Collator Node - Technical Requirements
Collator Node – Technical Prerequisites
This section outlines the technical prerequisites and responsibilities for operating a Collator node on Energy Web X. It is intended as a reference and should be read alongside the Quick Start guide.
Note Procedural, step-by-step instructions for deployment and onboarding are intentionally excluded here and are covered elsewhere.
1. Deployment Models
Energy Web X supports two collator deployment models, each with different technical responsibilities.
Energy Web Managed Cloud (CaaS)
When using the Launchpad Collator-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering:
Infrastructure provisioning, OS configuration, binaries, and networking are managed by Energy Web
Operators are not required to provision hardware, install node software, or manage session keys manually
Operators remain responsible for:
Token balances
Governance and staking actions
Ongoing operational monitoring and responsiveness
This model is recommended for operators who want a production-ready collator without maintaining low-level infrastructure.
Self-Hosted Collator
When operating a self-hosted collator, the operator assumes full technical responsibility for infrastructure, software, keys, and uptime.
2. Infrastructure & System Requirements (Self-Hosted Only)
Self-hosted collators must meet minimum infrastructure requirements, including:
Operating system: Ubuntu LTS
Compute & storage: Sufficient CPU cores, memory, and SSD capacity to maintain a full archival node
Network: Reliable, low-latency connectivity with required P2P ports open for:
Parachain communication
Polkadot relay chain communication
These requirements ensure timely block production, synchronization, and network participation.
3. Key and Identity Requirements
All collator operators must manage the following cryptographic identities:
One Substrate collator address (EWX)
One Ethereum (EVM) address, including its compressed public key
Four distinct session keys, used to separate node responsibilities (best practice):
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Secure key storage and separation of operational keys are mandatory to reduce the impact of compromise.
4. Network and RPC Dependencies
Collator operation depends on reliable access to external network endpoints, including:
EWX bootnodes for parachain connectivity
Ethereum mainnet RPC for bridge-related operations
Energy Web Chain RPC for EWC interactions
Operators are encouraged to use dedicated RPC providers for production deployments to avoid rate limits and service degradation.
5. On-Chain Prerequisites
Before a collator can participate fully in network operations:
The minimum required self-stake must be bonded on EWX
Session keys must be registered on-chain
Inclusion in the active collator set depends on total stake (self-stake plus delegation)
Meeting the minimum bond alone does not guarantee active participation if the active set threshold is not met, see Business & Token Requirements for details.
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