VeryChain connects participation

Run on macOS

For Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later). Check the chip under the Apple menu → About This Mac. An Intel Mac package is not included in this guide.

1. Download and extract

Click Mac node client ZIP above, then open Finder’s Downloads folder. Double-click the ZIP to extract it and keep the resulting folder somewhere easy to find.

The current package contains the following two items. Keep very together with the src folder, rather than moving the program alone to the desktop.

Extracted folder/
├── very          ← program to run
└── src/
    └── key.json  ← file for the node-specific key

2. Open key.json and save your key

1. Open the src folder and find key.json.
2. Right-click → Open With → TextEdit. If it is hard to find, switch Finder to list view.
3. Delete only the example text such as Paste a private key here and paste your node key between the quotation marks. Check for accidental spaces or line breaks around it.
4. Save with Command (⌘)+S. Keep the name key.json; do not save a new .txt or .rtf file.

3. Run very

Go back to the parent folder of src and double-click very. If the program opens, skip to step 5. If macOS blocks an unidentified developer, close the dialog and continue to step 4.

4. Allow execution in macOS

1. Open Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Find the notice that very was blocked and click Open Anyway. You may need to attempt running very first for this to appear.
3. Authenticate with your Mac password or Touch ID, then choose Open in the confirmation. Run very again from Finder if needed.

Use this procedure only for a developer verification warning on the official files linked here. If malware or file damage is detected, do not force execution; verify the file and source. Apple’s app-opening guide describes the same settings path.

5. Check synchronization logs and leave it running

The window continuously shows times and English messages. These are the node’s logs, or activity records. Block synchronisation started means block data download has begun.

Keep the program window and internet connection active. Sleeping the Mac or closing a laptop lid can interrupt operation. Connect power and check battery or energy sleep settings. A dark screen is different from a sleeping computer.

Check synchronization completion

Run on Windows

For Intel or AMD x64 PCs running Windows 11. Check System type under Settings → System → About.

1. Download and extract to a dedicated folder

Download the Windows node client ZIP. In Downloads, right-click it → Extract All. A folder such as very_node on your desktop makes it easy to find.

Do not run inside the ZIP. The extracted folder must contain both very.exe and src.

very_node/
├── very.exe      ← program to run
└── src/
    └── key.json  ← file for the node-specific key

Enable View → Show → File name extensions in Explorer to see .exe and .json.

2. Open key.json in Notepad

Open src, right-click key.json → Edit in Notepad. If missing, choose Open with → Notepad.

3. Enter and save the key

Replace only the example inside quotation marks and save with Ctrl+S. Close Notepad and confirm the name remains key.json. A file named key.json.txt may not be read by the node.

4. Run as administrator

Return to the parent folder of src, then right-click very.exe → Run as administrator. If Windows asks permission to make changes, verify the file before allowing it.

SmartScreen may show “Windows protected your PC.” Once you verify this is the official file linked here, choose More info → Run anyway, or Run if already visible. If security software detects or quarantines malware, treat that separately and investigate the block first.

5. Check synchronization starting in the logs

The program shows English logs. Block synchronisation started means synchronization has begun. The initial block download can take time.

For continuous operation, check power and sleep settings. After restarting Windows, run very.exe from the same folder and confirm logs resume.

Check synchronization completion

Run in the cloud — Ubuntu

Cloud means renting an internet-connected computer. This example creates an Ubuntu server on AWS EC2. If you already have Ubuntu, start at step 3 after checking specifications, access keys, and network settings.

There are two command windows: “On your computer” means Mac Terminal or Windows PowerShell; “On the server” means the SSH session. Run one line at a time and check the result before continuing.

1. Open EC2 in AWS

Sign in to AWS Console, choose your region (server location), and search for EC2 at the top.

Open Instances in the left menu, then Launch instances. An instance is one server you create.

2. Set specifications, access keys, and networking

Work down the settings form. Use the specifications in the table below, rather than older defaults shown in screenshots.

The key pair lets you access the server. Store the downloaded very-node-key.pem somewhere safe and findable. Do not put this file in key.json.

