Hello all, I’m writing this Socket proposal on behalf of Developer DAO (D_D). We are hoping to contribute to the POKT ecosystem by creating dev tooling specifically to support infrastructure operators - whether you’re running a single node, or have multiple nodes, gateways and relays. This may include resources to help infrastructure operators run on Docker/ Kubernetes, uplifting existing documentation and filling in documentation gaps where needed, and creating tutorials/ blog posts that help node operators get started with Shannon as it’s rolled out.
Deliver Impact:
These efforts map most closely to Ambition #1: Pocket has $1B of annual protocol revenue and Ambition #2: Pocket has the most trusted infrastructure brand in crypto. Our goal is to help POKT network become the most operator-friendly infrastructure in Web3 by creating startup/ upgrade scripts, tutorials, documentation, and blog posts. These materials would focus on making the node operating experience as seamless as possible to help drive the growth of the POKT network.
Description of planned work:
Specific examples of areas for improvement we’d like to work on are below.
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The existing node creation docs could be greatly simplified by hosting an install script/ series of scripts on Github to reduce the amount of copy-and-paste required. With POKT creating the required Github repos in their organization and giving D_D contributors access, D_D contributors could create, test, and ship the scripts. We intend to wait until Shannon rollout is further along to start creating the scripts so that they can have the maximum impact by helping node operators transition to Shannon.
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A new documentation page could be created for troubleshooting common issues experienced on nodes so that operators have a place they can look to solve issues without having to wait for responses in Discord.
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The possibility of creating a test node or gateway locally using something like Docker before committing to a full node/ gateway build is missing, and could contribute to greater adoption. We could work on finding the most developer-friendly and stable way to build a node locally for testing, and document the limitations of the local node so that operators know when it’s time to build a full node.
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While POKT offers Helm charts (GitHub - pokt-network/helm-charts), there is no existing documentation or video tutorial on deploying them. We could create these to help advanced operators get a head start on deploying on Kubernetes, including making the required updates once Shannon rolls out.
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Using tools like Terraform or Pulumi, we could further help bootstrap the infrastructure operator experience by also scripting the creation of the underlying cloud infrastructure (e.g., a Linode instance) required to host nodes. This would allow operators to deploy nodes even more rapidly, and enable them to scale much more effectively.
Type of Socket:
Initiative: $4K, paid and reviewed monthly for the life of the experiment.
Commitment to “Default to Open”:
Developer DAO has a “build in public” culture. We commit to weekly updates on the Socket forum page, and through release notes when stable releases are created on Github repos. If it’s agreeable to the POKT team, the repo can (and in my mind should) be public so that the community can watch ongoing progress.
Wallet Addresses
POKT address: 32e0bf94aa26ea2fb8b2ad3f3c5985754e89d7ac
ETH address: 0x9270441B0a33F1d0888F0DaAB4b4857A2f4e963d
February Addendum
Adding this addendum of what I’d like to accomplish in the month of February. The majority of what I’d like to accomplish is prep work for the larger socket effort, including:
- Building my own node(s) to test against. While going through this process, I intend to keep notes on gaps in docs, and open PRs to help correct docs where I come across issues. This is a small example of the types of fixes I’ll keep submitting as I run into issues: Fix Uncompressed Inline tar cmd by 0xThresh · Pull Request #1597 · pokt-network/pocket-core · GitHub
- Additionally, I plan to continue building out a new script to start nodes. While this will be specific to Morse nodes, I hope to use it as a basis of the type of scripts I’d like to create for Shannon. By building these out now, it gives the community a chance to comment on the usefulness and whether it’s worth pursuing with Shannon. My work-in-progress example that already gets you about halfway setup is here: https://github.com/0xThresh/pokt-node-setup/blob/main/node-setup.sh
- Attending community calls and builder calls to continue gathering input from long-time node operators to understand current pain points, and what kind of tooling would best help them. I plan to document feedback in this socket so that the community can continue to provide input, and have this input in writing for better visibility.
- Diving into Shannon materials for node operators as soon as they become available, and providing early feedback (if these materials become available this month).
I would be comfortable calling the value of this work at $1k since we are already a week into February, and since the work that will come from this phase has less immediate impact for the community, and re-evaluating once we get through this month.
