TipsChain Spaceship Deployment - Quick Start

Status: Production Ready ✅
Updated: April 2026
Author: GitHub Copilot

🚀 Executive Summary

Deploy a complete TipsChain ecosystem on Spaceship VMs in 30 minutes:

✅ Blockchain node (Besu) with RPC
✅ Wallet service (tipschain.sbs)
✅ DEX service (dex.tipschain.sbs)
✅ Block Explorer (scan.tipspay.org)

All with gassless transactions and TIPS native gas token.

📋 Prerequisites

Before starting, you need:

4 Spaceship VMs (or can use fewer with load balancing)
- VM1: Besu blockchain (2+ GB RAM, 20GB disk)
- VM2: Wallet service (2+ GB RAM)
- VM3: DEX service (2+ GB RAM)
- VM4: Explorer service (2+ GB RAM)
Domain Names (with DNS access)
- tipschain.sbs → Wallet VM IP
- dex.tipschain.sbs → DEX VM IP
- scan.tipspay.org → Explorer VM IP

Files from Repository

git clone https://github.com/tipspay-dev/tipschain-ecosystem.git
cd tipschain-ecosystem

Private Keys (never share these!)
- Deployer private key (for contracts)
- Relayer private key (for gassless txs)

⚡ Quick Start (30 min)

Step 1: Prepare .env Files (5 min)

Create .env.production in repository root:

# Blockchain Configuration
BLOCKCHAIN_RPC_URL=http://[BLOCKCHAIN_VM_IP]:8545
BLOCKCHAIN_CHAIN_ID=19251925
PRIVATE_KEY=0x[your_private_key_here]

# Relayer (Gassless Transactions)
RELAYER_PRIVATE_KEY=0x[relayer_key_here]
TRUSTED_FORWARDER_ADDRESS=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000  # Will be set after deploy

# Token Addresses (After first deployment)
TIPSCOIN_ADDRESS=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
USDTC_ADDRESS=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

# DEX Routing
DEX_ROUTER_ADDRESS=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
DEX_FACTORY_ADDRESS=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

# Frontend URLs
NEXT_PUBLIC_WALLET_URL=https://tipschain.sbs
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEX_URL=https://dex.tipschain.sbs
NEXT_PUBLIC_EXPLORER_URL=https://scan.tipspay.org

Step 2: Deploy Smart Contracts (10 min)

From your local development machine:

# 1. Compile contracts
npm run compile

# 2. Deploy to Spaceship Besu
npm run deploy:mainnet

# 3. Commands output contract addresses, copy them to .env.production
# Example output:
# TipsCoin deployed to: 0xabc123...
# USDTC deployed to: 0xdef456...
# TrustedForwarder deployed to: 0xghi789...

Step 3: Setup Blockchain VM (5 min)

SSH into Blockchain VM:

# SSH to VM1
ssh root@[BLOCKCHAIN_VM_IP]

# 1. Create directories
mkdir -p /opt/besu/{config,data}
cd /opt/besu

# 2. Copy files from this repo
# (Copy config/genesis.json and config/besu.toml to /opt/besu/config/)

# 3. Start Besu with Docker
docker run -d \
  --name tipschain-besu \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 8545:8545 \
  -p 30303:30303 \
  -p 30303:30303/udp \
  -v /opt/besu/config:/etc/besu \
  -v /opt/besu/data:/var/lib/besu \
  hyperledger/besu:23.10.0 \
  --config-file=/etc/besu/besu.toml \
  --data-path=/var/lib/besu

# 4. Wait 2-3 minutes for startup
sleep 120

# 5. Verify it's running
curl http://localhost:8545 -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_chainId","params":[],"id":1}'

# Should return: {"jsonrpc":"2.0","result":"0x4afc1d","id":1}

Step 4: Setup Wallet VM (5 min)

SSH into Wallet VM:

# SSH to VM2
ssh root@[WALLET_VM_IP]

# 1. Install dependencies
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash
apt-get install -y nodejs nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