A security group defines incoming connections. Create or edit a group with these inbound rules.

SSH’s My IP restriction and allowing all IPv4 for node traffic are separate rules. This package does not require exposing extra RPC or administrative ports. Outbound internet access must also work.

Set storage to at least 500 GiB and review the summary. Check estimated server and disk costs before launching. Do not assume this specification is free-tier eligible.

3. Find the server IP and prepare installation files

Select your instance and copy Public IPv4 address from its details. Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP in the commands with it. Do not copy the obscured address in the screenshot.

For a connection example specific to your server, select the instance and open Connect → SSH client.

Place these two files in your computer’s Downloads folder.

• 2026_Guide.zip from the download table above
• very-node-key.pem from server creation

If you chose other filenames, use those names in the commands. This guide uses AWS Ubuntu’s default username, ubuntu.

4. Transfer files and connect from your computer

On Mac: Open Terminal using Command (⌘)+Space. Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your address and run one line at a time. chmod 400 makes the server key readable only by you.

cd ~/Downloads
chmod 400 very-node-key.pem
scp -i very-node-key.pem 2026_Guide.zip ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/home/ubuntu/
ssh -i very-node-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP

On Windows: Search PowerShell in Start. If Downloads is elsewhere, change the first line to your folder path.

cd "$HOME\Downloads"
scp -i .\very-node-key.pem .\2026_Guide.zip ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/home/ubuntu/
ssh -i .\very-node-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP

scp copies the ZIP to the server; ssh connects. On first connection you may see yes/no. Verify your server address and, if possible, compare its fingerprint in AWS Console before entering yes. For key permission or connection errors, see AWS SSH guidance.

If Windows cannot find ssh or scp, install the OpenSSH client using the Windows steps in the AWS guide, then reopen PowerShell and connect.

5. Extract on the server and enter the node key

Prepare the required tools and extract the ZIP. Run each line and continue only if no error occurs.

cd /home/ubuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y unzip nano
unzip 2026_Guide.zip
cd 2026_Guide
ls

ls lists files in the current folder. You are in the right location if the following files appear.

2026_Guide/
├── 0_prepare.sh
├── 1_build.sh
├── 2_execute.sh
├── 3_log.sh
├── docker-compose.yml
└── key.json

Open the key file with this command.

nano key.json

nano is a server text editor. Use arrow keys, remove only the sample between quotation marks, and paste your issued node key. Save with Ctrl+O → Enter, then close with Ctrl+X. On Mac these use Control, not Command.

The cloud key file belongs in this folder. Do not create a src folder like on Mac or Windows. docker-compose.yml and key.json must sit together.

6. Install Docker and reconnect

Docker runs the node in a defined environment. Run the following in the same folder; the package script prepares Docker and Compose.

sh 0_prepare.sh

Wait until installation finishes and the prompt returns. If there is an error, investigate before continuing. The script also grants Docker access, so disconnect and reconnect to the server.

exit

You are back in your computer’s command window. Reconnect using the SSH command from step 4.

ssh -i very-node-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP

After reconnecting to the server, enter the installation folder and check Docker with the following commands.

cd /home/ubuntu/2026_Guide
docker compose version
docker ps

7. Download the node → run → view logs

Run the three commands in order, one line at a time. Wait for each to finish and check for errors.

Download the node program image. When complete, run the next command.

sh 1_build.sh

Start the node in the background.

sh 2_execute.sh

Open the logs to check operation.

sh 3_log.sh

Check block logs keep updating after Block synchronisation started. Ctrl+C exits the log view only; the node keeps running in the background. Ending SSH with exit also leaves it running while the server and container remain active.

8. Reconnect later to check status

Connect from your computer with the step 4 SSH command, then run these on the server.

cd /home/ubuntu/2026_Guide
docker compose ps

If very-node shows Up or running, the container is running. This is program status; verify synchronization separately using log block heights.

Synchronization data is stored in db-data/node. Restarting does not require deleting it or key.json. If the server was stopped and restarted, check whether the public IP changed. Stopping only the node process does not stop all cloud charges.

Check synchronization completion