How to Solo Bake Tezos on macOS — A Step-by-Step Guide
WHY IS A GYM TALKING ABOUT THE TEZOS BLOCKCHAIN?
The quick answer is we’re not your conventional gym. By combining state-of-the-art technology with an evidence-based approach to exercise, our clients get measurable results in minimal time while creating an enormous amount of data with every workout.
Over the last three-plus years, we’ve witnessed numerous transformations where clients exercise for less than 45-minutes a week, some as little as 10-minutes a week, and see better results than they ever have.
By using software and analytics to track improvements in strength, intensity, aerobic fitness, body composition, and other KPIs, we’ve laid the foundation to use science and technology to help combat the current and unsustainable health crisis.
WHERE DOES TEZOS FIT IN?
From the beginning, the goal for us was more than just being a smartgym with thousands of locations around the world.
Similar to how Audi, BMW, Daimler, and Porsche are exploring the Tezos blockchain for use with autonomous vehicle safety standards, or how the French Army’s Cybercrime Division is using it to track judicial costs for operational purposes, we envision a world where your exercise, body composition, wearables, healthcare, and health insurance data can all be connected using the Tezos blockchain.
OUR PRIMARY MISSION
- Expand Quantify Fitness around the world through a combination of company-owned locations and franchises.
- Leverage a data-driven evidenced-based approach to exercise and nutrition that is tailored to each individual to help extend healthspan.
- Leverage blockchain technology to bring more transparency to healthcare and health insurance in the United States by reducing fraud and waste, with the end goal to make coverage more affordable and prevent bankrupting future generations with out-of-control healthcare costs.
WHY USE TEZOS?
- Tezos is designed for safety, open participation, and upgradeability. Other blockchains lack a smooth way to coordinate decisions and upgrades, resulting in splits in the community, network forks, and slower innovation.
- Tezos uses formal verification to mathematically prove the correctness of code, prevent bugs, prevent cyber-attacks, and ensure it will behave as intended.
- Tezos uses liquid proof-of-stake to secure the network, verify transactions, and distribute rewards. Participants are rewarded based on how many tez they are baking, not based on mining power.
- Tezos uses an on-chain self-amending governance process to allow token holders to vote on protocol upgrades without the need to fork. It is the first blockchain to upgrade itself successfully (multiple times now) without requiring a fork.
- To ensure the long term stability of the blockchain and the long term trust of businesses that want to build on it, Tezos takes power away from the hands of a small group of developers and puts it in the hands of the global community.
- Finally, as of July 31, 2019 the Tezos Foundation had over $650M available to help grow the ecosystem, including issuing grants to ensure the long-term success of Tezos. Committed to operating with the highest degree of integrity, the Tezos Foundation also hired “Big Four” financial firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers to act as an external auditor and examine at the organization’s finances and operations. This was the first time a large-scale blockchain organization has been accepted as an audit client by a Big Four firm. The Tezos Foundation’s first Biannual Update can be found here.
WHY CREATE THIS GUIDE TO BAKING TEZOS?
Tezos already has around 500 baking nodes, which is a lot more than other proof-of-stake blockchains, but increasing the number of nodes helps decentralize and secure the network. Also, by setting up a personal node and solo baking, you can avoid the fees most delegation services charge as well as make sure your vote is included when it comes to protocol upgrades.
Thanks to the help of Jovan Smith from the Tezos community, our founder Josh Jarrett was able to set up his own solo baking node. To pay it forward, Josh put together this step-by-step guide. If you need more support, you can contact Jovan and inquire about his services. The Riot Tezos Discussion Room is also a good place to ask questions.
BAKING SETUP
- Mac with macOS Sierra or later
- Xcode downloaded and installed from the Apple App Store
- 8 GBs RAM
- 100 GB SSD
- Ledger Nano S
- Reliable internet connection
- At least 8,000 XTZ (1 roll) in your wallet linked to your Ledger Nano S
Before getting started, it’s important to point out the steps below are based on what we’re familiar with and comfortable with. There are other ways to build your Tezos Baking setup using other operating systems like Linux or with third-party tools like Kiln. You can research those if that’s something you’re interested in. Using the Ledger hardware wallet also isn’t required but if you don’t use one you need to be extremely careful to protect your private keys. This guide assumes you’re using a Ledger device.
