Connecting to Peers

Connect your RougeChain node to the network to sync blocks and broadcast transactions.

Connect to Testnet

The simplest way to join the network:

./quantum-vault-daemon \
  --api-port 5100 \
  --peers "https://testnet.rougechain.io"

Your node will:

1. Download all blocks from the peer
2. Verify each block's PQC signatures
3. Build the local chain state
4. Start receiving new blocks in real-time

Connect to Multiple Peers

For better reliability, connect to multiple peers:

./quantum-vault-daemon \
  --api-port 5100 \
  --peers "https://testnet.rougechain.io,https://node2.example.com,https://node3.example.com"

Or via environment variable:

export QV_PEERS="https://testnet.rougechain.io,https://node2.example.com"
./quantum-vault-daemon --api-port 5100

Verify Connection

Check that your node has peers:

curl http://127.0.0.1:5100/api/peers

Expected response:

{
  "peers": [
    "https://testnet.rougechain.io/api"
  ],
  "count": 1
}

Sync Status

Check if your node is synced:

curl http://127.0.0.1:5100/api/health

{
  "status": "ok",
  "chain_id": "rougechain-devnet-1",
  "height": 12345
}

Compare the height with the testnet to confirm you're in sync:

curl https://testnet.rougechain.io/api/health

Connection Flow

Your Node                          Peer Node
    │                                  │
    │── GET /api/health ──────────────►│
    │◄─── { height: 12345 } ──────────│
    │                                  │
    │── GET /api/blocks?from=0 ───────►│
    │◄─── [ block0, block1, ... ] ────│
    │                                  │
    │   (verify signatures, apply)     │
    │                                  │
    │── GET /api/peers ───────────────►│
    │◄─── { peers: [...] } ───────────│
    │                                  │
    │   (discover new peers)           │

Firewall Configuration

If running behind a firewall, ensure the API port is accessible:

# Linux (ufw)
sudo ufw allow 5100/tcp

# Linux (firewalld)
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=5100/tcp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused"

• Check that the peer URL is correct and reachable
• Verify the peer node is running
• Check for firewall restrictions

Node stuck syncing

• The initial sync may take time on long chains
• Monitor progress by watching the height increase via /api/health
• Try connecting to a different peer

"Chain ID mismatch"

• Ensure your --chain-id matches the network you're connecting to
• Testnet uses rougechain-devnet-1