Observer Node Image

Technical documentation for the ASI:Chain observer node Docker image and configuration.

Overview

Observer nodes use the same Docker image as validators but are configured for read-only operation. They synchronize with the blockchain without participating in consensus.

Official Docker Image

bash

public.ecr.aws/f6y9h6x4/asi-chain/node:latest

Same image as validators, different configuration.

Purpose of Observer Nodes

Observer nodes provide:

Read Access - Query blockchain data without validation
API Services - Power external applications
Monitoring - Track network activity
Data Distribution - Reduce load on validators

Key Difference from Validators:

No consensus participation
No block signing
No staking required
Read-only operation

Public Observer Access

ASI:Chain provides a public observer node:

HTTP Endpoint:

http://54.152.57.201:40453

gRPC Endpoint:

54.152.57.201:40451

Use these for:

Application development
Data queries
Network monitoring
Testing integrations

Running Your Own Observer

Configuration Example

docker-compose.yml:

yaml

version: '3.9'
services:
  observer:
    image: public.ecr.aws/f6y9h6x4/asi-chain/node:latest
    container_name: observer
    ports:
      - "40450:40450"  # Protocol server
      - "40451:40451"  # Public gRPC API
      - "40452:40452"  # Internal gRPC API
      - "40453:40453"  # HTTP API
      - "40454:40454"  # Kademlia discovery
      - "40455:40455"  # Admin HTTP API
    volumes:
      - ./data/observer:/var/lib/rnode/
      - ./conf/observer.conf:/var/lib/rnode/rnode.conf
    environment:
      - OBSERVER_HOST=${OBSERVER_HOST}
    command:
      - "--bootstrap=rnode://e5e6faf012f36a30176d459ddc0db81435f6f1dc@54.152.57.201?protocol=40400&discovery=40404"
    restart: unless-stopped

Observer Configuration

observer.conf:

hocon

api-server {
  host = ${?OBSERVER_HOST}
  port = 40453
  port-grpc-external = 40451
  port-grpc-internal = 40452
  port-http = 40453
  port-kademlia = 40454
  enable-reporting = true
}

# No casper configuration needed for observer
# Observer doesn't validate or sign blocks

tls {
  certificate-path = "node.certificate.pem"
  key-path = "node.key.pem"
}

.env file:

env

OBSERVER_HOST=<YOUR-PUBLIC-IP>

System Requirements

Minimum Specifications

CPU: 2 cores
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 250+ GB
Network: Stable connection

Recommended Specifications

CPU: 4 cores
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 500+ GB SSD
Network: 100+ Mbps

Note: Observer nodes require fewer resources than validators since they don't participate in consensus.

API Endpoints

Observer nodes provide full API access:

HTTP API

Status:

bash

curl http://localhost:40453/status

Blocks:

bash

curl http://localhost:40453/blocks

Explore Deploy:

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:40453/explore-deploy \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"term": "..."}'

gRPC API

List services:

bash

grpcurl -plaintext localhost:40451 list

Use Cases

1. Block Explorers

Connect explorer frontend to observer:

javascript

const API_URL = 'http://54.152.57.201:40453';
fetch(`${API_URL}/blocks`)
  .then(res => res.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

2. Application Backends

Query blockchain state:

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:40453/explore-deploy \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"term": "new stdout(`rho:io:stdout`) in { stdout!(\"data\") }"}'

3. Monitoring Services

Track network metrics:

bash

# Check status every minute
watch -n 60 'curl -s http://localhost:40453/status'

4. Data Indexing

Build custom indexes:

python

import requests

def index_blocks():
    response = requests.get('http://54.152.57.201:40453/blocks')
    blocks = response.json()
    # Process and index blocks
    for block in blocks:
        store_in_database(block)

Running the Observer

Start Observer

bash

docker compose -f observer.yml up -d

Monitor Logs

bash

docker logs observer -f

Verify Synchronization

Look for these log messages:

observer | Approved state for block Block #0 restored
observer | Received ForkChoiceTipRequest
observer | Sending tips [...]
observer | Peers: 4

