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Testnet deployment lets you validate your full Crunch setup — registration, model submission, scoring, and payouts — before going to mainnet. The Coordinator Platform guides you through each step.

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Prerequisites

  • Solana wallet with devnet SOL (see Wallet & CLI setup if you haven’t set this up yet)
  • Coordinator registration approved by the Foundation
  • CLI workflow only: Crunch Protocol CLI installed: npm install -g @crunchdao/cli
  • CLI workflow only: Certificate tools installed: pipx install crunch-certificate
If you’re using the CLI workflow, verify your Solana CLI is set to devnet before proceeding: solana config set --url devnet

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Step 1: Register your Coordinator

If you haven’t already registered, do so now: Wait for Foundation approval before continuing.

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Step 2: Create your Crunch

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Step 3: Fund the Crunch

Deposit USDC into the competition’s escrow wallet. This is the reward pool for participants.

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Step 4: Start your Crunch

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Step 5: Deploy your Crunch Node

Launch your Crunch Node on your preferred cloud provider or on-premises infrastructure. To connect to the Model Nodes, you need to generate and configure certificates.
1

Generate a certificate

Use the Crunch Certificate tool to generate a certificate. Decompress the output and keep the folder for the next step.
You can also enroll for a certificate through the Certificate Enrollment page in the Coordinator Platform.
2

Store the certificate securely

Restrict access to the certificate files and add them to your Crunch Node deployment.
3

Configure the certificate in your node

Set the path to the certificate folder in your environment or code:
secure_credentials = SecureCredentials.from_directory(
    path="../../issued-certificate"
)
self.model_concurrent_runner = DynamicSubclassModelConcurrentRunner(
    self.MODEL_RUNNER_TIMEOUT,
    "my-challenge",                          # Your CRUNCH_ID
    self.MODEL_RUNNER_NODE_HOST,
    self.MODEL_RUNNER_NODE_PORT,
    "starter_challenge.tracker.TrackerBase",  # Your MODEL_BASE_CLASSNAME
    max_consecutive_failures=100,
    max_consecutive_timeouts=100,
    secure_credentials=secure_credentials,
)

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Step 6: Publish your Crunch

Use the Coordinator Platform to configure and publish your Crunch to the Testnet Hub:
  1. Open the Coordinator Platform
  2. Configure your Crunch details — leaderboard, metrics, rules, and pitch page
  3. Publish to make your Crunch visible to participants on the testnet Hub

Next: Mainnet deployment

Go live with your Crunch on mainnet.