Configuration Reference

One of the most important parameters for an Exporter node is MaxPeers. The more peers Exporter node connects to, the more network information it can have.

Recommended values are p2p.DynamicMaxPeersLimit: 1200 and p2p.MaxPeers: 1000

Exporter Variables

Exporter mode is configured under the exporter YAML block or through matching environment variables.

YAML key	Environment variable	Supported values	Default	Description
exporter.Enabled	EXPORTER	true, false	false	Enables exporter mode. When enabled, the node runs as an observation and query service and skips operator signing and key-manager services.
exporter.Mode	EXPORTER_MODE	standard, archive	standard	Selects the exporter mode. Invalid values are fatal at startup.
exporter.RetainSlots	EXPORTER_RETAIN_SLOTS	unsigned integer slot count	50400	Slot retention setting used by the standard-mode decided data pruning path. See Retention behavior.

Standard mode

Standard mode is selected by enabling exporter mode and using standard as the exporter mode. Because the default for exporter.Mode is standard, a node with exporter.Enabled: true and no explicit mode uses standard mode.

p2p:
  MaxPeers: 1000
  DynamicMaxPeersLimit: 1200

SSVAPIAddress: 127.0.0.1
SSVAPIPort: 16000

exporter:
  Enabled: true
  Mode: standard
  RetainSlots: 50400

Environment-variable equivalent:

P2P_MAX_PEERS=1000
P2P_DYNAMIC_MAX_PEERS_LIMIT=1200
SSV_API_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
SSV_API_PORT=16000
EXPORTER=true
EXPORTER_MODE=standard
EXPORTER_RETAIN_SLOTS=50400

Archive mode

Archive mode is selected by enabling exporter mode and setting the mode to archive.

p2p:
  MaxPeers: 1000
  DynamicMaxPeersLimit: 1200

SSVAPIAddress: 127.0.0.1
SSVAPIPort: 16000

exporter:
  Enabled: true
  Mode: archive

Environment-variable equivalent:

P2P_MAX_PEERS=1000
P2P_DYNAMIC_MAX_PEERS_LIMIT=1200
SSV_API_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1
SSV_API_PORT=16000
EXPORTER=true
EXPORTER_MODE=archive

exporter.RetainSlots is still a valid configuration key in archive mode because it is part of the exporter options, but no archive duty-trace pruning path that uses it has been identified. Plan archive storage accordingly.

API configuration

The exporter HTTP endpoints are served through the node HTTP API. The WebSocket API is configured separately.

YAML key	Environment variable	Default	Description
SSVAPIAddress	SSV_API_ADDRESS	No struct default identified. Empty address listens on all interfaces when SSVAPIPort is greater than 0.	Listen address for the HTTP API. Use 127.0.0.1 for local-only access.
SSVAPIPort	SSV_API_PORT	No struct default identified. 0 disables the HTTP API.	Listen port for the HTTP API, including exporter HTTP endpoints.
WebSocketAPIPort	WS_API_PORT	No struct default identified. 0 disables the WebSocket API.	Listen port for the WebSocket API. It has no built-in authentication, binds to all interfaces when enabled, and accepts cross-origin WebSocket connections (CheckOrigin returns true).
WithPing	WITH_PING	No default identified.	Enables WebSocket ping messages.

Recommended local HTTP API binding:

SSVAPIAddress: 127.0.0.1
SSVAPIPort: 16000
WebSocketAPIPort: 0

If SSVAPIAddress is omitted while SSVAPIPort is configured, the HTTP API listens on all interfaces for backward compatibility. The HTTP server setup does not include built-in authentication or CORS middleware. Keep APIs local-only unless remote access is intentional and protected by network controls such as a private network, firewall, or authenticated reverse proxy.

Database configuration

Exporter-enabled nodes use Pebble storage. Non-exporter nodes use Badger storage.

YAML key	Environment variable	Default	Description
db.Path	DB_PATH	./data/db	Base database path. Exporter-enabled nodes use Pebble at DB_PATH + "-pebble".
db.Reporting	DB_REPORTING	false	Database reporting setting.
db.GCInterval	DB_GC_INTERVAL	6m	Database garbage-collection interval setting.

When exporter mode is enabled, the startup path calls the Pebble setup path and derives the Pebble location by appending -pebble to db.Path.

For example, with the default base path:

db:
  Path: ./data/db

the exporter Pebble path is:

./data/db-pebble

If you change db.Path, update disk-capacity planning for the corresponding -pebble directory.

Retention behavior

Retention behavior depends on the selected exporter mode.

Standard mode retention

Standard mode uses the standard decided data stores. Standard mode initializes pruning only when exporter mode is enabled and exporter.Mode is standard.

The pruning path:

• uses exporter.RetainSlots / EXPORTER_RETAIN_SLOTS;
• computes an initial threshold from the current slot minus RetainSlots;
• starts continuous pruning for each standard-mode decided store as slots advance.

The default retention value is 50400 slots. Data older than the retained slot window may no longer be available from that exporter node.

Archive mode retention

Archive mode persists duty-trace data through the duty tracer and exporter store. Persisted archive objects include:

• validator duty traces;
• committee duty traces;
• validator-to-committee links;
• scheduled duty data.

exporter.RetainSlots exists in archive mode because it is part of the exporter options, but no archive duty-trace pruning path tied to RetainSlots has been identified. Do not assume archive trace data is pruned automatically by RetainSlots; monitor disk growth and add external retention or cleanup if your deployment requires it.

Archive trace collection also uses a short in-memory window before data is written to the database. The in-memory duty-tracer TTL is 4 slots. On slot ticks, traces around currentSlot - 4 are evicted from memory and dumped to the database. Late-arriving messages may still update persisted traces, but late processing is best effort.

Next Steps

• Use API Reference for endpoint fields and response behavior.
• Use Troubleshooting if the node starts but exporter data is missing or API checks fail.