---
title: "How to run a Polygon node"
sidebar_position: 3
---

# How to run a Polygon node

:::warning
**Information**: The final release series of Erigon that officially supports Polygon is 3.1.\*. For the software supported by Polygon, please refer to the link: [https://github.com/0xPolygon/erigon/releases](https://github.com/0xPolygon/erigon/releases).
:::

## 1. Prerequisites Check

1. Confirm your machine meets the necessary [Hardware Requirements](../hardware-requirements) based on your desired sync mode.
2. **Install Docker**:
   * For Linux, install [Docker Engine](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install).
   * For macOS or Windows, install [Docker Desktop](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/).

## 2. Configure and Launch Erigon

Follow these steps to configure and launch the All-in-One Client with the Heimdall endpoint.

### **A. Create the Configuration File**

Create a new file named `docker-compose.yml` in a directory where you want to manage your Erigon setup, and paste the following content into it:

```sh
services:
  erigon:
    image: erigontech/erigon:v3.2.2
    container_name: erigon-node
    restart: always
    command:
      # --- Basic Configuration ---
      - --chain=bor-mainnet
      - --bor.heimdall=https://heimdall-api.polygon.technology
      - --http.addr="0.0.0.0"
      - --http.api=eth,web3,net,debug,trace,txpool
      # --- Performance Tweaks ---
      - --torrent.download.rate=512mb
      # --- Sync Mode (Optional) ---
      # To change Sync Mode, uncomment the line below:
      # - --prune.mode=archive
      # or
      # - --prune.mode=minimal
    ports:
      - "8545:8545" # Exposes the RPC port (needed for wallets/dApps)
    volumes:
      # *** IMPORTANT: CHANGE THIS PATH! ***
      # Replace the path below with an actual directory on your machine 
      # where you want the blockchain data stored (e.g., /mnt/ssd/erigon-data)
      - /path/to/erigon/data:/var/lib/erigon
```

:::warning
⚠️ **Action Required**: You must change the volume path! Replace `/path/to/erigon/data` with a valid, empty directory on your machine where you want Erigon to store its files.
:::

### **B. Launch the Node and Monitor Progress**

Open your terminal in the directory where you saved `docker-compose.yml`. To start the node and immediately see the sync process type:

```
docker compose up
```

Now you can relax and watch your Erigon Polygon node sync!

## Flag explanation

* `-it` lets you see what's happening and interact with Erigon.
* `--chain=bor-mainnet` and `--bor.heimdall=https://heimdall-api.polygon.technologyspecifies` specify respectively the Polygon mainnet and the API endpoint for the Heimdall network
  * to use Amoy tesnet replace with flags `--chain=amoy --bor.heimdall=https://heimdall-api-amoy.polygon.technology`
* Add `--prune.mode=minimal` to run minimal [Sync Mode](../../fundamentals/sync-modes) or `--prune.mode=archive` to run an archive node
* `--http.addr="0.0.0.0" --http.api=eth,web3,net,debug,trace,txpool` to use RPC and e.g. be able to connect your [web3 wallet](../../fundamentals/web3-wallet);
* `--torrent.download.rate=512mb` to increase download speed. While the default downloading speed is 128mb, with this flag Erigon will use as much download speed as it can, up to a maximum of 512 megabytes per second. This means it will try to download data as quickly as possible, but it won't exceed the 512 MB/s limit you've set.

:::tip
Press `Ctrl+C` in your terminal to stop Erigon.
:::

Additional flags can be added to [configure](../../fundamentals/configuring-erigon/) Erigon with several options.
