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Windows
Setup a new host on Windows
This guide will walk you through setting up
hostd on Windows. At the end of this guide, you should have the following:- Installed Sia
hostdsoftware - Functional
hostdNode - Created a
hostdwallet
- Network Access:
hostdinteracts with the Sia network, so you need a stable internet connection and open network access to connect to the Sia blockchain. - Operating System Compatibility: Ensure your Windows version is compatible with the
hostdsoftware. Check releases supported by Windows versions. - System Updates: Ensure that your Windows is up to date with the latest system updates, as these updates can contain important security fixes and improvements.
Your machine must meet the minimum requirements for hosting on Sia. Not meeting these requirements may result in not receiving contracts from renters or risk losing Siacoins as a penalty. Hosting on Sia is a commitment that requires some technical knowledge and a stable setup as such:
- Windows 10 or 11
- A quad-core CPU
- 8GB of RAM
- An SSD with at least 100GB of free space.
- Additional storage space to rent out
You may need to run this step in administrative mode, so right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- 1.Download the latest version of
hostdfor your operating system from the official website. For this guide, we'll be downloading the Windows version ofhostd. - 2.Now that we have downloaded
hostd, you may need to unzip it.- Right-click the downloaded
hostdzip file and select Extract All to unzip it if it hasn't done so automatically. Select an accessible destination to extract the file. - Click on the newly unzipped directory.
- 3.Finally, for good practice, create a folder on the home drive. This folder will be utilized specifically to store data related to the
hostdsoftware. Open the Command Prompt and run the following command:
mkdir C:\Users\<your_username>\hostd
- 1.Right-click the
hostd.exein the unzipped directory, and select Run as administrator to starthostd.
You will be prompted to input both:
password- You choose this password, which can be anything you want. It will be used to unlock thehostdUI via your browser and API. This should be something easy to remember and at least 4 characters.seed phrase- The seed phrase is the 12-word phrase. Type it carefully, with one space between each word, or copy and paste it.
If you do not have a seed phrase, type seed to generate one. A new 12-word recovery phrase will be generated, so please copy and store it in a safe place, as you will need this phrase to recover your wallet.
These values are not stored anywhere and will be requested every time you start
hostd.If you lose this phrase, you will lose access to your wallet and funds. Read more about the importance of your seed.
You can also set the HOSTD
_SEED and HOSTD_API_PASSWORD environment variables so you do not have to re-enter the values every time.
Running hostd and generating a new seed
- 2.After entering your desired
passwordandseed phrase,hostdwill start.
Windows Defender may flag
hostdas a virus. This is a false positive, and you can Allow access. You can also add an exception to Windows Defender and read more about it here.
Starting hostd
- 3.You can now access the
hostdUI by opening a browser and going tohttp://localhost:9980.
Remember to leave the command prompt open while
hostd it is running. If you close the command prompt window, hostd stop.
hostd Login UI
Enter your
API password you created in the previous step to unlock hostd.Congratulations on successfully setting up
hostd and taking a significant step towards renting storage space on the Sia network.It is essential to keep your host up to date. New versions of
hostd are released regularly and contain bug fixes and performance improvements.To update:
- 1.
- 2.Stop the
hostdservice withCrtl+C. - 3.Unzip and replace
hostdwith the new version. - 4.Restart
hostd.
Last modified 1mo ago