Quick Start

For a quick evaluation, start a temporary Docker container, create a Calibration wallet, and upload one S3 object.

For deployment, use Docker Deployment.

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine or Docker Desktop.
• Host networking enabled. Docker Desktop users need host networking for the full flow because the Admin API stays bound to loopback by default.
• A shell on the machine where the node will run.

Create Configuration and Wallet

Generate a wallet:

docker run --rm ghcr.io/strahe/synaps3:edge synaps3 wallet generate

The command prints a wallet address and private key. Create a protected .env file:

touch .env
chmod 600 .env

Then edit .env and add the generated private key:

SYNAPS3_FILECOIN_PRIVATE_KEY=0x...

Keep .env at permission mode 0600. Do not put the real private key directly in a shell command because it may be saved in shell history. See Environment Variables for other supported overrides.

Fund the generated address on Calibration:

docker run --rm --env-file .env ghcr.io/strahe/synaps3:edge synaps3 wallet fund-testnet 0x...

If the faucet command fails, claim manually from ChainSafe or Plumbline, then continue after the wallet has funds.

Successful faucet claims print CalibnetUSDFC: <hash> and CalibnetFIL: <hash>.

Start the Temporary Node

docker volume create synaps3-test-data
docker run -d --name synaps3-test \
  --network host \
  --env-file .env \
  -e SYNAPS3_CONFIG=/var/lib/synaps3/config.toml \
  -v synaps3-test-data:/var/lib/synaps3 \
  ghcr.io/strahe/synaps3:edge

Docker prints a container ID when the node starts.

Check health, deposit USDFC, and approve FWSS:

curl http://127.0.0.1:9090/healthz
docker exec synaps3-test synaps3 wallet deposit 2 # 2 USDFC
docker exec synaps3-test synaps3 wallet approve

Expected result: health returns {"status":"ok"}. A new deposit or approval prints Transaction: <hash> and Status: confirmed; an existing approval prints FWSS approval: already approved. If health returns setup or unhealthy, use Troubleshooting.

The HTTP endpoints in this quick start are only for local evaluation. For production S3 traffic, enable native TLS or use a controlled TLS reverse proxy.

Open the Dashboard

Browser login needs the generated Admin password:

docker exec synaps3-test cat /var/lib/synaps3/admin-initial-password

Open:

http://127.0.0.1:9090

If the node runs on a remote host, keep the Admin API on loopback and tunnel it:

ssh -L 9090:127.0.0.1:9090 user@server

The dashboard asks for the Admin username admin and the generated password. Read the password only in a private terminal, store it in a password manager, and keep the password file at 0600. Do not include the password in a command that will be saved to shell history. After login, the dashboard shows buckets, wallet status, tasks, topology, settings, and health.

Upload the First Object

Create an S3 user:

docker exec synaps3-test synaps3 admin s3-user create

Use the access key and secret key with a path-style S3 client. The secret key is shown only once: save it in a client credential file protected with 0600, and rotate it immediately if it is exposed. This MinIO Client example reads the credentials interactively, without placing the secret key in shell history:

printf '%*s\n' 128 'hello synaps3' > hello.txt
printf 'S3 access key: '
read -r S3_ACCESS_KEY
printf 'S3 secret key: '
read -rs S3_SECRET_KEY
printf '\n'
mc alias set synaps3 http://localhost:8080 "${S3_ACCESS_KEY}" "${S3_SECRET_KEY}"
unset S3_ACCESS_KEY S3_SECRET_KEY
chmod 600 ~/.mc/config.json
mc mb synaps3/demo
mc cp hello.txt synaps3/demo/hello.txt
mc cat synaps3/demo/hello.txt

mc cat prints the uploaded content. The sample file is padded because the Filecoin upload path requires objects of at least 127 bytes.

See S3 Clients for AWS CLI and rclone examples.

Clean Up

docker rm -f synaps3-test
docker volume rm synaps3-test-data

Do not run these cleanup commands against a real deployment. The .env file contains a wallet private key: if the temporary wallet is no longer needed, remove the file securely; if the wallet must be retained, move the wallet material to protected storage before removing the evaluation directory.