1  ---
  2  title: Node Configuration Methods
  3  hide_table_of_contents: true
  4  displayed_sidebar: runNode
  5  ---
  6  
  7  Waku nodes can be configured using a combination of the following methods:
  8  
  9  1. Command line options and flags
 10  2. Environment variables
 11  3. TOML configuration files (currently the only supported format)
 12  4. Default values
 13  
 14  :::info
 15  Take note of the precedence order: Each configuration method overrides the one below it (e.g., command line options override environment variables and configuration files).
 16  :::
 17  
 18  ## Command line options
 19  
 20  Node configuration is primarily done using command line options, which override other methods. Specify [configuration options](/run-node/config-options) by providing them in this format after the binary name:
 21  
 22  ```shell
 23  ./build/wakunode2 --tcp-port=65000
 24  ```
 25  
 26  When running your node with Docker, provide the command line options after the image name in this format:
 27  
 28  ```shell
 29  docker run wakuorg/nwaku --tcp-port=65000
 30  ```
 31  
 32  ## Environment variables
 33  
 34  Nodes can be configured using environment variables by prefixing the variable name with `WAKUNODE2_` and using the configuration option in [SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/screaming_snake_case) format.
 35  
 36  To set the `tcp-port` configuration, the `wakunode2` binary should be called in this format:
 37  
 38  ```shell
 39  WAKUNODE2_TCP_PORT=65000 ./build/wakunode2
 40  ```
 41  
 42  When running your node with Docker, start the node using the `-e` command option:
 43  
 44  ```shell
 45  docker run -e "WAKUNODE2_TCP_PORT=65000" wakuorg/nwaku
 46  ```
 47  
 48  :::info
 49  This is the second configuration method in order of precedence. [Command Line Options](#command-line-options) override environment variables.
 50  :::
 51  
 52  ## Configuration files
 53  
 54  Nodes can be configured using a configuration file following the [TOML](https://toml.io/en/) format:
 55  
 56  ```toml title="TOML Config File" showLineNumbers
 57  log-level = "DEBUG"
 58  tcp-port = 65000
 59  topic = ["/waku/2/default-waku/proto"]
 60  metrics-logging = false
 61  ```
 62  
 63  The `config-file` [configuration option](/run-node/config-options) lets you specify the configuration file path:
 64  
 65  ```shell
 66  ./build/wakunode2 --config-file=[TOML CONFIGURATION FILE]
 67  ```
 68  
 69  You can also specify the configuration file via environment variables:
 70  
 71  ```shell
 72  # Using environment variables
 73  WAKUNODE2_CONFIG_FILE=[TOML CONFIGURATION FILE] ./build/wakunode2
 74  
 75  # Using environment variables with Docker
 76  docker run -e "WAKUNODE2_CONFIG_FILE=[TOML CONFIGURATION FILE]" wakuorg/nwaku
 77  ```
 78  
 79  :::info
 80  This is the third configuration method in order of precedence. [Command Line Options](#command-line-options) and [Environment Variables](#environment-variables) override configuration files.
 81  :::
 82  
 83  ## Default configuration values
 84  
 85  The default configuration is used when no other options are specified. By default, a `nwaku` node does the following:
 86  
 87  - Generate a new `Node Key` and `PeerID`.
 88  - Listen for incoming libp2p connections on the default TCP port (`60000`).
 89  - Subscribe to the default Pub/Sub topic (`/waku/2/default-waku/proto`).
 90  - Enable the `Relay` protocol for relaying messages.
 91  - Enable the `Store` protocol as a client, allowing it to query peers for historical messages but not store any message itself.
 92  
 93  To see the default values of all [configuration options](/run-node/config-options), run `wakunode2 --help`:
 94  
 95  ```shell
 96  ./build/wakunode2 --help
 97  ```
 98  
 99  :::tip
100  To explore the available node configuration options, have a look at the [Node Configuration Options](/run-node/config-options) guide.
101  :::