WB Network: Private Node Setup Guide

This manual will guide you through the process of setting up a private node on the WB Network, specifically configured to hide your IP addresses and other private information (ie user-agent, etc).

We will use Nginx as a reverse proxy with disabled logs and configured for cleanup headers.

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Prerequisites

Recommendations

Step 1: Setup Server

Update your system's package lists

sudo apt update 
sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx

Ensure that the Ubuntu firewall (UFW) is installed

sudo apt install ufw

Step 2: Setup node with Docker Compose

Docker Compose is an orchestration tool for defining and managing multi-container Docker applications. It uses a YAML file to configure the application's services and performs the creation and start-up process of all the containers with a single command.

Once the YAML file is configured, the developer can create and start all the services from your configuration with just a single command: docker-compose up. This drastically simplifies the deployment process and reduces the chance of human error.

As a reference for Docker configuration, we will use the official GitHub:

• Quick start https://github.com/whitebit-exchange/wbt#start-a-full-node
• Configuration: https://github.com/whitebit-exchange/wbt#programmatically-interfacing-geth-nodes

2.1 Create a required folder

sudo mkdir -p /var/whitebit 

2.2 Create a Docker Compose file

sudo nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following code into the file:

version: "3"
services:
  whitebit:
    image: whitebit/wbt:0.3.0
    command: --wbt-testnet --http --http.addr "0.0.0.0"
    ports:
      - "30303:30303"
      - "8545:8545"
    volumes:
      - /var/whitebit:/root
    restart: unless-stopped

Save and close the file (Ctrl+X, then Y and Enter).

2.3 Run the following command to start the WB Network node

sudo docker-compose up -d

Your node should now be running in Docker in the background.

2.4 Check logs

docker logs root-whitebit-1 -f

Step 3: Setup Nginx as a reverse proxy for WB Network node

Nginx is a powerful, high-performance tool that serves as an HTTP and reverse proxy server. By hiding the IP addresses and other details of backend servers, Nginx can provide an extra layer of security for your systems. As a reverse proxy, Nginx accepts all incoming traffic and forwards it to the appropriate backend server, which shields your servers from direct exposure to the Internet and potential threats.

3.1 Create a new Nginx configuration file

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/whitebit

Paste the following code into the file:

upstream rpc_whitebit_node {
    server 127.0.0.1:8545;
}

server {
    listen 80 default_server;
	listen [::]:80 default_server;

    server_name _;

    location / {
        add_header Content-Type "text/plain";
        return 200 'WB Network Node';
    }

	location /rpc {
        access_log off;

	    proxy_http_version 1.1;

	    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
	    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
	    proxy_set_header Host "localhost"; 

        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto "";
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host "";
	    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For "";
	    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP "";
	    proxy_set_header Forwarded "";
	    proxy_set_header User-Agent "";
        proxy_set_header Cookie "";
	
	    proxy_pass http://rpc_whitebit_node/;
	}
}

Save and close the file (Ctrl+X, then Y and Enter).

3.2 Enable your configuration by creating a symbolic link to the sites-enabled directory

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/whitebit /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

3.3 Disable Nginx default site configuration

sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

3.4 Test your configuration

sudo nginx -t

If the test is successful, you will see an output like this:

nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

3.5 Restart Nginx

sudo systemctl restart nginx

3.6 Test Nginx setup

Put to your browser endpoint http://<ip_of_your_server> and press Enter. If the configuration is successful, you will see an output like this:

WB Network Node

Step 4: Setup Ubuntu firewall (UFW)

Ubuntu firewall, also known as UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall), is a simple, easy-to-use front-end for the standard Linux iptables tool. It provides an organized and user-friendly method for configuring firewall settings.

4.1 Allow SSH connections

sudo ufw allow ssh

4.2 Allow Nginx HTTP connections

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx HTTP'

4.3 Enable UFW

sudo ufw enable

Your Ubuntu firewall is now setup to allow SSH and Nginx connections.

4.4 Try to check the status of UFW

sudo ufw status

If the setup is successful, you will see an output like this:

Status: active

To                         Action      From
--                         ------      ----
Nginx HTTP                 ALLOW       Anywhere                                  
22/tcp                     ALLOW       Anywhere                  
Nginx HTTP (v6)            ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)                       
22/tcp (v6)                ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)

Step 5: Testing node setup

Congratulations! We have everything installed, configured, and can test it.

You can change the configuration New RPC URL of the WhiteBIT Network in your MetaMask, press Save and try to make transactions trow your own node:

https://rpc-testnet.whitebit.network -> http://<ip_of_your_server>/rpc

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up your own WB Network private node to protect your online privacy effectively. By installing this node, you can hide your real IP address and user-agents from browsers/wallets, ensuring that your online activities remain anonymous.

Additionally, this setup ensures that no logs are generated, preventing any attempts to deanonymize you or reveal your actual location.

What next?