Config files explained

1Two nodes, two files

Each node reads one settings file when it starts. It looks for it in its data folder unless you name another file with -conf (C++ node) or --conf (IronDivi).

On Windows the C++ node uses %APPDATA%\DIVI\divi.conf. IronDivi has no Windows build.

The C++ node keeps one divi.conf for both networks: testnet=1 inside it sends the node to testnet and its data to a testnet3 folder next to the file. IronDivi is the other way round. The network comes from the command line, and each network has its own folder with its own irondivi.conf. If you pass --datadir, IronDivi uses that folder exactly as given and looks for the file inside it.

2The format is different

This is the slip people make most when they have used both nodes.

Here is what each node does with the other one's habits. IronDivi with a divi.conf-style line refuses to start:

# irondivi.conf containing  rpcuser=tutf
Error: Failed to parse config file: "/home/you/.irondivi/testnet/irondivi.conf"

Caused by:
    TOML parse error at line 1, column 9
      |
    1 | rpcuser=tutf
      |         ^
    invalid string
    expected `"`, `'`

A setting written twice stops it too, with duplicate key `addnode` in document root. The C++ node does the opposite: it starts happily with quotes, but keeps them as part of the value. With rpcuser="tutf" in divi.conf, our node turned down the name tutf and accepted only "tutf", quotes included:

divi-cli -rpcuser=tutf getblockcount
error: incorrect rpcuser or rpcpassword (authorization failed)

An unknown or misspelt setting is the quiet failure. The C++ node ignores a line like foo=bar without a word. IronDivi logs one line and carries on:

WARN irondivid: Unknown configuration key in config file: maxconnections

If a setting seems to do nothing, check the spelling and then check the log.

3A safe starter file for each

Both files hold the name and password that protect the node's command port. divi-cli and irondivi-cli read the same file, so you never type the password. Make it long and random, from letters and digits only:

openssl rand -hex 24

Paste the result in as the password. Then make the file readable by you alone, because anyone who can read it can spend from the node's wallet:

chmod 600 ~/.divi/divi.conf
chmod 600 ~/.irondivi/testnet/irondivi.conf

A testnet divi.conf:

# ~/.divi/divi.conf
testnet=1
rpcuser=pick-a-name
rpcpassword=the-random-password
daemon=1
staking=0

A testnet irondivi.conf:

# ~/.irondivi/testnet/irondivi.conf
rpcuser = "pick-a-name"
rpcpassword = "the-random-password"
addnode = "services.divi.domains:51474"
staking = false

For the real network, drop testnet=1 from divi.conf, and put IronDivi's file in ~/.irondivi/ instead. Leave staking out, or set it to on, once the wallet holds coins you mean to stake.

WARN divi_rpc::server: RPC authentication disabled: set both rpcuser and rpcpassword

4Every divi.conf line

Any option the C++ node takes on its command line can also go in the file, without the leading dash. These are the ones worth knowing. Defaults come from divid -help for version 3.0.0.

On testnet the C++ node's command port is 51475 while IronDivi's is 51473. The peer port is 51474 for both. Running both on one computer works once you give one of them its own port and rpcport.

5Every irondivi.conf line

IronDivi version 0.2.5 acts on only the settings below. The ones in the next section are read but change nothing, and anything else gets the "Unknown configuration key" warning.

With staking = false the log says Staking disabled at startup (staking=false); use RPC setstaking true to start it. You can turn it on later without a restart, as shown in A tour of irondivi-cli.

6What IronDivi's file cannot set

Some settings you would expect in the file are command-line only in IronDivi 0.2.5. They give no error in the file; they simply have no effect. We tried each one.

• The network. testnet = true or regtest = true in the file did nothing: the node still reported "chain": "main". Start it with --testnet or --regtest.
• Running in the background and logging to the screen. daemon and printtoconsole in the file are ignored. Use --daemon and --printtoconsole.
• The indexes. txindex, spentindex and addressindex in the file are overwritten by the command line's values. With txindex = false in the file, the log still said Transaction index enabled, because it is on by default. With spentindex = true in the file, the spent index stayed off until we added --spentindex.
• Log size. maxlogsize and maxlogfiles in the file are read too late to matter. With 3 and 9 in the file, the log said max 1048576 bytes per file, 5 files kept. With --maxlogsize 3 --maxlogfiles 9 it said max 3145728 bytes per file, 9 files kept.

7The command line wins

When the same setting is in the file and on the command line, both nodes use the command line. We put rpcport in each file and a different one on the command line. Each node listened only on the command-line port, and the port from the file gave couldn't connect to server.

That makes the command line handy for a one-off change, such as a different port for a test, without editing the file. There is one exception: IronDivi adds an --addnode from the command line to the file's list instead of replacing it.

The command-line tools follow the same rule. If you start a node with --rpcport on its command line, pass the same --rpcport to irondivi-cli or divi-cli, because the file still has the old one.

Changes to either file take effect only when the node restarts. Stop the C++ node with divi-cli stop. Stop IronDivi 0.2.5 with a signal, as Install IronDivi shows, because its stop command answers but does not exit.

If something goes wrong

Next: run your node as a service so it restarts by itself, or compare the two nodes in full.