Reference implementation of Kava, a blockchain for cross-chain DeFi. Built using the cosmos-sdk.
The current recommended version of the software for mainnet is v0.26.2 The master branch of this repository often contains considerable development work since the last mainnet release and is not runnable on mainnet.
For detailed instructions see the Kava docs.
git checkout v0.26.2
make installEnd-to-end tests of Kava use a tool for generating networks with different configurations: kvtool.
This is included as a git submodule at tests/e2e/kvtool.
When first cloning the repository, if you intend to run the e2e integration tests, you must also
clone the submodules:
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Kava-Labs/kava.gitOr, if you have already cloned the repo: git submodule update --init
For further information on joining the testnet, head over to the testnet repo.
Kava protocol and client documentation can be found in the Kava docs.
If you have technical questions or concerns, ask a developer or community member in the Kava discord< 8303 /a>.
Once you have the binary installed from your customized Kava-based codebase, the next steps to run your own chain are similar to setting up a standard Cosmos-SDK-based network, with adjustments made to reflect your custom modifications. Here’s a general outline:
-
Initialize Your Chain:
Use the CLI binary you built (e.g.kava, or whatever custom name you gave it) to initialize your chain. This step creates the initial configuration files and a genesis file tailored to your custom chain’s parameters. For example:kava init aizel-mainnet --chain-id aizel_2222-10
- Moniker: A human-readable identifier for your node.
- Chain-ID: A unique identifier for your custom chain. Make sure this is unique and not one used by existing networks.
-
Customize the Genesis File:
After initialization, agenesis.jsonfile is placed in your.kava/configdirectory (or the corresponding.appname/configif you renamed it). You can:- Pre-fund accounts by adding balances directly into the
genesis.json. - Adjust staking parameters, governance rules, EVM configurations, and block time parameters.
- If you’ve replaced the native token with a custom token, ensure the denomination and any special parameters are updated here.
- Pre-fund accounts by adding balances directly into the
-
Adjust Configuration Files:
config.toml: Configure networking (persistent peers, seeds), consensus, and logging.app.toml: Adjust application-level parameters such as:- Minimum gas prices.
- EVM RPC addresses and ports.
- Database backend (goleveldb or rocksdb).
client.toml: Set up client parameters if necessary.
Since you’re building a custom chain, these values can be tailored to your requirements. You might remove or simplify certain parameters that were relevant to mainnet Kava but not for your project.
-
Add Keys and Accounts:
Create keys for accounts that will hold your pre-funded tokens:./kava keys add <key-name>
After creating keys, you can edit the genesis file to allocate tokens to these accounts. If you want certain accounts funded at genesis, add them to the
accountsandbalancessections ingenesis.json. -
Validate Your Genesis:
Run:./kava validate-genesis
This ensures your
genesis.jsonis properly structured and all parameters are valid. -
Start Your Node:
Once configuration and genesis customizations are complete, start the node:./kava start
The node should begin producing blocks if it’s the only validator, or start waiting for other validators if you plan a multi-validator test network.
-
Add More Validators (Optional):
If you want a multi-node test network, repeat similar steps on other machines (or multiple terminals), copy the samegenesis.jsonto each node’s config directory, and update thepersistent_peersinconfig.tomlso they can connect. Each validator should have its own keys and be added to the genesis or submit a create-validator transaction after the network starts running (if you allow it). -
Testing and Iteration:
Make transactions, test governance proposals, and interact with the EVM endpoints if you enabled them. If something needs to change, you can reset and re-initialize the chain with adjusted parameters until you’re satisfied.
- If you meet this issue when run "make install" : flag provided but not defined: -L/opt/homebrew/opt/openblas/lib, Just need to do :
unset LDFLAGS
unset CFLAGS
make install- update params.proto
make clean
make proto-gen
make installIf you find a security issue, please report it to security [at] kavalabs.io. Depending on the verification and severity, a bug bounty may be available.
Copyright © Kava Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.
Licensed under the Apache v2 License.