Sonic node
A Sonic node of your own. Full node or validator.
Sonic is the chain formerly known as Fantom. A Sonic node runs sonicd, Sonic Labs' own software. Rent one for a private RPC endpoint that no other app shares, or as the home of a validator, and a spare node standing by. RPC is the address your app calls to read the chain and send transactions.
Updated . Prices checked .
- Full
- $139/mo
- Validator
- $219/mo
- Ready
- 24 h
On this pageFull or validator
02Full or validator
Sonic full node or validator?
Both run the same program. The full node answers your app. The validator signs blocks, and it never answers anyone.
Full node
$139/mo
- Does
- Follows Sonic block by block and answers requests on a private endpoint
- Serves
- JSON-RPC and WebSocket for the eth, web3, net and sonic APIs. Debug and trace calls are for dedicated nodes like this one
- History
- Pruned. It keeps current state, and history from its starting point. Older requests fail
- Archive
- Keeping every past state is a different, much bigger node. Archive is not offered yet
Validator
$219/mo
- Does
- Signs blocks with your validator key. The stake comes from your own wallet
- Stake
- At least 500,000 S of your own. A validator can grow to 16 times its own stake
- RPC
- Switched off. Sonic Labs says never to enable it on a validator, so your app reads from a separate full node
- Key
- One server holds the signing key. Two servers with the same key is a mistake you must never make. Your backup node never holds it
- Downtime
- Being offline for long (the docs give more than 5 days as an example) can get a validator suspended
The one-line test
Do you need to read the chain and send transactions? Take the full node. Do you hold the stake and want to sign blocks? Take the validator, and add a full node next to it for your RPC.
03How it works
Inside a Sonic node: one program, two jobs.
A single program, sonicd, does everything. What changes is how you start it.
sonicd
Sonic Labs' node program. It follows the chain, checks it and keeps its state.
A starting file
A new node loads a genesis file first. A pruned one is small. An archive one is large.
Your endpoint
Your app calls JSON-RPC and WebSocket at a nodes.herorpc.com URL that carries your key.
Validator mode
The same program, with RPC off and your signing key on that server only.
Sonic Labs' guide primes a new node from a genesis file: one for pruned, one for archive.
Peers connect on port 5050, over both TCP and UDP.
In the Sonic Labs example, RPC listens only on the server itself, on ports 18545 and 18546.
04Know the field
How much disk does a Sonic node need?
The official guides disagree on archive, so the chart shows both numbers instead of picking one.
Sonic Labs gives about 3 TB for an archive node. The older Fantom Foundation guide, which is undated, gives about 5.5 TB at the start and about 7 TB. We have not measured one, so treat archive size as unconfirmed.
Sonic Labs archive guide
Fantom Foundation guide
Sonic Labs validator guide
- Archive
- Not used
Sonic Labs warns that remote block storage, such as AWS EBS, does not give the speed these nodes need. Local NVMe does. The latest release we saw is v2.2.6, a stability release that is not mandatory.
CPU, memory and network figures for Sonic nodes, from the official docs: see the node requirements index.
05Sonic, specifically
Six Sonic facts that save you a weekend.
From Sonic Labs' documents and its issue tracker. They decide what your node can answer and what a validator risks.
Pruned nodes forget
Ask a pruned node for old state and it replies "state does not maintain archive data". That is how it is meant to behave, not a bug.
Two kinds of database
Validators keep the current state. Archive nodes keep every past state. Pruning happens live, with no downtime.
RPC stays off on a validator
Sonic Labs says not to enable the HTTP or WebSocket server on a validator. Run RPC on a separate node.
One key, one server
The signing key belongs on the validator server only. A second node with the same key is a mistake the docs warn about.
500,000 S to start
That is the minimum stake of your own. A validator may grow to 16 times its own stake.
Formerly Fantom
Sonic Labs' and the Fantom Foundation's guides still say Fantom Opera continues to operate. We found no newer confirmation, so this page covers Sonic only.
06Who rents one
Why teams rent one.
People whose Sonic traffic needs a lane of its own, and people who sign blocks.
DEX, lending and wallet teams
Move reads and sends off a shared public endpoint onto one that only your app uses.
Indexers and analytics
Log queries and block data with no shared request cap. For deep history you need an archive node, which we do not offer yet.
S stakers and validators
A home for the validator, and a full node beside it for the RPC the validator may not run. Every node price is listed side by side.
Old Fantom apps and holders
If your tools still say Fantom, the Sonic endpoint is what they point at now.
07Price check
Next to the published prices.
Both Sonic plans have an Allnodes bar. Its validator plan also adds a one-time setup fee. RedSwitches publishes a single starting price.
Allnodes: the cheapest dedicated plan on its Sonic pricing page.
RedSwitches
Its Sonic full and archive plans share this starting price, and the server you pick sets the final bill.
You save each month
$181 full, $261 validator
against the Allnodes list price above
08What you get
Pick full or validator, then the term.
Pick the node type and how long to prepay. The price updates as you choose.
Your Sonic node
Node type
Term
- A dedicated server sized for Sonic
- sonicd from Sonic Labs, one endpoint (a validator has none)
- A backup node, included
- A private endpoint on nodes.herorpc.com
- Your server logins
- No setup fee, ready within 24 hours
$139
a month, full node
Billed monthly
Pay in BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, SOL, TRX, LTC, DOGE or XMR.
10Questions
Sonic node questions
Real questions from node operators, answered plainly.
What is a Sonic node?
A server running sonicd, the node program from Sonic Labs. It follows the Sonic chain and can answer RPC calls. A validator runs the same program with RPC off.
Is Sonic the same as Fantom?
Sonic is the chain that came after Fantom. Sonic Labs' guides still say Opera continues to operate, and we found no newer confirmation either way, so we sell Sonic nodes only.
Why does my node say "state does not maintain archive data"?
You asked a pruned node about state it no longer keeps. Sonic issue 1046 shows this on calls such as eth_getCode and eth_call. Only an archive node answers for old state.
What are the Sonic node requirements?
The archive guide asks for at least 4 vCPU and 32 GB of memory, and recommends 8 vCPU and 64 GB, on local NVMe. The older Fantom guide asks for 16 vCPU and 128 GB for a public API.
What does a Sonic validator need?
At least 500,000 S of your own stake, a signing key made with sonictool, and a server with 1 TB of local NVMe and a 1 Gbps link. The funding key is better kept on a hardware wallet.
Can I run RPC on my validator?
No. Sonic Labs says not to enable the HTTP or WebSocket server on a validator. Rent a full node for your RPC and keep the validator quiet.
Can two servers sign with one key?
Never. The docs warn against a second node with the same signing key. The backup node we run beside your validator never holds that key, so it cannot sign.
Which ports does it use?
Peers connect on 5050, over TCP and UDP. In Sonic Labs' example, RPC listens on port 18545 and WebSocket on 18546, on the machine itself.
What does it cost?
Full nodes run $139 a month and validators $219. There is no setup fee, and paying 12 months ahead saves 25 percent.
When can I use it?
Within a day of your payment. The endpoint and the server logins then show in your dashboard.
Read Sonic, or sign for it.
Pay $139 for a full node or $219 for a validator each month, and get a spare node alongside.