Verified Chain Bootstrap

Bootstrap a new node without blindly trusting raw chain data

Vorliq chain bootstrap is a dry-run-first process for new community nodes. It verifies signed snapshots, audit export hashes, chain hashes, previous-hash links, block hashes, and transaction ordering before it can write local chain.json.

Dry-run first

Dry-run mode is the default and writes nothing. It downloads public metadata from the trusted node, checks signatures and hashes, validates every block link, scans for forbidden secret markers, and prints a report.

python3.12 tools/bootstrap_chain_from_public_node.py --trusted-node https://vorliq.org --data-dir ./blockchain/data

Write only by choice

Write mode is only for a new node or a node whose data has already been backed up. The tool refuses to overwrite a non-empty chain.json unless --force is used manually.

python3.12 tools/bootstrap_chain_from_public_node.py --trusted-node https://vorliq.org --data-dir ./blockchain/data --write

What gets verified

/api/bootstrap/package exposes safe metadata and URLs, not the full chain body.
/api/snapshot/latest and /api/snapshot/verify prove the public snapshot hash and Ed25519 signature status.
/api/audit/manifest lists audit export hashes, including the chain export hash.
The chain export hash must match the manifest and bootstrap package.
Every block hash is recalculated and every previous_hash link is checked from genesis to the latest block.
The latest block hash must match the signed snapshot metadata and bootstrap package.
The downloaded public data is scanned for private keys, admin tokens, SSH keys, server paths, raw IP markers, raw user-agent markers, and bearer tokens.

Back up before overwrite

Do not use --force unless you intentionally want to replace existing local chain data and have a tested backup. Forced write mode creates a timestamped backup beside the data directory first, then writes chain.json atomically and records safe public bootstrap metadata in bootstrap.json.

Recover if bootstrap fails

If dry-run fails, write nothing and inspect the exact failed check. Verify the trusted node with node tools/bootstrap_verify_node.js https://vorliq.org, check Recovery, and try again only after the signed snapshot, audit manifest, and chain export agree.

Fork awareness

If Node Sync marks a node as forked, do not manually edit chain.json and do not rewrite blocks. Run bootstrap in dry-run mode first, compare signed snapshot and audit export hashes, then decide whether the node should be rebuilt from verified public data. If a node appears ahead, treat that as a warning until signed snapshot and audit paths verify the newer state.

Verify after bootstrap

node tools/node_doctor.js --base-url http://127.0.0.1:5000 --trusted-node https://vorliq.org

Node Doctor compares local height and latest hash with the trusted public node, checks snapshot verification, bootstrap status, audit availability, indexes, storage, registry metadata, readiness, and Linux services when available.

What bootstrap does not prove

Verified bootstrap is a technical integrity check for public chain data. It does not create legal, financial, banking, custody, investment, exchange, lending, profit, or future availability guarantees.