Node Configuration and Storage Modes

Use the quick start to install Dingo and start a node. This page explains the main configuration choices. Read the complete Dingo v0.73.4 configuration reference and download the release-matched dingo.yaml.example.

Choose a node role

Role	Storage mode	Block production	Use
Relay	core	Off	Follow and validate the chain, serve node-to-node and node-to-client connections.
Block producer	core	On, with pool keys and an operational certificate	Follow the chain and forge blocks when elected. Use the SPO guides.
API node	api	Off	Keep historical transaction data and serve configured Blockfrost, Mesh, or UTxO RPC APIs.

core is the default storage mode and stores the data needed for consensus. api also indexes historical transaction details for query services. API providers require api mode; setting a provider port to 0 disables that listener. Storage mode does not enable block production.

Dingo block production is intended for test networks and private devnets in current releases. Follow the pool key and certificate guidance in the SPO guides; do not use a mainnet configuration as a signal that mainnet production is supported.

Configure Dingo

Dingo reads settings from a YAML file, environment variables, and command-line flags. The precedence is command-line flags, environment variables, YAML, then built-in defaults. A basic local run uses the embedded Preview network configuration:

./dingo --network preview

For a persistent or non-default setup, save the downloaded file as dingo.yaml and pass it with --config. Configuration options and defaults can change between releases.

Providers are configured under plugins: storage providers keep block data and metadata, mempool providers order pending transactions, and API providers serve client requests. Provider-specific configuration lives alongside the provider name. The example file documents the providers and options available in Dingo v0.73.4. Environment variables use the DINGO_PLUGINS_<CAPABILITY>_<PROVIDER>_... form. For example, the current example shows the supported blob and metadata providers and their options.

The Grafana guide covers metrics dashboards. For deployment as a Linux service, see Run Dingo as a service.