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Command-line options

Prysm's client software can be configured using flags and YAML files. This document provides a comprehensive list of all available flags and their descriptions. The flag descriptions that you see in this document are generated from code comments within the latest Prysm release.

Beacon node flags#

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Validator flags#

Graffiti

You can use the --graffiti validator flag to add a string to your proposed blocks, which will be seen on the block explorer. I.e; <startup command> --graffiti "Prysm is awesome!"

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prysmctl flags#

Refer to the Use prysmctl for prysmctl download and installation instructions.

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Client stats flags#

Prysm's client stats service is an optional utility that reports process metrics to third-parties such as block explorers. Refer to our client stats documentation for more information.

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Loading parameters from a YAML file#

You can optionally configure Prysm to load flag values from a .yaml file. Consider this option if you're looking for a streamlined terminal experience or unique, portable configuration profiles.

The below steps show how place a common Prysm flag into a YAML file, and how to specify the YAML file when Prysm starts up.

GNU\Linux, Mac, ARM64#

  1. In your Prysm working directory, create a .yaml file and open it in a text editor.

  2. Add the following lines to the file before closing and saving:

datadir: '/data'
  1. Start the Prysm beacon chain as normal, while specifying the location of the .yaml like so:
./prysm.sh beacon-chain --config-file=/path/to/file.yaml

or for a validator like so:

./prysm.sh validator --config-file=/path/to/file.yaml

Windows#

  1. In your Prysm working directory, create a .yaml file and open it in a text editor.

  2. Add the following lines to the file before closing and saving:

datadir: 'c:\prysm'
  1. Start the Prysm beacon chain as normal, while specifying the location of the .yaml like so:
.\prysm.bat beacon-chain --config-file=c:\path\to\file.yaml

or for a validator like so:

.\prysm.bat validator --config-file=c:\path\to\file.yaml

It is possible to provide additional flags alongside the .yaml file, though if conflicting flags are provided, the flag defined in the.yaml file will take priority. For example, if the flag --datadir=/data2 is specified and datadir: "/data1" is in the .yaml file, Prysm would prioritise writing to /data1.