mac: ⌘+ V, Windows: Ctrl + V) the password in the text box
19. Click Paste
20. Hide the toolbar by clicking the toolbar button
21. Click ENTER, to submit the password
22. Copy the command listed below, and paste it into the clipboard text box, then click Paste

bash <(curl -s https://download.elementunited.com/node-binaries/v2.6.1-b/linux.sh)

22. Hide the toolbar by clicking the toolbar button
23. Click ENTER to submit the above, pasted command
24. For username, type the email to your Element Account, click ENTER
25. For password, type the password to your Element Account and click ENTER
26. If the setup was successful, you will get the following message:
    "Element configuration complete, you are now ready to run your node.
27. You can now close this window.

Congratulations, your Element node is now running!

To Check the Status of Your Node With Element:

After installation, you can check the status of your Element node at any time by logging into your account dashboard and seeing how many Nodes Online there are.  Make sure to check your node status weekly.

To check the Status of Your Node With Vultr:

1. Click on the Element node instance you are running

2. Click View Console

3. Click the toolbar icon on the left side of the window

4. With the toolbar expanded, click the clipboard icon

5. Click in the text area, and paste (Mac: ⌘ + V, Windows: Ctrl + V) the following command:

systemctl status element.service

6. Hide the toolbar by clicking the toolbar button

7. Click ENTER

8. Your console will then display the node status to inform you if it is active.

Please note: By changing your password to login to Element, you also need to update your Node Software credentials as well (Desktop Client and/or VPS).  It is your responsibility to monitor the status of your node and ensure your Element node software is running.  Your VPS instance displaying "Running" as the status is not an indication of your Element software running.  You can check the status by logging into your Element dashboard at app.elementunited.com.