Monitoring

Health Checks

Container status:

bash

docker ps | grep observer

Resource usage:

bash

docker stats observer

Sync status:

bash

curl http://localhost:40453/status | jq '.syncStatus'

Performance Metrics

Monitor:

CPU usage
Memory consumption
Disk I/O
Network bandwidth
Block sync rate

Troubleshooting

Synchronization Issues

Reset and resync:

bash

docker compose -f observer.yml down
rm -rf data/observer
docker compose -f observer.yml up -d

Connection Problems

Check bootstrap connectivity:

bash

ping 54.152.57.201
telnet 54.152.57.201 40400

Verify firewall:

bash

sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 40450:40455/tcp

API Not Responding

Check if observer is running:

bash

docker ps | grep observer

Check logs for errors:

bash

docker logs observer --tail 100

Test API:

bash

curl -v http://localhost:40453/status

Security Considerations

Public Access

If exposing observer publicly:

Use reverse proxy (nginx)
Implement rate limiting
Add authentication if needed
Monitor for abuse

Firewall Configuration

Allow necessary ports:

bash

sudo ufw allow 40450:40455/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Or restrict to specific IPs:

bash

sudo ufw allow from <trusted-ip> to any port 40453

Updates

Update Observer Node

bash

docker compose -f observer.yml down
docker pull public.ecr.aws/f6y9h6x4/asi-chain/node:latest
docker compose -f observer.yml up -d

Backup Configuration

Backup these files:

conf/observer.conf
.env
Custom scripts or configs

Blockchain data can be re-synced from the network.

Comparison: Observer vs Validator

Feature	Observer	Validator
Consensus	No	Yes
Block Signing	No	Yes
Read Access	Yes	Yes
Write Access	No	Yes
Staking Required	No	Yes (mainnet)
Resource Needs	Lower	Higher
Purpose	Querying	Validation

Advanced Configuration

Custom Ports

Change port mapping in docker-compose.yml:

yaml

ports:
  - "8080:40453"  # Map HTTP API to port 8080

Resource Limits

yaml

deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      cpus: '2.0'
      memory: 8G
    reservations:
      cpus: '1.0'
      memory: 4G

Logging

yaml

logging:
  driver: "json-file"
  options:
    max-size: "10m"
    max-file: "3"

Support

For observer node issues:

Observer nodes are perfect for applications that need read access without validation responsibilities.

Feedback form

Observer Node Image ​

Overview ​

Official Docker Image ​

Purpose of Observer Nodes ​

Public Observer Access ​

Running Your Own Observer ​

Configuration Example ​

Observer Configuration ​

System Requirements ​

Minimum Specifications ​

Recommended Specifications ​

API Endpoints ​

HTTP API ​

gRPC API ​

Use Cases ​

1. Block Explorers ​

2. Application Backends ​

3. Monitoring Services ​

4. Data Indexing ​

Running the Observer ​

Start Observer ​

Monitor Logs ​

Verify Synchronization ​

Monitoring ​

Health Checks ​

Performance Metrics ​

Troubleshooting ​

Synchronization Issues ​

Connection Problems ​

API Not Responding ​

Security Considerations ​

Public Access ​

Firewall Configuration ​

Updates ​

Update Observer Node ​

Backup Configuration ​

Comparison: Observer vs Validator ​

Advanced Configuration ​

Custom Ports ​

Resource Limits ​

Logging ​

Support ​

Observer Node Image

Overview

Official Docker Image

Purpose of Observer Nodes

Public Observer Access

Running Your Own Observer

Configuration Example

Observer Configuration

System Requirements

Minimum Specifications

Recommended Specifications

API Endpoints

HTTP API

gRPC API

Use Cases

1. Block Explorers

2. Application Backends

3. Monitoring Services

4. Data Indexing

Running the Observer

Start Observer

Monitor Logs

Verify Synchronization

Monitoring

Health Checks

Performance Metrics

Troubleshooting

Synchronization Issues

Connection Problems

API Not Responding

Security Considerations

Public Access

Firewall Configuration

Updates

Update Observer Node

Backup Configuration

Comparison: Observer vs Validator

Advanced Configuration

Custom Ports

Resource Limits

Logging

Support