darkfi/doc/src/misc/darkirc/normal-node.md

Run a Normal DarkIRC Node

A normal node is the recommended setup for chatting. It performs a full sync of the latest 24 hourly DAGs and keeps a rolling 24-DAG window. When a new DAG is created, the oldest DAG and its message data are deleted from the local datastore.

Build and create the configuration

From the repository root, build DarkIRC:

% make darkirc

Run it once to create ~/.config/darkfi/darkirc_config.toml:

% ./darkirc

The node continues running after creating the file. Stop it with Ctrl-C if you want to review the configuration before connecting. On macOS, the default configuration directory is ~/Library/Application Support/darkfi/.

Configure the history window

The generated configuration already uses these defaults. Uncomment the settings if you want them recorded explicitly:

# Fetch complete message data rather than headers only.
fast_mode = false

# Fetch the latest 24 hourly DAGs at startup.
dags_count = 24

# Prune old DAGs, keeping a rolling 24-hour window.
archive_mode = false
history_retention_dags = 24

dags_count is the number of recent DAGs fetched during startup and after a network reconnection. history_retention_dags is the number kept locally. In normal mode, dags_count cannot be greater than history_retention_dags. Each DAG represents one hour with DarkIRC's current rotation settings.

Review the [net] section before starting, especially active_profiles, seed addresses, proxy settings, and any inbound address you intend to expose. See network and message privacy and the node configuration guides for transport and public-listener setups.

Start and connect

Start the node from the repository root:

% ./darkirc

To use a configuration in another location, pass it explicitly:

% ./darkirc --config /path/to/darkirc_config.toml

Wait for the full startup sync to finish:

Event DAG synced successfully (full mode, 24 dag(s))

Then connect an IRC client to 127.0.0.1:6667, unless you changed irc_listen. The IRC client instructions provide a WeeChat example.

Stop the node with Ctrl-C so the datastores are flushed cleanly. Changes to history, datastore, and network settings take effect only after a restart; /rehash is only for reloadable IRC settings such as channels and contacts.