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Fund Your Node

Overview

Bee nodes require xDAI (for gas fees) and xBZZ (for storage and bandwidth) to function properly. The amount needed depends on your node type and use case.

xDAI is Required For:

xBZZ is Required For:

  • Buying Postage Stamps (scales with data size and duration)
  • Staking (Minimum 10 xBZZ, 20 xBZZ for reserve doubling)
  • Bandwidth Payments (~0.5 xBZZ per GB downloaded)

Token Amounts by Use Case

Use CaseNode TypexDAI RequiredxBZZ Required
Free tier downloadsUltra-Light, Light, FullNoneNone
Downloading beyond free tierLight, FullNoneScales with volume—start with ~0.1 xBZZ, increase as needed
UploadingLight, FullNoneScales with volume—start with ~0.1 xBZZ, increase as needed
Purchasing Postage Stamp BatchesLight, Full< 0.01 xDAI / txScales with volume & duration. Can start with ~0.2 xBZZ for small uploads.
StakingFull< 0.01 xDAI / tx10 xBZZ (minimum)
Storage Incentives TransactionsFull< 0.01 xDAI / tx - needs topups over time since these are reoccurring transactionsNone
Bandwidth PaymentsLight, FullNoneScales with bandwidth (~0.5 xBZZ/GB downloaded)
Chequebook DeploymentLight, Full< 0.001 xDAINone

Getting Tokens

How to Get xDAI

  • Free xDAI Faucets: You may try one of the Gnosis Chain faucets listed in the official Gnosis Chain documentation, however the amount offered may not meet your needs.
  • Purchasing xDAI: You can also purchase xDAI from various exchanges listed in the Gnosis Chain documentation. xDAI is also widely available on most major cryptocurrency exchanges.
warning

Make sure that you are withdrawing the Gnosis Chain version of xDAI, as xDAI has been bridged to several other chains as well.

  • Bridging From Ethereum: If you already have xDAI on Ethereum, you can also consider using the Gnosis Chain bridge to transfer it over to Gnosis Chain.

How to Get xBZZ

Getting Testnet Tokens (Sepolia ETH & sBZZ)

  • Sepolia ETH: Try these faucets.
  • sBZZ: Buy on Uniswap (ensure Sepolia testnet is selected in MetaMask and Testnet mode is enabled in the Uniswap web app settings).

Node Wallet & Chequebook

  • Wallet Creation: A Gnosis Chain wallet is auto-created when you install Bee.
  • Chequebook Deployment: A chequebook contract will be automatically deployed when a Bee node is configured to run as a light or full node and has been funded with sufficient xDAI to pay for the chequebook deployment transaction. Required for bandwidth payments.
  • Wallet Access: Located in keys/ in Bee's data-dir (importable to MetaMask). Also requires a password which is specified through your node's configuration (either passed directly with the password option or as a password file specified with the password-file option).

Funding Your Wallet

In order to fund your wallet, first you need to identify your wallet address. The easiest way to do so is to first start your Bee node in ultra-light mode (Bee will start in ultra-light mode when started with the default settings) and then query the Bee API to find your address:

curl -s localhost:1633/addresses | jq .ethereum
"0x9a73f283cd9212b99b5e263f9a81a0ddc847cd93"

Fund your node with the appropriate amount of xDAI and xBZZ based on the recommended amounts specified in the chart above.

For support, ask in the Develop on Swarm Discord channel.