Run an observer | RP1 Documentation

Use a non-voting RP1 observer for RPC, indexing, integration tests, and independent evidence collection.

An observer uses the same application and retained-state mental model without participating as an active validator. It is useful for explorers, integration endpoints, audit queries, and a separate view of consensus progress.

Post-release procedure

Official rp1d 0.22.0 is available for Linux x86-64 from RP-ONE/rp1-releases. The release includes SHA-256 checksums, a keyless Sigstore bundle, provenance, the binary licence, and third-party notices. Follow the release repository verification steps before installation. RP1’s chain source remains private.

Continue only after installing the approved artifact listed by that status. Set the canonical bootstrap URL, then initialize without --from; omitting it prepares an observer home and does not submit validator-admission transactions.

Use the canonical public bootstrap manifest for node initialization:

export RP1_BOOTSTRAP_URL=https://testnet.chain.rp.one/bootstrap.json

Initialize an observerbash

rp1d testnet join \
  --home ~/.rp1-observer \
  --bootstrap-url "${RP1_BOOTSTRAP_URL}"

Start the observerbash

rp1d start --home ~/.rp1-observer

The bootstrap manifest supplies the core consensus peers. Configure an advertised QUIC address only when the observer is intentionally reachable by other nodes. Expose RPC, REST, gRPC, or EVM ports only when the host is intentionally serving those interfaces.

Use an observer when

an application needs a dedicated read endpoint;
an indexer should not compete with validator RPC traffic;
an operator wants independent common-height and header checks;
a test harness needs to exercise REST, gRPC, RPC, or EVM without validator signing keys.

Boundaries

An observer is not a light client and is not automatically an archival node. Historical transaction availability depends on retained data and pruning. It should expose a clear “unavailable” state rather than synthesizing a block or transaction from a newer application head.

Recommended checks

Verify node ID, chain ID, current header, app hash, and retained time.
Keep RPC admission and application query traffic observable separately.
Treat a stopped or under-connected consensus service as not ready even if HTTP responds.
Keep the observer’s credentials and network exposure distinct from validator keys.