# Notes for Starting a Node

Starting a node without the `network/secret_ed25519` P2P key is now prohibited. This is especially important for first-time node-runners. If you try to run the node without `network/secret_ed25519` file present, you will encounter an error:\
`NetworkKeyNotFound("./data/chains/creditcoin3/network/secret_ed25519")`

* If you are already a running authority, you will not need to do anything, since the secret file is already present in your `base-path`, after the initial setup. If you want to become an authority (or run a node of any kind, for that matter), there are a couple of ways to fix this issue:

  * \[Preferred] Separately generate the key with:\
    `<NODE_BINARY> key generate-node-key --bin --base-path <your-base-path> --chain mainnet`\
    This will generate the secret file for you and insert it inside the correct base-path directory. This command will also output your node’s public identity after it's executed.
  * \[Preferred] Separately generate the key file with:\
    `<NODE_BINARY> key generate-node-key --file ./secret_ed25519 --bin`\
    and then manually put the resulting file into \
    `<your-base-path>/chains/creditcoin3/network/`
  * \[Unsafe] Pass --unsafe-force-node-key-generation to the node startup command to force Creditcoin to generate the key and insert it in the correct directory. Make sure you remove the flag `--unsafe-force-node-key-generation` for subsequent node restarts. It is recommended to use the unsafe option only for local testing, and if you know what you are doing

If your node is used as an RPC, you can now add RPC server rate limiting

* The CLI flag can utilize it at node startup `--rpc-rate-limit <calls/per minute>` <br>
* Added option to whitelist IPs in rate limiting
  * `--rpc-rate-limit 10 --rpc-rate-limit-whitelisted-ips 127.0.0.1/8 --rpc-rate-limit-trust-proxy-headers`&#x20;
  * Can be added as a node startup command, same as above


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