The node package contains everything needed to build a client that follows chain 2800: the genesis file, the patches against upstream Besu, the post-quantum precompiles, the anchor code, the validator registries and the NIST test vectors.
Get the package
git clone https://git.aere.network/aere-network/aere-node.git
cd aere-nodeWhat is in it
| Path | What it is |
|---|---|
genesis.json | The genesis file the fleet runs, byte for byte |
patches/0001…0010 | The changes against upstream Besu (0002 is for the testnet only) |
precompiles/ | The five post-quantum precompile implementations |
anchor/ | The certificate anchor: rules, producer, registry binding |
registries/ | The Falcon validator registries and their hashes |
vectors/ | NIST Known-Answer Test vectors for the precompiles |
SPEC.md | The normative protocol specification |
RUN-A-NODE.md | The operational procedure this page summarises |
run-node.sh | A start script that carries the options a follower needs |
Check the genesis before anything else
sha256sum genesis.jsonExpect e5038e6a1437bd85fa51294609edf2126a997f14f4fa7a65a0d39bd0aa24d2e5, on the file with LF line endings (since 2026-09-10; 361709dcce… before, when config carried two registry entries instead of three). A genesis that differs in config, even with the same block 0 hash, is a different chain for anything that judges anchors: two nodes can peer happily and still disagree about which headers are valid.
Build
The package builds against a named upstream Besu commit with the patches applied. The exact commit and the build recipe are in RUN-A-NODE.md, which is the authority; it is kept there rather than duplicated here so that the two cannot drift apart.
Do not skip patch 0005. It carries the AERE milestone, and a build without it stops at block 9,189,161 with a state root mismatch. That height was measured by attempting exactly that import, not derived from the configuration.
Do not skip patch 0008 either. It carries AIP-22 stages 1 to 3, and a build without it refuses block 20,836,228 (Incorrect validators: from that block the header names the validators by post-quantum ids), measured on 2026-10-01. run-node.sh applies 0001 and 0003 to 0010, and rebuilds a node that was built from an older set of patches. Patches 0009 (the fleet distribution of 2026-10-02) and 0010 (the round-bound commit seal and the v3 anchor certificate, AIP-22 stage R) were added on 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-14; 0010 is inert on chain 2800 until its height is set, and RUN-A-NODE.md describes both.
Which parts are which
If you want to follow the chain, you need the client, the genesis and the follower options. If you want to run a validator, you additionally need a Falcon key in the registry, which is a decision by the validator set and not something the package can give you.
Then
Configure, then check you are on the right chain before trusting any reading from your node.