Walrus Network Docker Compose Setup

Tested on M2 MacOS 15.1 with Docker v27.3.1.

This setup launches:

• A Sui Network with 4 validators, 1 fullnode, and 1 faucet.
• 4 Walrus Storage Nodes.

How to Run

Simply execute docker compose up (the latest Docker versions have deprecated docker-compose).
You might see some errors like ERROR mysten_metrics::thread_stall_monitor: Thread stalled for 521ms, this is completely normal and won't block anything.

How to Interact with the Network

1. Use docker ps to view all running containers. Look for containers with the images:

   • mysten/walrus-service:9eeee2f17198ed8683967af8c8ed7d7c985398ef
   • mysten/sui-tools:mainnet

2. To access a container’s shell:

   • Run docker exec -it dryrun-node-0/1/2/3 bash.
   • Each Walrus node's configuration file is located at /opt/walrus/outputs/dryrun-node-[0|1|2|3].yaml.
   • Each storage node contains Sui wallet information for all network participants (storage nodes and admin).

3. To obtain more WAL tokens for testing:

   • Shell into a container and run:
     • sui client faucet --url http://sui-localnet:9123/gas to get more Sui tokens.
     • walrus get-wal <amount_in_mist> (e.g., 500000000000 for 500 WAL).

4. To store data on the Walrus Network:

   • Shell into any storage node container and run (all of them are pre-configured with a walrus client):
     • walrus store <file> to upload data.
     • Similarly, use walrus commands to retrieve stored data.

5. Optionally, you can expose port 9185 from any storage node container and interact with the REST API from you local development environment.Similarly, use walrus commands to retrieve stored data.

What Happens Behind the Scenes

1. Each docker compose up starts a fresh Sui network.
2. Walrus contracts are deployed to the new Sui network.
3. Walrus dry-run configurations are generated, along with Sui wallets for each storage node.
4. Local Sui tokens are obtained.
5. Local Sui tokens are exchanged for Walrus tokens.
6. Storage nodes are initialized and started.

Disclaimer

1. This project is in its early stages. A fixed version of the Walrus image and contracts is used for testing. We are working on a process to regularly update the image version, enabling users to test the latest features.
2. The Sui network uses the mainnet image label. At the time of testing, it was an alias for mainnet-v1.37.3.
3. Walrus publisher and aggregator features are currently not supported but are under development.