Run a BSP Node

This guide explains how to prepare your project workspace, run the node with Docker, select the correct chain spec, and inject your Backup Storage Provider (BSP) service key. By the end, you’ll have a fully configured BSP that is ready to join the DataHaven network.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• macOS or Linux operating system

• Docker and Docker Compose installed and running

  Docker installation instructions

  If you are using macOS Tahoe (v26 or higher) or Linux, make sure to follow these instructions:

  LinuxmacOS Tahoe (v26 or higher)

  1. Install Docker

     curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
     sudo sh get-docker.sh
     

  2. Add your user to docker group (so you don't need sudo)

     sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
     

  3. Apply group changes:

     newgrp docker
     

  4. Verify Docker is working:

     docker --version
     docker ps
     

  If running macOS Tahoe (v26 or higher), instead of using Docker, you should install OrbStack. Make sure Docker Desktop is not running while using OrbStack to ensure it works properly. You can run all your Docker commands the same way while using OrbStack.

  After installing OrbStack, to confirm you are using OrbStack under the hood instead of Docker Desktop, you can run the following command in the terminal:

  docker context show
  

  The output should be orbstack.

• A BCSV key of scheme ECDSA (a 32 byte private key) for the BSP node's on-chain identity and signing

• Sufficient account balance for deposits and collateral
• Stable network connection
• Open network ports (30333, optionally 9944)

Hardware Requirements

BSPs have similar hardware requirements to MSPs as they store backup data and must reliably submit proofs of storage.

Component	Requirement
CPU	8 physical cores @ 3.4 GHz (Intel Ice Lake+ or AMD Zen3+)
RAM	32 GB DDR4 ECC
Storage (System)	500 GB NVMe SSD (chain data)
Storage (User Data)	1 TB NVMe SSD or HDD (minimum)
Network	500 Mbit/s symmetric

The following are some important considerations:

• Use separate storage volumes: Keep chain data and user data on separate volumes for better I/O performance.
• Plan for storage growth: Ensure user data storage is easily expandable.
• Limit disk usage: Set max-storage-capacity flag to 80% of available physical disk space to leave headroom for filesystem overhead and temporary files.
• Optimize for cloud: Run BSPs on cloud VPS with dedicated storage volumes.
• Ensure network reliability: Maintain stable network connectivity for timely proof submissions.

Project Structure

This is how the project structure will look like, once everything is set up.

datahaven-bsp-node/
├── datahaven-node
├── bsp-data
│   ├── keystore
│   ├── chains
│   │   ├── datahaven_testnet
│   │   │   ├── db
│   │   │   ├── frontier
│   │   │   └── network
│   │   └── datahaven_stagenet_local
│   ├── bsp_peer_manager
│   ├── storage
│   └── storagehub
├── bsp-storage    
│   └── storagehub    
│       ├── file_storage
│       └── forest_storage      
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── datahaven-testnet-raw-specs.json
└── bsp.log    

Project Setup

Before running a BSP node, you will need to obtain the datahaven-node client binary and the chain specifications for the network you want to join.

1. Create a datahaven-bsp-node folder:

   mkdir datahaven-bsp-node
   cd datahaven-bsp-node
   

2. Download the latest client release (v0.20.0) of the datahaven-node binary from the Releases section of the DataHaven repo. Make sure to download it in the root of your datahaven-bsp-node folder.

   curl -LO https://github.com/datahaven-xyz/datahaven/releases/download/v0.20.0/datahaven-node
   

3. Download the testnet chain specs and save them to your project root as datahaven-testnet-raw-specs.json. The specs determine the DataHaven network your BSP uses.

   Either manually download the testnet chain specs or download them via terminal:

   curl -LO https://docs.datahaven.xyz/downloads/datahaven-testnet-raw-specs.json
   

Configure Docker for the BSP Node

In this section, you’ll create the Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, and .dockerignore needed to run the node, mount your keystore, load the chain spec, and expose the required ports. After this step, your BSP can run cleanly in an isolated, reproducible container that is easy to start, stop, and upgrade.

