Base is Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain built on the OP Stack. If you’ve ever wanted to run your own node for the network, you can do it with Go. The base/node project provides everything you need.

Let’s look at why this matters and how to get started.

What is Base Node?

Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) network. It processes transactions off the main Ethereum chain, then posts them back in batches. This makes transactions faster and cheaper.

The base/node repository contains Docker configurations and scripts to run your own Base node. Under the hood, it uses two main components:

1. op-node - The consensus client from the OP Stack
2. op-geth - A modified version of go-ethereum (geth)

Both are written in Go. This isn’t surprising. Go dominates blockchain infrastructure because of its performance characteristics and excellent concurrency support. If you’re curious about Go’s concurrency model, check out how goroutines work under the hood.

Getting Started

First, clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/base-org/node.git
cd node

The project uses Docker Compose. You’ll need to configure your environment:

# Copy the example environment file
cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file with your settings:

# Your L1 Ethereum RPC endpoint (Alchemy, Infura, or your own node)
OP_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC=https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_KEY

# Network to connect to (mainnet or sepolia)
NETWORK=mainnet

Then start your node:

docker compose up -d

Understanding the Architecture

The base/node setup runs two containers. Let’s look at how they communicate.

The consensus layer (op-node) connects to L1 Ethereum and determines what the canonical chain should be. The execution layer (op-geth) processes transactions and maintains state.

Here’s a simplified view of how you might interact with your node using golang:

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"
	"math/big"

	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethclient"
)

func main() {
	// Connect to your local Base node
	client, err := ethclient.Dial("http://localhost:8545")
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	defer client.Close()

	// Get the latest block number
	blockNumber, err := client.BlockNumber(context.Background())
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	fmt.Printf("Current block: %d\n", blockNumber)

	// Get chain ID to verify we're on Base
	chainID, err := client.ChainID(context.Background())
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	
	// Base mainnet is chain ID 8453
	if chainID.Cmp(big.NewInt(8453)) == 0 {
		fmt.Println("Connected to Base mainnet!")
	}
}

Monitoring Your Node

Once running, you’ll want to check sync status. Here’s a Go function to do that:

func checkSyncStatus(client *ethclient.Client) error {
	ctx := context.Background()
	
	progress, err := client.SyncProgress(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	
	if progress == nil {
		fmt.Println("Node is fully synced")
		return nil
	}
	
	percentage := float64(progress.CurrentBlock) / float64(progress.HighestBlock) * 100
	fmt.Printf("Syncing: %.2f%% (block %d of %d)\n", 
		percentage, 
		progress.CurrentBlock, 
		progress.HighestBlock)
	
	return nil
}

Pro tip: Initial sync takes time. Base mainnet has millions of blocks. Set realistic expectations.

Why Run Your Own Node?

A few good reasons:

• Privacy: Your queries don’t go through third-party RPC providers
• Reliability: No rate limits or downtime from public endpoints
• Speed: Lower latency for local queries

If you’re building applications that need context management with request-scoped values, running your own node eliminates external dependencies. Understanding Go’s context package helps when building these applications.

Hardware Requirements

Running a full node needs decent hardware:

• 16GB RAM minimum (32GB recommended)
• 1TB SSD (NVMe preferred)
• Stable internet connection

The Go runtime handles resource management well, but blockchain nodes are memory-hungry beasts.

Wrapping Up

Base’s node infrastructure shows why Go dominates blockchain development. Performance, simplicity, and excellent tooling make it the natural choice.

If you’re interested in blockchain development with Go, running your own node is a great learning experience. You’ll see firsthand how L2s work and gain appreciation for the engineering behind these systems.

Check out the base/node repository and the official Base documentation to learn more. Happy syncing!