freethebird.co · mirror

Run an FTB node

Host Free the Bird's app yourself. One small program pins the site and keeps a live copy on your machine -- one more place no one can take down. You support FTB directly, not a Neo chain node.

What an FTB node is

FTB's whole app is a bundle of static files published to IPFS and addressed by its content hash. Any machine can hold that bundle and serve it. When you run an FTB node it keeps a bit-for-bit copy and shares it -- so even if every FTB-run machine vanished, the app is still reachable from yours. It holds no wallet and no keys.

FTB, not NEO This is not a Neo blockchain node. A Neo node serves the whole Neo network; an FTB node serves FTB -- its website and app. Your bandwidth and disk go to keeping Free the Bird alive, nothing else.

Easiest — one install

ftb-node is a single program: it sets up everything (it fetches its own IPFS engine), pins FTB, auto-follows every new release, and serves your copy locally. No config.

1Install (Linux / macOS)

curl -fsSL https://freethebird.co/node/install.sh | sh

Prefer a file? Grab the build for your system from the latest release ↗ (macOS, Linux, Windows; Intel or ARM) and run it. On a server you can also docker run it -- see the README.

2Run it

ftb-node

The installer puts ftb-node in ~/.local/bin. If your shell says command not found, that folder is not on your PATH yet (the installer prints this same line). Add it:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Append that line to ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc) to make it permanent. Then that is the whole job: leave it running (a server, or just your machine while it is on). It prints your local copy of FTB and keeps mirroring in the background. Ctrl-C to stop; your pinned copy stays.

What it needs

Footprint. The ftb-node binary is about 7 MB to download. On first run it fetches Kubo (the IPFS engine) once into ~/.ftb-node and pins the FTB site, so once everything is in place budget roughly 250 MB of disk for Kubo, its repo, and the site. Day to day it uses a little bandwidth to serve your copy. It mints nothing and stores no wallet.

Requirements. macOS, Linux, or Windows, on Intel or ARM. About 1 GB of free RAM is comfortable. A normal broadband connection is enough; opening port 4001 to your machine lets your node find peers faster, but it is optional. No admin rights are needed, and the node holds no keys. Run it whenever your machine is on. The more mirrors online, the harder FTB is to switch off.

Become a contributor

Everyone joins the FTB Discord by posting the 1000 FTB bond. Run a node on top of that and you are recognized as a contributor -- a higher role in the server. Attach your Discord user ID to your node; it publishes a claim only your node can sign, and the verifier confirms you are genuinely mirroring before lifting your role.

1Attach your Discord ID

In Discord: Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode on, then right-click your name → Copy User ID. Then:

ftb-node set-discord your-discord-user-id

2Run, then verify in Discord

ftb-node            # leave running
ftb-node id         # shows your Node ID

In the FTB Discord run /verify and give your Node ID. The bot confirms your node is a live provider of the current release and that it claims your Discord ID, then raises you to the contributor role.

The bond still stands The 1000 FTB bond is how everyone gets in and stays accountable -- it is collateral the community can slash for misbehaviour. Running a node does not replace it; it earns you a higher contributor role on top, recognition for keeping FTB alive. The role tracks your live mirroring -- let the node go dark and it lapses back to member.

Check you are mirroring

ftb-node verify     # VERIFIED once your node announces the current release

Or open the local copy it serves (printed on start, e.g. http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipns/…) -- that is the same FTB app your node now helps serve to the world.

Do it by hand (advanced)

If you would rather run IPFS yourself instead of the ftb-node program, the raw steps are: install Kubo, start it, and pin the FTB name. ftb-follow.sh (below) auto-tracks releases from cron; ipfs-node-setup.sh sets up a hardened always-on node on a VPS.

# install Kubo, then:
ipfs init --profile=server
ipfs daemon &
ipfs pin add /ipns/k51qzi5uqu5diamhszrr4bca4ncq45a5xcp0fsh2mvpy0namgg0m3h147f6cfq

For a public mirror on your own domain (so FTB's live mirror tile counts you), front the local gateway with Caddy and allow one header -- full steps in the downloadable README.

Be clear on the deal

No reward — and that is the point Mirroring costs a little bandwidth and disk and earns no token. FTB mints nothing for mirrors, ever. You do it so the app cannot be switched off, censored, or lost -- the site has no single server in the critical path, only publishers and mirrors like yours. The Discord operator role is a thank-you, not a yield.

Downloads

ftb-node (all platforms) ↗releasePrebuilt binaries: macOS, Linux, Windows (Intel + ARM), with checksums. install.shdownloadThe one-command installer (Linux / macOS). ftb-follow.shdownloadBy-hand path: auto-track FTB releases from cron. ipfs-node-setup.shdownloadBy-hand path: hardened always-on Kubo node on a VPS. README.mddownloadEvery path, written out step by step.

How it works. FTB's front-end is content-addressed on IPFS: whoever holds the hash serves bit-identical, verifiable content. The stable IPNS name always points at the latest release; ftb-node re-resolves it every 15 minutes and re-pins, so your mirror tracks releases hands-free. The claim your node publishes is signed under its own key, so it cannot be forged for someone else's node. The node holds no keys and serves only public data. Volunteer infrastructure, not financial advice.