The datahaven-node binaries published in the DataHaven repository are precompiled Linux x86-64 binaries, which macOS users with Apple Silicon chips cannot compile natively. Docker solves this as well, via emulation.

1. In the root of your project, create a Dockerfile file.

2. Add the following code:

   Dockerfile

   # Note: This Dockerfile is architecture-agnostic. Use
   # `docker build --platform=linux/amd64` on Apple Silicon
   # so Rosetta can emulate x86-64 binaries.
   FROM ubuntu:22.04
   
   # Install runtime dependencies for datahaven-node
   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
       libpq5 \
       ca-certificates \
   && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
   
   # Copy the datahaven-node binary into the image
   COPY datahaven-node /usr/local/bin/datahaven-node
   RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/datahaven-node
   
   # Default entrypoint: just run the node
   ENTRYPOINT ["datahaven-node"]
   

   This Dockerfile builds a minimal Ubuntu-based image containing the datahaven-node binary and its required runtime libraries. It installs only the necessary dependencies, copies the node executable into the container, and marks it as runnable. On macOS with Apple Silicon, the image must be built with --platform=linux/amd64 so Docker can emulate the x86-64 Linux environment that the precompiled DataHaven binaries expect. The default entrypoint runs datahaven-node directly, allowing the container to behave like a fully configured BSP node.

3. Create a .dockerignore file.

4. List the data folder within the .dockerignore file:

   echo "bsp-data" > .dockerignore
   echo "bsp-storage" > .dockerignore
   

   This way the bsp-data and bsp-storage folders and their contents won't get included in the Docker image.

5. Build the Docker image:

   Note for macOS (Apple Silicon) users

   The --platform=linux/amd64 flag is required on Apple Silicon because the datahaven-node binary targets x86_64.

   To ensure proper emulation, open Docker Desktop → Settings → General → Apple Virtualization Framework and enable Use Rosetta for x86_64/amd64 emulation on Apple Silicon.

   LinuxmacOS

   docker build -t datahaven-bsp:latest .
   

   docker build --platform=linux/amd64 -t datahaven-bsp:latest .
   

   The image name can be anything; This guide, uses datahaven-bsp:latest.

   (Optional) Spin up the BSP node now to see what the output is like.

   Going forward, you won't run the BSP this way, but right now you could run a BSP node in the background through the datahaven-bsp Docker container with a command like this:

   LinuxmacOS

   docker run -d \
   --name datahaven-bsp \
   --restart unless-stopped \
   -v "./preview-data":/data \
   datahaven-bsp:latest \
       --provider \
       --provider-type bsp \
       --max-storage-capacity 32212254720 \
       --jump-capacity 5368709120 \
       --storage-layer rocks-db \
       --storage-path /data
   

   docker run -d \
   --platform=linux/amd64 \
   --name datahaven-bsp \
   --restart unless-stopped \
   -v "./preview-data":/data \
   datahaven-bsp:latest \
       --provider \
       --provider-type bsp \
       --max-storage-capacity 32212254720 \
       --jump-capacity 5368709120 \
       --storage-layer rocks-db \
       --storage-path /data
   

   To display this container's logs in terminal, run:

   docker logs -f datahaven-bsp
   

   Note

   To stop displaying the logs in terminal run Ctrl+C, but keep in mind that it won't actually stop the container from running.

   The logs output should be something like:

   docker run -d \ --platform=linux/amd64 \ --name datahaven-bsp \ --restart unless-stopped \ -v "./preview-data":/data \ datahaven-bsp:latest \ --provider \ --provider-type bsp \ --max-storage-capacity 32212254720 \ --jump-capacity 5368709120 \ --storage-layer rocks-db \ --storage-path /data