# 2. Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/tipspay-dev/tipschain-ecosystem.git
cd tipschain-ecosystem

# 3. Copy .env.production from step 1
# (Add API configs specific to wallet)

# 4. Install and build
npm install --production
npm run build

# 5. Start with PM2
npm install -g pm2
pm2 start "npm start" --name wallet
pm2 startup
pm2 save

# 6. Setup Nginx (see SPACESHIP_DEPLOYMENT.md)
# Copy config/nginx-wallet.conf to /etc/nginx/sites-available/tipschain.sbs
# Enable it: ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/tipschain.sbs /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
# Restart: systemctl restart nginx

# 7. Get SSL certificate
certbot certonly --nginx -d tipschain.sbs

Step 5: Setup DEX VM (5 min)

Repeat Step 4 but for DEX service:

Domain: dex.tipschain.sbs
Config: config/nginx-dex.conf

Step 6: Setup Explorer VM (5 min)

Repeat Step 4 but for Explorer service:

Domain: scan.tipspay.org
Config: config/nginx-explorer.conf

✅ Verification Checklist

After deployment, verify everything works:

# 1. Test RPC endpoint
curl http://[BLOCKCHAIN_VM_IP]:8545 -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

# 2. Test Wallet
curl -k https://tipschain.sbs/api/health

# 3. Test DEX
curl -k https://dex.tipschain.sbs/api/dex/tokens

# 4. Test Explorer
curl -k https://scan.tipspay.org/api/explorer/blocks

# 5. Test gassless swap
npm run test:gassless-swap

Expected results: ✅ All endpoints respond with JSON data

📊 Architecture

                        Internet
                           ↓
        ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
        │   Nginx Load Balancer / SSL Proxy    │
        └──────┬──────────────┬──────┬─────────┘
               │              │      │
       ┌───────↓──┐   ┌──────↓──┐   └→ scan.tipspay.org
       │ Wallet   │   │   DEX   │       (Explorer)
       │ VM2:3000 │   │ VM3:3000│
       └────┬──────┘   └────┬────┘
            │              │
            └──────────────┴──────────┬──────────┐
                                     ↓          ↓
                          ┌──────────────────────────┐
                          │  Besu Blockchain (VM1)   │
                          │      Port 8545 RPC       │
                          │   Chain ID: 19251925     │
                          └──────────────────────────┘

🔧 Configuration Files

All config files are in the config/ directory:

File	Purpose
`config/genesis.json`	Blockchain genesis block
`config/besu.toml`	Besu node configuration
`config/nginx.conf`	Nginx master config
`config/nginx-wallet.conf`	Wallet domain config
`config/nginx-dex.conf`	DEX domain config
`config/nginx-explorer.conf`	Explorer domain config
`docker-compose.spaceship.yml`	Docker Compose for all services

🚨 Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" on blockchain RPC

# Check if Besu is running
docker ps | grep besu

# Check logs
docker logs tipschain-besu

# Verify port is open
netstat -tlnp | grep 8545

"SSL certificate not found"

# Regenerate certificate
certbot certonly --nginx -d tipschain.sbs

# Check certificate validity
openssl s_client -connect tipschain.sbs:443 -servername tipschain.sbs

"RLP encoding error"

See: docs/BESU_RLP_ERROR_FIX.md

# Diagnose
npm run diagnose
npm run test:rlp

"Gassless swap failing"

# Test the flow
npm run test:gassless-swap

# Check relayer balance
npm run test:rlp | grep "Relayer balance"

# Fund relayer if needed!

📚 Documentation

For detailed information, see:

Document	Use Case
SPACESHIP_DEPLOYMENT.md	Complete step-by-step guide (this file)
docs/BESU_RLP_ERROR_FIX.md	Blockchain RLP encoding issues
docs/RLP_ENCODING_FIX.md	Application RLP encoding issues
docs/QUICK_REFERENCE.md	Developer commands cheat sheet
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md	System design details

🔐 Security Checklist

Private keys stored only in .env (never in code)
Database backups stored securely
SSL certificates auto-renewing
Firewall configured (only needed ports open)
SSH keys configured (no password auth)
Rate limiting configured
Regular security updates applied
Monitoring and alerting enabled

