The whole reason for this test is to find out whether the node works on ordinary computers in people's homes, and to catch the problems early. A crash, a confusing screen, a node that never connects, a dashboard number that looks off: that is exactly what we are hoping you will find and tell us about.
So please go ahead and try to break it. That is what this test network is for. If something doesn't work for you, the test worked: you found a weak spot, and telling us about it means we can fix it before it ever shows up in the production network.
What the node does
A Forked node lends a slice of your disk to the network. It stores encrypted fragments of files and proves once an hour that it still holds them. You can't read what it stores, and neither can we. You choose how much disk to lend (20 GB by default, with a slider on the node's own dashboard to change it any time).
It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, including a 64-bit Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. You don't need port forwarding, router changes, or a static IP. The node dials out to us, so a normal home connection works fine.
No license needed
You don't need a node license to run this build. There is nothing to buy, nothing to apply for, and nothing to sign. You download it, turn it on, and within a few seconds it should join the network.
Rewards aren't part of this test. We are asking you to run it to help the network and to help us make the node solid, and we are grateful to everyone who does.
One heads up before you start. The builds are not code-signed yet, so Windows and macOS will warn you the first time you open the file. The announcement in our Discord walks you through that and lists checksums so you can check the file really came from us. Please only download it from the links we post there.
Join us in Discord
Everything you need is in the Forked.gg Discord at discord.gg/forked: the download links, the setup steps, and our team. Drop in, grab the build, and tell us how it went. Share what kind of machine you ran it on, what happened, and a screenshot if something looked wrong. If it just worked, tell us that too. We need to hear about the smooth runs as much as the broken ones.
Once your node is running, you can look for it on the live network map at app.forked.gg/network.
A big thank you to the Golden Forkers who went first yesterday.