Phase 1: Running a Stellar Testnet Node — Step-by-Step Guide

Overview

This phase was all about understanding how Stellar nodes work, deploying a testnet node using Docker, and exposing the Horizon API for educational and diagnostic purposes. While this setup doesn’t generate income, it’s a powerful way to learn blockchain architecture and prepare for more advanced node hosting.

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

✅ System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or Linux/macOS
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Docker Desktop installed and running
• WSL 2 enabled (for Windows users)

️ Install Docker (Windows)

1. Download Docker Desktop from Docker’s official site
2. Enable WSL 2 backend during installation
3. Reboot and verify with:
   bash

   docker --version
   

Step 2: Pull the Stellar Quickstart Image

This image includes stellar-core, horizon, and all dependencies.

docker pull stellar/quickstart

Tip: If you’re behind CG-NAT or using T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, this setup will still work locally but won’t expose your node externally.

Step 3: Launch the Testnet Node

Run the container with testnet configuration and expose Horizon on port 8000:

docker run -it -p 8000:8000 stellar/quickstart --testnet

What This Does:

• Starts stellar-core in testnet mode
• Syncs with Stellar’s testnet ledger
• Launches Horizon API server at http://localhost:8000

Step 4: Verify Node Sync and Health

Inside the container, you can run diagnostic commands:

stellar-core http-command 'info'

Expected output:

{
  "info": {
    "state": "Synced!",
    "ledger": 123456,
    "network": "Test SDF Network ; September 2015"
  }
}

If you see "state": "Catching up" for a long time, check your internet connection or container logs.

Step 5: Explore Horizon API

Use a browser or Postman to query the Horizon API:

• Ledger Info: http://localhost:8000/ledgers?order=desc&limit=1
• Account Lookup: http://localhost:8000/accounts/{public_key}
• Transaction History: http://localhost:8000/transactions?limit=10

These endpoints are great for building dashboards or integrating with educational tools.

Step 6: Troubleshooting Tips

Optional: Add Visuals

If you’re blogging this, consider adding:

• Screenshot of Docker container logs showing “Synced!”
• Diagram of Stellar architecture (Core ↔ Horizon ↔ Client)
• Postman request/response examples

What I Learned

• Stellar nodes are educational but not monetizable
• Horizon is a read-only API layer, not a dashboard
• Docker makes node deployment fast and replicable
• This setup is ideal for tutorials, API demos, and blockchain education