   2025-11-17 14:29:41 DataHaven Node
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 ✌️  version 0.11.0-ae9eef73070
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 ❤️  by Moonsong Labs, 2025-2025
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 📋 Chain specification: DataHaven Stagenet Local
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 🏷  Node name: delirious-driving-2308
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 👤 Role: FULL
   2025-11-17 14:29:41 💾 Database: RocksDb at /Users/aljosamakevic/Library/Application Support/datahaven-node/chains/datahaven_stagenet_local/db/full
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 🔨 Initializing Genesis block/state (state: 0x0724…5128, header-hash: 0x75d8…cf43)
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 👴 Loading GRANDPA authority set from genesis on what appears to be first startup.
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 👶 Creating empty BABE epoch changes on what appears to be first startup.
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Using default protocol ID "sup" because none is configured in the chain specs
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 🏷  Local node identity is: 12D3KooWSN4p5iCahCMArGe9ygorbJFCUGwKUk3iZ7XugCxQdjGP
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Running libp2p network backend
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Starting as a Storage Provider. Storage path: Some("/data"), Max storage capacity: Some(32212254720), Jump capacity: Some(5368709120), MSP charging period: None
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 💾 StorageHub's File Transfer Service starting up!
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Emitting RetryBucketMoveDownload event to check for pending bucket downloads
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 No listener for emitted event.
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 💻 Operating system: macos
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 💻 CPU architecture: aarch64
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 📦 Highest known block at #0
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 〽️ Prometheus exporter started at 127.0.0.1:9615
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Running JSON-RPC server: addr=127.0.0.1:9944,[::1]:9944
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 🥩 BEEFY gadget waiting for BEEFY pallet to become available...
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Blockchain service state store path: /Users/aljosamakevic/Library/Application Support/datahaven-node/storagehub/blockchain_service/
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 BSP peer manager DB path: /Users/aljosamakevic/Library/Application Support/datahaven-node/bsp_peer_manager
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 💾 StorageHub's Blockchain Service starting up!
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Loaded 0 BSP peers from database
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Successfully initialized BSP peer manager
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Download state store path: /var/folders/kf/l65jsx8s2cq3rx2rqy7spcc00000gn/T/storagehub/storagehub/download_state/
   2025-11-17 14:29:42 Starting BSP tasks
   2025-11-17 14:29:47 💤 \x1b[37m\x1b[1mIdle\x1b[0m (\x1b[37m\x1b[1m0\x1b[0m peers), best: #\x1b[37m\x1b[1m0\x1b[0m (0x75d8…cf43), finalized #\x1b[37m\x1b[1m0\x1b[0m (0x75d8…cf43),
   }

   If you have spun up this datahaven-bsp container, prior to the upcoming step, make sure to stop it and remove it:

   docker stop datahaven-bsp
   docker rm datahaven-bsp
   

6. Generate node key:

   docker run --rm datahaven-bsp:latest key generate-node-key
   

   The output should look something like:

   docker run --rm datahaven-bsp:latest key generate-node-key

       12D3KooWRmRC9q1L4sP8dpQwKxHjmKfwEMxDzAH7p8XLbLFbUqJc
       9a4f2c8b1d3e5f7a0b2c4d6e8f0a1b3c5d7e9f0a2b4c6d8e0f1a3b5c7d9e1f3a

7. In the root of your project create a docker-compose.yml file.

8. Add the following code:

   Note

   This configuration uses your generated node key (--node-key) and the chain spec you downloaded (--chain). The chain spec file must be mounted into the container via volumes. If --chain is omitted, the node defaults to DataHaven Local Stagenet.

