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Validator Client API

Lighthouse implements a JSON HTTP API for the validator client which enables programmatic management of validators and keys.

The API includes all of the endpoints from the standard keymanager API that is implemented by other clients and remote signers. It also includes some Lighthouse-specific endpoints which are described in Endpoints.

Note: All requests to the HTTP server must supply an Authorization header. All responses contain a Signature header for optional verification.

Starting the server

A Lighthouse validator client can be configured to expose a HTTP server by supplying the --http flag. The default listen address is http://127.0.0.1:5062.

The following CLI flags control the HTTP server:

  • --http: enable the HTTP server (required even if the following flags are provided).
  • --http-address: specify the listen address of the server. It is almost always unsafe to use a non-default HTTP listen address. Use this with caution. See the Security section below for more information.
  • --http-port: specify the listen port of the server.
  • --http-allow-origin: specify the value of the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header. The default is to not supply a header.

Security

The validator client HTTP server is not encrypted (i.e., it is not HTTPS). For this reason, it will listen by default on http://127.0.0.1.

It is unsafe to expose the validator client to the public Internet without additional transport layer security (e.g., HTTPS via nginx, SSH tunnels, etc.).

For custom setups, such as certain Docker configurations, a custom HTTP listen address can be used by passing the --http-address and --unencrypted-http-transport flags. The --unencrypted-http-transport flag is a safety flag which is required to ensure the user is aware of the potential risks when using a non-default listen address.

CLI Example

Start the validator client with the HTTP server listening on http://localhost:5062:

lighthouse vc --http