💰 Cost Optimization

Combine VMs for cost savings:

Option 1: Separate VMs (Recommended for production)
├── VM1: Besu (8GB RAM, 100GB disk) - $100/mo
├── VM2: Wallet (4GB RAM, 20GB disk) - $40/mo
├── VM3: DEX (4GB RAM, 20GB disk) - $40/mo
└── VM4: Explorer (4GB RAM, 20GB disk) - $40/mo
Total: ~$220/month

Option 2: Combined VMs (For testing)
├── VM1: Besu + Wallet (8GB RAM, 50GB disk)
├── VM2: DEX (4GB RAM, 20GB disk)
└── VM3: Explorer (4GB RAM, 20GB disk)
Total: ~$100/month

Option 3: Single VM (Development only)
└── VM1: Everything (16GB RAM, 100GB disk)
Total: ~$80/month

Scaling for mainnet:

Add load balancer (Spaceship or Cloudflare)
Add replica nodes for redundancy
Add caching layer (Redis)
Use CDN for static assets

📞 Support

Issues during setup? Check the troubleshooting section above
RLP encoding errors? See BESU_RLP_ERROR_FIX.md
API not responding? Check PM2 logs: pm2 logs
Need more help? Review detailed guide: SPACESHIP_DEPLOYMENT.md

🎯 Next Steps After Deployment

Monitor the services:

pm2 logs       # Application logs
docker logs tipschain-besu  # Blockchain logs

Fund the relayer:

# Send ETH/TIPS to relayer address so it can pay gas
npm run test:rlp

Test end-to-end:
```
npm run test:gassless-swap
```

Configure backups:

# Backup blockchain data weekly
tar -czf besu-backup.tar.gz /opt/besu/data

Enable monitoring:
- Setup uptime monitoring (UptimeRobot, Statuspage)
- Setup error alerts (Sentry, LogRocket)
- Setup metrics (Prometheus, Grafana)

✨ You're Done!

Your TipsChain ecosystem is now live on Spaceship!

Wallet: https://tipschain.sbs
DEX: https://dex.tipschain.sbs
Explorer: https://scan.tipspay.org
RPC Endpoint: http://[BLOCKCHAIN_VM_IP]:8545

Users can now:

✅ Connect their Web3 wallet
✅ Perform gassless swaps (relayer pays gas)
✅ View transactions on the block explorer
✅ Tip content creators with TIPS tokens

Celebration time! 🎉

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: April 2026
Status: PRODUCTION READY ✅

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TipsChain Spaceship Deployment - Quick Start

🚀 Executive Summary

📋 Prerequisites

⚡ Quick Start (30 min)

Step 1: Prepare .env Files (5 min)

Step 2: Deploy Smart Contracts (10 min)

Step 3: Setup Blockchain VM (5 min)

Step 4: Setup Wallet VM (5 min)

Step 5: Setup DEX VM (5 min)

Step 6: Setup Explorer VM (5 min)

✅ Verification Checklist

📊 Architecture

🔧 Configuration Files

🚨 Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" on blockchain RPC

"SSL certificate not found"

"RLP encoding error"

"Gassless swap failing"

📚 Documentation

🔐 Security Checklist

💰 Cost Optimization

📞 Support

🎯 Next Steps After Deployment

✨ You're Done!

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TipsChain Spaceship Deployment - Quick Start

🚀 Executive Summary

📋 Prerequisites

⚡ Quick Start (30 min)

Step 1: Prepare .env Files (5 min)

Step 2: Deploy Smart Contracts (10 min)

Step 3: Setup Blockchain VM (5 min)

Step 4: Setup Wallet VM (5 min)

Step 5: Setup DEX VM (5 min)

Step 6: Setup Explorer VM (5 min)

✅ Verification Checklist

📊 Architecture

🔧 Configuration Files

🚨 Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" on blockchain RPC

"SSL certificate not found"

"RLP encoding error"

"Gassless swap failing"

📚 Documentation

🔐 Security Checklist

💰 Cost Optimization

📞 Support

🎯 Next Steps After Deployment

✨ You're Done!