> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.polygon.technology/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Prerequisites
> System requirements, port configuration, and setup checklist for running a Polygon Chain full node or validator node.
## Node system requirements
Please note that all system requirements listed below are presented in a *Minimum/Recommended* format.
### Mainnet specs
| Node type | RAM | CPU | Storage | Network bandwidth |
| --------------------- | ----------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| Full Node/Sentry Node | 32 GB/64 GB | 8 core/16 core | 4 TB/6 TB | 1 Gbit/s |
| Validator Node | 32 GB/64 GB | 8 core/16 core | 4 TB/6 TB | 1 Gbit/s |
| Archive Node (Erigon) | 64 GB | 16 core | 16 TB(`io1` or above with at least 20k+ iops and RAID-0 based disk structure) | 1 Gbit/s |
### Testnet (Amoy) specs
| Node type | RAM | CPU | Storage | Network bandwidth |
| --------------------- | ---------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| Full Node/Sentry Node | 8 GB/16 GB | 8 core/16 core | 1 TB/2 TB | 1 Gbit/s |
| Validator Node | 8 GB/16 GB | 8 core/16 core | 1 TB/2 TB | 1 Gbit/s |
| Archive Node (Erigon) | 16 GB | 16 core | 1 TB/2 TB (`io1` or above with at least 20k+ iops and RAID-0 based disk structure) | 1 Gbit/s |
## Downloading the snapshot
It is recommended that you keep your snapshots handy before setting up the node. Link to the snapshot documentation [here](https://docs.polygon.technology/pos/how-to/snapshots/).
## Open necessary ports
### Sentry/full nodes
| Port | Protocol | Description |
| :---------------------: | :-------: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `26656` | TCP | Heimdall (CometBFT) P2P. Heimdall service connects your node to another node’s Heimdall service using this port. |
| `30303` | TCP + UDP | Bor P2P. TCP carries peer connections (RLPx); UDP carries peer discovery. Both must be open or your node will struggle to find peers. |
| `22` | TCP | For the validator to be able to SSH from wherever they are. |
| `26660` | TCP | Prometheus port for CometBFT/Heimdall. Not required to be opened to the public. Only allow for the monitoring systems (Prometheus/Datadog). |
| `7071` | TCP | Metric port for Bor. Only needs to be opened for the Monitoring system. |
| `8545`, `8546`, `1317` | TCP | Can be opened for Bor HTTP RPC, Bor WS RPC, and Heimdall REST API respectively; but only if really necessary. |
### Validator nodes
| Port | Protocol | Description |
| :-----: | :-------: | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `22` | TCP | Opening this to the public is not a good idea as the default SSH port 22 is prone to attacks. It is better to secure it by allowing it only in a closed network (VPN). |
| `30303` | TCP + UDP | To be opened to only the sentry to which the validator is connected, for Bor P2P (TCP) and peer discovery (UDP). |
| `26656` | TCP | To be opened to only the sentry to which the validator is connected, for Heimdall (CometBFT) P2P. |
| `26660` | TCP | Prometheus port for CometBFT/Heimdall. Not required to be opened to the public. Only allow for the monitoring systems (Prometheus/Datadog). |
| `7071` | TCP | Metric port for Bor. Only needs to be opened for the monitoring system. |
## Install RabbitMQ
This step is only relevant for validator nodes.
Before setting up your validator node, it’s advisable to install the RabbitMQ service. You can use the following commands to set up RabbitMQ (if it’s not already installed):
```bash theme={null}
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install build-essential
sudo apt install erlang
wget https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-server/releases/download/v3.10.8/rabbitmq-server_3.10.8-1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i rabbitmq-server_3.10.8-1_all.deb
```
## Connect to Ethereum RPC endpoint
This step is only relevant for validator nodes.
Validator nodes need to connect to an Ethereum RPC endpoint. You may use your own Ethereum node, or utilize [external infrastructure providers](https://www.alchemy.com/chain-connect/chain/ethereum).
## Mandatory checklist for validators
Please follow the below checklist in order to set up your validator node using binaries, Ansible, or packages.
| Checklist | Binaries | Ansible | Packages |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Machines required | 2 Machines - *sentry* & *validator* | 3 Machines - *local machine*, *sentry* and *validator* | 2 Machines - *sentry* & *validator* |
| Install Go packages | Yes | No | No |
| Install Python | No | Yes (only on the local machine where the Ansible Playbook runs) | No |
| Install Ansible | No | Yes (only on one machine) | No |
| Install Bash | No | No | Yes |
| Run Build Essential | Yes | No | No |
| Node setup | [Using binaries](https://docs.polygon.technology/pos/how-to/validator/validator-binaries/) | [Using Ansible](https://docs.polygon.technology/pos/how-to/validator/validator-ansible/) | [Using packages](https://docs.polygon.technology/pos/how-to/validator/validator-packages/) |
## Related
* **[Polygon Chain overview](/pos/overview)**: what the node is participating in: dual-layer architecture, milestones, checkpoints.
* **[Become a validator](/pos/get-started/becoming-a-validator)**: staking, delegation, and the full path from node to active validator.
* **[RPC endpoints](/pos/reference/rpc-endpoints)**: if you only need a connection to the network without running your own node.