Homestead

Your own Farcaster read node and client, in three commands. No API keys from anyone.

git clone https://github.com/warfield2016/homestead && cd homestead
./homestead provision   # 0. rent a server (4+ vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 2 TB disk); shows the live price first
./homestead node        # 1. Snapchain read node, via Farcaster's own snapchain.sh
./homestead client      # 2. build and start the client; prints its HTTPS URL and a passphrase

Tutorial: https://warfield2016.github.io/homestead/ (中文). It walks through each command and explains FIDs, custody addresses, app keys, Snapchain messages, read nodes vs validators and storage rent as they come up.

What's here

Path	What it is
homestead	The CLI. Bash + curl + ssh + jq; runs on a stock Mac (bash 3.2) or Linux.
scripts/providers/	Command 0 for Hetzner Cloud and DigitalOcean. Picks the cheapest in-stock server that fits, prices it live, asks before spending.
scripts/remote/	What runs on the server: node setup (wraps the official snapchain.sh), status, client setup.
client/	The client: a small Node server that holds the app key and talks only to your node, plus a vanilla-TypeScript web UI.
deploy/	Docker Compose for the client and Caddy (automatic HTTPS on <ip>.sslip.io).
site/	The tutorial microsite (Markdown → static HTML).
docs/	Requirements, testing notes, test-run logs, upstream doc fixes, tester guide.

The client, briefly

• Reads only from your node's HTTP API: follow graph → per-account backfill → live tail of the node's event stream by block height. A Live tab shows every cast your node merges.
• Writes go to your node's /v1/submitMessage, which validates and relays them to validators. Each write gets a receipt that turns green when your node sees it in a block.
• App key: gasless KEY_ADD (no transaction). The recovery phrase, if you use one, stays in the browser tab; only two EIP-712 signatures reach the server. A browser-wallet option avoids the phrase entirely. The key is scoped to casts, reactions and follows, expires after 30 days unused, and can revoke itself from the Keys page.
• Client filtering: every cast shows which app signed it (signer → signer record → requestFid), and you can hide or exclusively show any app's casts.

Develop

cd client && npm install
npm test                 # unit tests, incl. an offline KEY_ADD round trip validated by @farcaster/core
npm run build
HUB_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3381 node dist/server.mjs   # point at any node you run

Read-only UI against any node, no key: HOMESTEAD_DEMO=true DEMO_FID=<fid> HUB_URL=… node dist/server.mjs.

Site: cd site && npm install && npm run build, output in site/dist/.

Security model

See the tutorial's Recovery phrases, honestly section. Short version: use a test account; the phrase never leaves your browser; the server holds only a scoped, expiring, self-revocable app key; the client is behind a passphrase and HTTPS; Grafana and statsd are bound to localhost.

License

MIT. Not affiliated with Farcaster, Merkle Manufactory or Neynar. Snapchain is Farcaster's software; Homestead installs it unmodified.