AeMdw Docker Setup Documentation

Overview

AeMdw is a middleware that acts as a caching and reporting layer for the æternity blockchain. It responds to queries more efficiently than the node and supports additional queries.

The middleware runs an Aeternity Node alongside it in the same Docker container and BEAM VM instance. This node can be configured using the aeternity.yaml file or by passing environment variables, just like configuring the node directly.

Quick Start with Docker Compose

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/aeternity/ae_mdw && cd ae_mdw

Step 2: Database Snapshot (Optional)

1. Download a full backup from Aeternity Downloads.

2. Create a data directory under the root repository directory and extract the backup using the following command:

   tar -xvzf path-to-backup.tar.gz -C data

   This will extract the mnesia and mdw.db folders to the data directory.

Step 3: Start the Application

Run the following command to start the application on the mainnet:

docker compose up

To check if the application is running properly, visit the /status endpoint and ensure that node_height is higher than 600000.

Running with Docker (Without Compose)

Step 1: Create Directories and Set Permissions

Create the necessary directories for data storage and logs:

mkdir -p data/mnesia data/mdw.db log

Ensure the directories have the correct permissions to allow the middleware to write to them:

chown -R 1000 data log

Step 2: Use a Database Snapshot (Optional)

If you want to use a database snapshot:

1. Download a full backup from Aeternity Downloads.

2. Extract the backup to the data directory:

   tar -xvzf path-to-backup.tar.gz -C data

   This will place the mnesia and mdw.db folders under the data directory.

Step 3: Run the Container

Start the container with the following command:

docker run -it --name ae_mdw \
  -p 4000:4000 \
  -p 4001:4001 \
  -p 3113:3113 \
  -p 3013:3013 \
  -p 3014:3014 \
  -v ${PWD}/data/mnesia:/home/aeternity/node/data/mnesia \
  -v ${PWD}/data/mdw.db:/home/aeternity/node/data/mdw.db \
  -v ${PWD}/log:/home/aeternity/ae_mdw/log \
  -v ${PWD}/docker/aeternity.yaml:/home/aeternity/.aeternity/aeternity/aeternity.yaml \
  aeternity/ae_mdw:latest

This command starts the middleware in a docker container. The middleware will be available at http://localhost:4000. Note that you can pass the -d flag to run the container in detached mode.

Step 4: Check the Status

To check if the middleware is running properly, visit the /status endpoint and ensure that node_height is higher than 0.

Step 5: Managing the Container

To check the logs, run the following command:

docker logs ae_mdw

To check the status of the container, run the following command:

docker ps -a

To stop the container, run the following command:

docker stop ae_mdw

To restart the container, run the following command:

docker start ae_mdw

Customizing Configuration

Edit the configuration file docker/aeternity.yaml to specify network settings:

• ae_mainnet for mainnet

• ae_uat for testnet

• A custom network name if running your own network or a hyperchain

You can also pass environment variables to configure the node, similar to standard Aeternity Node configuration.

Refer to Aeternity Configuration Docs for more details.

Additional Resources

• Aeternity Node Configuration

• Aeternity Hyperchain Configuration