   docker-compose.yml

   services:
     datahaven-bsp:
       image: datahaven-bsp:latest
       platform: linux/amd64
       container_name: datahaven-bsp
       ports:
         - "30334:30333"
         - "9946:9946"
       volumes:
         - ./bsp-data:/data
         - ./bsp-storage:/data/storage
         - ./datahaven-testnet-raw-specs.json:/testnet-chain-spec.json:ro
       command:
         - "--chain=/testnet-chain-spec.json"
         - "--node-key=INSERT_NODE_KEY"
         - "--node-key-type=ed25519"
         - "--unsafe-rpc-external"
         - "--rpc-methods=unsafe"
         - "--name=BSP01"
         - "--base-path=/data"
         - "--keystore-path=/data/keystore"
         - "--provider"
         - "--provider-type=bsp"
         - "--max-storage-capacity=1099511627776"
         - "--jump-capacity=137438953472"
         - "--storage-layer=rocks-db"
         - "--storage-path=/data/storage"
         - "--bsp-upload-file-task"
         - "--bsp-upload-file-max-try-count=5"
         - "--bsp-upload-file-max-tip=0"
         - "--bsp-move-bucket-task"
         - "--bsp-move-bucket-grace-period=300"
         - "--bsp-charge-fees-task"
         - "--bsp-charge-fees-min-debt=1000000000000000000"
         - "--bsp-submit-proof-task"
         - "--bsp-submit-proof-max-attempts=3"
         - "--port=30333"
         - "--rpc-port=9946"
       restart: unless-stopped
   
   volumes:
     bsp-data:
     bsp-storage:
   

   Docker Compose makes the setup reproducible, easier to maintain, and safer for operators who shouldn’t need to remember every flag manually. It also ensures the node restarts automatically and mounts persistent storage correctly.

   To better understand each of these flags, make sure to check out the BSP CLI Flags guide.

9. Run the BSP:

   docker compose up -d
   

   The output will look something like this:

   docker compose up -d

   [+] Running 2/2
    ✔ Network datahaven-bsp-node_default  Created
    ✔ Container datahaven-bsp             Started

10. Check BSP's logs:

    docker compose logs -f | tee bsp.log
    

    The output should look something like this (with varying storage capacity depending on the capacity you've set for your machine):

