Quick Start

Get up and running with Norn in minutes. Install the node, create a wallet, and join the devnet.

Installation

From Git (latest)

cargo install --git https://github.com/augmnt/norn-protocol norn-node

From Source

git clone https://github.com/augmnt/norn-protocol
cd norn-protocol
cargo install --path norn-node

After installation, the norn command is available:

norn --version
norn wallet create --name mywallet
norn run --dev

Join the Devnet

norn run --dev

This will:

Connect to seed.norn.network as a peer (automatic)
Sync all existing blocks from the network
Store your thread and chain state locally (SQLite, persistent)
Gossip any transactions you submit to the seed for inclusion in blocks

Your wallet CLI works against your local node by default (--rpc-url http://localhost:9741), and transactions will propagate to the entire network.

Network Architecture

The devnet runs HotStuff BFT consensus across dedicated validators. Local nodes connect to the seed to sync blocks, submit transactions, and hold their local thread state.

Seed + validator nodes: Run with --consensus to participate in multi-validator HotStuff BFT block production.
Local nodes: Connect to the seed as peers. Hold your thread locally, sync blocks from the network, and gossip transactions for inclusion in blocks.

Network Modes

Mode	Chain ID	Faucet	Use Case
`dev`	`norn-dev`	Enabled (60s cooldown)	Local development and devnet
`testnet`	`norn-testnet-1`	Enabled (1hr cooldown)	Public testing, multi-node
`mainnet`	`norn-mainnet`	Disabled	Production deployment

Common Flags

Flag	Description
`--dev`	Dev mode: faucet, SQLite storage, solo validator, auto-bootstrap to devnet seed
`--consensus`	Enable multi-validator HotStuff BFT consensus (overrides solo mode from `--dev`)
`--no-bootstrap`	Run as the seed node (no outbound peers)
`--storage <TYPE>`	Override storage: `sqlite` (default for --dev), `memory`, `rocksdb`
`--boot-node <MULTIADDR>`	Add a custom bootstrap peer
`--rpc-addr <ADDR:PORT>`	Bind RPC server (default `127.0.0.1:9741`)
`--data-dir <PATH>`	Data directory (default `~/.norn/data`)
`--reset-state`	Wipe data directory before starting

Public Endpoints

Service	URL
RPC	`https://seed.norn.network`
WebSocket	`wss://seed.norn.network`
Explorer	explorer.norn.network
P2P Bootstrap	`/ip4/164.90.182.133/tcp/9740`

Running the Seed Node

The seed node runs with --no-bootstrap since it IS the bootstrap peer:

norn run --dev --consensus --no-bootstrap --rpc-addr 0.0.0.0:9741 --data-dir /var/lib/norn/norn-data

Next Steps

Wallet CLI -- Create wallets and send transactions
NornNames -- Register a human-readable name
Architecture -- Understand how the protocol works