handshake-node

handshake-node is a Handshake (HNS) blockchain full node written in Go. It is a fork of btcd, but its target behavior is the Handshake network: Handshake block headers, proof-of-work, transactions, covenants, name state, P2P transport, mining, and RPCs.

This is not a Bitcoin node, and it does not include a wallet. Wallet software must manage keys, signing, coin selection, and wallet state externally.

Current Status

The current release is 0.5.0 for Handshake mainnet. It includes:

• Handshake mainnet and regtest chain parameters.
• Blake2b/SHA3 Handshake proof-of-work and 236-byte block headers.
• Handshake transaction outputs with address and covenant data.
• Name covenant validation, Urkel-backed name state, and name proof RPCs.
• Brontide P2P transport with authenticated inbound negotiation. Discovered outbound peers remain plaintext because address gossip is not a trusted identity-key source.
• Mempool, mining, getblocktemplate, coinbase proof handling, and a Stratum v1 MVP server.
• Authenticated JSON-RPC, websocket notifications, unsigned covenant constructors, hnsctl, and rpcclient support.
• hsd-compatible claim and airdrop proof relay, submission RPCs, and expanded operational RPC coverage.
• Handshake bloom filtering and partial Merkle proofs compatible with hsd.
• Bounded mempool, peer queue, signature cache, and per-IP peer admission memory with operator-facing runtime metrics.
• Configuration-free mainnet container startup, cgroup-aware CPU sizing, and multi-platform release artifacts.
• A resumable hsd parity runner and pinned interoperability/recovery tests for mainnet-readiness validation.
• Full-block Handshake P2P service suitable for cdnsd indexing.

Requirements

Go 1.26.6 or newer. The module toolchain directive automatically selects a patched Go toolchain when supported.

Build

git clone https://github.com/blinklabs-io/handshake-node.git
cd handshake-node
make build

To install the node and command-line tools into your Go binary directory:

go install -v . ./cmd/...

Run

handshake-node

The daemon can start with no configuration, but production deployments should set explicit RPC credentials and review listener settings:

handshake-node \
  --rpcuser=myuser \
  --rpcpass=mypassword \
  --rpclisten=127.0.0.1:12037

Environment variables use the HANDSHAKE_NODE_ prefix, for example HANDSHAKE_NODE_RPCUSER and HANDSHAKE_NODE_RPCPASS.

Ports

Port	Purpose
12038	Mainnet P2P
12037	Mainnet RPC
12039	Prometheus metrics, disabled by default
12040	Stratum, disabled by default

RPC is authenticated and TLS-enabled by default. Do not expose RPC, metrics, or Stratum listeners publicly without reviewing the security options in docs/configuration.md.

Test

make unit
make lint

Integration tests are run serially because the daemon harness allocates local ports:

go test -p 1 -v -tags=rpctest ./integration/...

Documentation

• Configuration
• Controlling the node with hnsctl
• JSON-RPC API
• Mining
• Wallet integration
• cdnsd integration
• Docker

License

handshake-node is licensed under the copyfree ISC License. Upstream btcd-derived code is also ISC licensed.