    docker compose logs -f | tee bsp.log

    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 💻 DataHaven node starting with 8 logical CPU(s) visible to the process
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 DataHaven Node
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 ✌️  version 0.11.0-unknown
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 ❤️  by Moonsong Labs, 2025-2026
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 📋 Chain specification: DataHaven Testnet
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 🏷  Node name: BSP01
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 👤 Role: FULL
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:34 💾 Database: RocksDb at /data/chains/datahaven_testnet/db/full
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 🔨 Initializing Genesis block/state (state: 0x211e…61b4, header-hash: 0xdbf4…df99)
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 👴 Loading GRANDPA authority set from genesis on what appears to be first startup.
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 👶 Creating empty BABE epoch changes on what appears to be first startup.
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 Using default protocol ID "sup" because none is configured in the chain specs
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 🏷  Local node identity is: 12D3KooWQ3fycKkf4X8qgoj4Kd6QSQEiWBD5tPhPPSkzK9KYVW95
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 Running libp2p network backend
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 Starting as a Storage Provider. Storage path: Some("/data/storage"), Max storage capacity: Some(32212254720), Jump capacity: Some(5368709120), MSP charging period: None
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 💾 StorageHub's File Transfer Service starting up!
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 Emitting RetryBucketMoveDownload event to check for pending bucket downloads
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:36 No listener for emitted event.
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Operating system: linux
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 CPU architecture: x86_64
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Target environment: gnu
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 CPU: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1245 V2 @ 3.40GHz
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 CPU cores: 4
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Memory: 31990MB
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Kernel: 5.15.0-161-generic
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Linux distribution: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💻 Virtual machine: no
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 📦 Highest known block at #0
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 〽️ Prometheus exporter started at 127.0.0.1:9615
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Running JSON-RPC server: addr=0.0.0.0:9946,[::]:36967
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Blockchain service state store path: /data/storagehub/blockchain_service/
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 🥩 BEEFY gadget waiting for BEEFY pallet to become available...
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 BSP peer manager DB path: /data/bsp_peer_manager
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 💾 StorageHub's Blockchain Service starting up!
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Pending transactions DB URL not found in configuration or environment variable; running in STANDALONE mode
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Pending transactions will not be persisted or shared across instances
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 📦 Node role is STANDALONE; pending transactions will not be persisted or shared across instances
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Loaded 0 BSP peers from database
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Successfully initialized BSP peer manager
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Download state store path: /tmp/storagehub/storagehub/download_state/
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 Starting BSP tasks
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:37 🔍 Discovered new external address for our node: /ip4/37.187.93.17/tcp/30333/ws/p2p/12D3KooWQ3fycKkf4X8qgoj4Kd6QSQEiWBD5tPhPPSkzK9KYVW95
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 📩 Finality notification #20: 6a97183553c2aa8aae5434ea97432c6bbe7176480169e5e3e5edc0dd2ee8a6ca
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 📨 Finality notification #20: 6a97183553c2aa8aae5434ea97432c6bbe7176480169e5e3e5edc0dd2ee8a6ca processed successfully
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 🥩 BEEFY pallet available: block 20 beefy genesis 1
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 🥩 Loading BEEFY voter state from genesis on what appears to be first startup. Starting voting rounds at block 1, genesis validator set ValidatorSet { validators: [Public(03de718d0dd28420fe4681194ac16598d58badda4767d05ed26dd5a225c43b80bc (KWDjyMyD...)), Public(03b1bce327cc5a6bab48076fe23163d2e13330a3bc98d321334d79caac1a4c1254 (KWCjMb1H...)), Public(03f86ecde6e1aa53c1719c55b3cc08b2f8fb5a7767388fc13bcb0f211c7861c6e5 (KWEL3nrb...)), Public(026df2c83423bc12dc3bc1fe849064ad4595f1f2a9bd8dc82d56bd82d5b42c9209 (KW5Qp5jv...)), Public(036005f2817bf46a02490620bb8235bf216b8de4bfae1aaa3c896ac5edb8ea1475 (KWAtDN4R...)), Public(02563aad0212a4837f638775e6e7f505bbb7e61df67612b75fd64a9e3b167230b9 (KW4siHnY...)), Public(02b414bafec593f10182d1d905739de35eb212b14e843310cb52694b5f656ff07e (KW6zmX51...))], id: 0 }.
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 🥩 run BEEFY worker, best grandpa: #20.
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:38 🥩 Concluded mandatory round #1
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:39 📩 Finality notification #512: 0de8dbc636bff213da9cd1939032f6df388ebea282541d87388c7c821887b6d7
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:39 📨 Finality notification #512: 0de8dbc636bff213da9cd1939032f6df388ebea282541d87388c7c821887b6d7 processed successfully
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:40 📩 Finality notification #1024: ad779944677ce4318d238efeb423966114bace0956adc9cf6faee7a98c32e5ba
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:40 📨 Finality notification #1024: ad779944677ce4318d238efeb423966114bace0956adc9cf6faee7a98c32e5ba processed successfully
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:40 🥩 New Rounds for validator set id: 1 with session_start 564
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:40 🥩 Concluded mandatory round #564
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:41 📩 Finality notification #1536: 4b1060718ed87bae983f9f55e32bd17bd5fec0127a8861e4ad19db7e26e7f681
    datahaven-bsp  | 2026-01-08 12:15:41 📨 Finality notification #1536: 4b1060718ed87bae983f9f55e32bd17bd5fec0127a8861e4ad19db7e26e7f681 processed successfully
    

    What these logs tell you:

    • Your node is running on the correct network with the identity derived from your node key.

      📋 Chain specification: DataHaven Testnet
      🏷 Node name: BSP01
      👤 Role: FULL
      🏷 Local node identity is: 12D3KooWQ3fycKkf4X8qgoj4Kd6QSQEiWBD5tPhPPSkzK9KYVW95
      

    • Storage provider started.

      Starting as a Storage Provider.
      Storage path: Some("/data/storage"),
      Max storage capacity: Some(32212254720),
      Jump capacity: Some(5368709120)
      

      • Max storage capacity: 32,212,254,720 bytes (~30 GiB)
      • Jump capacity: 5,368,709,120 bytes (~5 GiB)

    • External address discovered (multiaddress).

      Note

      This is your node's multiaddress and you will use it as a param while verifying the BSP node on-chain later.

