Local Node

For advanced development and debugging, you can run a local Vara.eth node in two modes:

Node-only mode (recommended default) — connect your local node to an existing Ethereum Router (for example, Hoodi). No local Router deployment required.
Full local stack — run local Ethereum + deploy Router yourself + connect node to it.

Prerequisites

Before starting, complete Tools Install (at minimum: ethexe CLI).

Mode 1: Node-Only (No Router Deployment)

Use this when you already have a Router address (for example on Hoodi).

ethexe run \
  --ethereum-rpc "wss://hoodi-reth-rpc.gear-tech.io/ws" \
  --ethereum-router "0xBC888a8B050B9B76a985d91c815d2c4f2131a58A" \
  --rpc-port 9944

Best Default for Docs Readers

Most developers do not need to deploy Router locally. Node-only mode is enough to inspect behavior, test RPC flows, and run integration checks against an existing network Router.

Mode 2: Full Local Stack (Deploy Router Yourself)

Use this when you want a fully isolated environment.

1) Start local Ethereum

anvil --port 8545 --block-time 2

2) Deploy Router/WVARA contracts

git clone https://github.com/gear-tech/gear.git
cd gear/ethexe/contracts
forge install
forge script script/Router.s.sol:RouterScript \
  --rpc-url "ws://127.0.0.1:8545" \
  --broadcast

3) Get deployed Router proxy address

export ROUTER=$(jq -r '.transactions[] | select(.contractName=="TransparentUpgradeableProxy") | .contractAddress' \
  broadcast/Router.s.sol/31337/run-latest.json | head -n1)
echo "$ROUTER"

4) Run ethexe node against local Router

ethexe run \
  --ethereum-rpc "ws://127.0.0.1:8545" \
  --ethereum-router "$ROUTER" \
  --rpc-port 9944

Available Endpoints

Once running, these endpoints become available:

Endpoint	Address	Description
Ethexe RPC	`http://127.0.0.1:9944`	Main RPC endpoint for Vara.eth operations
Ethereum RPC	`ws://127.0.0.1:8545`	Ethereum-compatible RPC (Anvil)
Router Contract	`<your-router-address>`	Router used by your node

Quick Test

Verify the node is running:

# Check Ethexe RPC
curl http://127.0.0.1:9944 -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

# Check Ethereum RPC
cast block-number --rpc-url http://127.0.0.1:8545

Advanced Configuration

Custom RPC Port

ethexe run \
  --ethereum-rpc "wss://hoodi-reth-rpc.gear-tech.io/ws" \
  --ethereum-router "0xBC888a8B050B9B76a985d91c815d2c4f2131a58A" \
  --rpc-port 8080

Disable P2P Networking

ethexe run \
  --ethereum-rpc "wss://hoodi-reth-rpc.gear-tech.io/ws" \
  --ethereum-router "0xBC888a8B050B9B76a985d91c815d2c4f2131a58A" \
  --no-network

Enable Debug Logging

RUST_LOG=debug ethexe run \
  --ethereum-rpc "wss://hoodi-reth-rpc.gear-tech.io/ws" \
  --ethereum-router "0xBC888a8B050B9B76a985d91c815d2c4f2131a58A"

Reset State

Stop the node and delete the local database to reset:

rm -rf ~/.ethexe/db

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" on port 8545
→ Start Anvil manually: anvil --port 8545 (only for full local stack)

"Contract not found"
→ Re-deploy Router contracts and update --ethereum-router

Slow compilation
→ Use prebuilt ethexe binary if you do not need custom source changes

Switch Back to Testnet

To use the Hoodi testnet again:

Stop your local node

Run ethexe tx commands with Hoodi RPC/router values (or put them into .ethexe.toml):

ethexe tx query "$PROGRAM_ID" \
  --ethereum-rpc "wss://hoodi-reth-rpc.gear-tech.io/ws" \
  --ethereum-router "0xBC888a8B050B9B76a985d91c815d2c4f2131a58A" \
  --sender "$SENDER"

→ Networks

Local Node

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