News · Testnet · November 6, 2026
Run a Ghostdrive node on a Mac mini, a DGX Spark or a VPS
A node keeps sealed blocks it can never read and answers storage challenges. Which machine to use, how to install it, how it earns points.
DRIVE 369 DAO · 2 min read
A node is how you join the Ghostdrive network. It keeps your data alive while your devices sleep, holds sealed blocks for others that it can never read, and helps browsers reach each other.
Pick a machine
| Machine | Good for |
|---|---|
| Your Mac with the desktop app | The easiest start: the node runs inside the app, backup and the Finder volume included |
| Mac mini (Apple silicon, 16–32 GB) | An always-on personal backup node; small and mid-size local models through Ollama |
| NVIDIA DGX Spark (128 GB unified memory) | Large local models, operator work (training and evaluation with receipts), a lab for a team |
| Linux VPS (1 vCPU, 1–2 GB RAM, public IPv4) | A storage-only node or a relay; never put your vault on a server you do not control |
Disk: as much as you want to offer (blocks are at most 256 KiB each). Network: an always-on connection. A public address helps others reach you; nodes behind NAT work through the relay.
Install
git clone https://github.com/NeyraLabs/ghostdrive && cd ghostdrive/packages
npm install && npm run build
npm link -w @ghostdrive/node
ghostdrive init --storage-only # a server: holds sealed blocks for others, never your vault
ghostdrive daemon # P2P on tcp/4369, API on 127.0.0.1:5369On your own machine, ghostdrive init --restore opens your vault with your 24 words and ghostdrive backup on keeps a copy of everything for your other devices. On a server, set GHOSTDRIVE_NODE_KEK so the node's key is sealed; desktops use the system keychain. Every option is in the node guide in Docs.
How node work earns points
On the testnet, a storage provider (ghostdrive provider) takes deals on the Base Sepolia test contracts and answers random challenges drawn from public randomness. Node points come only from proofs those contracts accept and from uptime the relay sees, with caps per node and per person. Signing up, following or reposting earns nothing. The full rules: How points work.
Testnet DRIVE on Base Sepolia has no value. Points are not tokens; at mainnet the DAO decides how they convert. Not financial advice.
Tell us what broke
Post your machine, your operating system and what happened in the Nodes topic on Telegram @drive369_dao, or open an issue on GitHub. A bug we accept earns bug-bounty points.