Miner Setup

This guide explains how to set up and operate a miner (worker) in the Psy network to generate ZK proofs and earn rewards.

Overview

Miners in the Psy network are responsible for generating zero-knowledge proofs for user transactions and network operations. They receive proof generation jobs from the network and get rewarded for successful proof submissions.

Prerequisites

Complete node installation as described in Node Installation
Have a running Psy network with coordinator and realm nodes
Create a wallet for mining operations

Installation

Follow the installation process described in Node Installation to install the required CLI tools.

Miner Setup

Step 1: Create Mining Wallet

Create a new wallet for mining operations:

# Create a new wallet
psy_user_cli wallet create

This creates a keystore file with:

ETH address
Public key hash
Private key
Encrypted wallet file

Step 2: Register as Miner

# Get your public key information
psy_user_cli get-public-key \
    --private-key=YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY \
    --sign-type=secp256k1

# Register with the network
psy_user_cli register-user \
    --private-key=YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY \
    --sign-type=secp256k1

Step 3: Configure Network Settings

Create a config.json file with network endpoints:

{
  "networks": {
    "localhost": {
      "coordinator_configs": [
        {"id": 0, "rpc_url": ["http://127.0.0.1:8545"]}
      ],
      "realm_configs": [
        {"id": 0, "rpc_url": ["http://127.0.0.1:8546"]},
        {"id": 1, "rpc_url": ["http://127.0.0.1:8547"]}
      ],
      "prove_proxy_url": ["http://127.0.0.1:9999"],
      "fees": {
        "guta_fee": 5000000000
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The public testnet (regnet-coordinator.psy-protocol.xyz, regnet-realm0.psy-protocol.xyz) is currently suspended during v2 implementation. The testnet will reopen once the v2 version is completed. For now, please use localhost development setup.

Whitelist Feature: The current whitelist system is a temporary security measure and will be removed in future versions to allow permissionless participation.

Mining Operations

Start Mining

Launch your miner to begin processing proof generation jobs:

# Start mining with keystore
psy_node_cli worker \
  --config ./config.json \
  --keystore-path .wallets/miner0.json \
  --recipient 3145728

# Or start with private key directly
psy_node_cli worker \
  --config ./config.json \
  --private-key YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY

Mining Process

Job Discovery: Miner polls network nodes for available proof generation jobs
Job Assignment: Edge nodes assign jobs to miners based on priority and availability
Proof Generation: Miner generates ZK proofs for assigned transactions
Proof Submission: Completed proofs are submitted back to the network
Reward Tracking: Successful proofs are recorded for reward calculation

Monitor Mining Activity

Check miner logs and status:

# Monitor logs (if running with output redirection)
tail -f miner.log

# Check job processing status via RPC
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8545 \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"psy_latest_checkpoint","params":[],"id":1}'

Reward Management

Claim Rewards

Claim accumulated mining rewards:

# Claim rewards using keystore
psy_user_cli claim-rewards \
  --keystore-path .wallets/miner0.json \
  --sign-type secp256k1 \
  --limit 10000

# Or using private key directly
psy_user_cli claim-rewards \
  --private-key YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY \
  --sign-type secp256k1 \
  --limit 10000

Parameters:

--keystore-path: Path to your encrypted wallet file
--sign-type: Signature type (secp256k1 for miners)
--limit: Maximum number of rewards to claim in one transaction

Performance Optimization

Hardware Requirements

CPU: 8+ cores recommended for optimal proof generation
Memory: 16GB+ RAM for handling multiple concurrent jobs
Storage: Fast SSD for temporary proof data
Network: Stable internet connection for job coordination

Troubleshooting

Miner not receiving jobs: Ensure your wallet is registered and whitelisted with the network.

Proof generation failures: Check system resources and ensure sufficient RAM/CPU availability.

Reward claiming fails: Verify your keystore file is valid and you have accumulated claimable rewards.

Network connection issues: Check config.json endpoints and network connectivity.

Production Considerations

Backup: Regularly backup your keystore files
Monitoring: Set up automated monitoring for miner health
Scaling: Run multiple miners with different wallets for increased throughput
Security: Keep private keys secure and use hardware security modules for large operations

Psy Protocol Documentation