      🔍 Discovered new external address for our node:
      /ip4/37.187.93.17/tcp/30333/ws/p2p/12D3KooWQ3fycKkf4X8qgoj4Kd6QSQEiWBD5tPhPPSkzK9KYVW95
      

    • Node started syncing with network.

      ⚙️ Syncing, target=#1021251 (7 peers), best: #1611, finalized #1536
      ⬇ 384.5kiB/s ⬆ 11.7kiB/s
      

      • Target: Current chain head (#1,021,251)
      • Best: Blocks downloaded so far (#1,611)
      • Finalized: Blocks confirmed as final (#1,536)
      • Peers: 7 connected nodes

      Your node will catch up over time. Once best reaches target, you're fully synced.

Useful Docker Commands

A collection of helpful Docker Compose commands you’ll use while developing or debugging your BSP node:

• Run the container in the background.

  docker compose up -d
  

• Stop and remove the container.

  docker compose down
  

• Check status and logs while the container is running.

  docker compose ps
  

• Continuously tail logs in terminal.

  docker compose logs -f
  

• Continuously display logs in terminal and save them into a file.

  docker compose logs -f | tee bsp.log
  

• Continuously stream and continuously save all logs into a file.

  docker compose logs -f > bsp.log
  

Inject the BSP Blockchain Service Key

The node has a keystore directory. BSP nodes need the blockchain service key injected into the node's keystore. The key is of type BCSV and scheme ECDSA, which is the same curve scheme that’s used for Ethereum-style keys. That key will serve as your BSP node's "BSP service identity” through which it will sign transactions on-chain.

Prepare BCSV Key

You have two options:

• Use an already existing ECDSA raw seed.
• Generate a completely new raw seed.

Key Scheme Requirement

DataHaven BSPs must use ECDSA keys. If you're bringing an existing seed, ensure it was generated with --scheme ecdsa. Other key types will not work.

Note

If you are a Linux user and can run the datahaven-node binary natively, you can replace docker compose run --rm datahaven-bsp with datahaven-node in the command bellow.

1. Save seed to $SEED variable:

   # Option 1: Use an already existing ECDSA raw seed
   # Format: 0x-prefixed hex string (66 characters total)
   SEED="INSERT_0X_RAW_SEED"
   
   # OR
   
   # Option 2: Generate a new ECDSA raw seed
   SEED=$(docker compose run --rm datahaven-bsp \
   key generate --scheme ecdsa --output-type json | jq -r '.secretSeed')
   

2. Verify the seed was saved:

   echo $SEED
   

Insert BCSV Key (ECDSA)

1. Make sure to stop and remove the container by running:

   docker compose down
   

2. Run the following command:

   Note

   The --keystore-path flag is crucial for keeping your keys across restarts.

   docker compose run --rm \
   datahaven-bsp key insert \
     --keystore-path /data/keystore \
     --chain /testnet-chain-spec.json \
     --key-type bcsv \
     --scheme ecdsa \
     --suri "$SEED"
   

   This command writes the resulting key into /bsp-data/chains/datahaven_testnet/keystore on your host. You can check if the command was successful by running:

   ls -la bsp-data/keystore/
   

   The output should look something like this:

   ls -la bsp-data/keystore/

   total 12
   drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan  8 12:13 .
   drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 4096 Jan  8 12:13 ..
   -rw------- 1 root root   68 Jan  8 12:13 626373780221d669185a2016467e452ee5509ee941ef834c3841cb1590509da14a4e2f288c

Finally, you have a running BSP node within an easily maintainable Docker container, with an injected keystore on the DataHaven network you've specified.

Next Steps

• Verify BSP On-Chain via UI

  Follow this guide to verify your BSP on-chain using the Polkadot.js Apps UI and thus enable your BSP node to participate in replicating DataHaven's files.

• End-to-End BSP Onboarding

  This tutorial takes you step-by-step through spinning up a BSP and verifying it on-chain.

Last update: January 14, 2026
| Created: January 14, 2026