Azul Node Upgrade Guide

Azul is only supported by base-reth-node (execution) and base-consensus (consensus). Nodes still running op-node, op-geth, op-reth, nethermind, or kona cannot follow the upgrade and have to be migrated.

Azul went live on mainnet at May 28, 2026 18:00 UTC (1779991200). The Azul overview carries the full activation-timestamp table.

Required software

Layer	Software	Mainnet	Testnet
Execution (EL)	base-reth-node	v0.9.0+	v0.7.0+
Consensus (CL)	base-consensus	v0.9.0+	v0.7.0+

Note

Both clients ship from the base/node repository, where the bulk of the configuration is preset and can be overridden through environment variables — see the .env.mainnet and .env.sepolia files for every adjustable option.

If you instead build straight from base/base, you will need to switch your base-consensus configuration over to the new BASE_NODE_* environment variables. base-reth-node keeps working with all of your existing Reth tooling and configuration unchanged.

Migrating the execution layer

Coming from OP Reth

Operators already on OP Reth via base/node only need to update — the latest version switches the binary to base-reth-node automatically, and your current ./reth-data directory carries over with no re-sync or snapshot restore required.

1. Stop your node:

   docker compose down

2. Update to the latest version of base/node:

   git pull origin main

3. Start your node:

   docker compose up

4. Confirm the client version: web3_clientVersion should now carry base in the string (for example reth/v1.11.3-.../base/v0.9.0).

Coming from another client

op-geth and nethermind are no longer supported, so you will have to start over on base-reth-node.

1. Stop your node:

   docker compose down

2. Update to the latest version of base/node:

   git pull origin main

3. Delete the old data directory (for example ./geth-data or ./nethermind-data).

4. Adjust .env.mainnet or .env.sepolia to your preferences.

5. Bootstrap from a Reth snapshot so you can skip a full sync.

6. Start your node:

   docker compose up

Migrating the consensus layer

Swap op-node for base-consensus by updating environment variables.

1. Set USE_BASE_CONSENSUS=true in your .env file.

2. Add the new BASE_NODE_* environment variables (mapping below).

3. Restart your node:

   docker compose up

4. Verify:

   • Tail the consensus logs: docker compose logs -f node
   • Confirm sync status: optimism_syncStatus still responds

Environment variable mapping

On base/node most of these are already populated in .env.mainnet and .env.sepolia. If you build from base/base, use the table below to translate your op-node variables to base-consensus. Most are optional; run base-consensus node --help for the complete list.

op-node	base-consensus
OP_NODE_NETWORK	BASE_NODE_NETWORK
OP_NODE_ROLLUP_CONFIG	BASE_NODE_ROLLUP_CONFIG
—	BASE_NODE_LOG_VERBOSITY
—	BASE_NODE_LOG_FORMAT
OP_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC	BASE_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON	BASE_NODE_L1_BEACON
OP_NODE_L1_TRUST_RPC	BASE_NODE_L1_TRUST_RPC
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_RPC	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_RPC
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH
—	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH_ENCODED
OP_NODE_P2P_BOOTNODES	BASE_NODE_P2P_BOOTNODES
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_IP	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_IP
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_TCP_PORT	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_TCP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_UDP_PORT	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_UDP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_IP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_IP
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_TCP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_TCP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_UDP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_UDP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_PRIV_PATH	BASE_NODE_P2P_PRIV_PATH
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_SCORING	BASE_NODE_P2P_SCORING
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_PEERS
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING_THRESHOLD	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_THRESHOLD
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING_DURATION	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_DURATION
OP_NODE_METRICS_ENABLED	BASE_NODE_METRICS_ENABLED
OP_NODE_METRICS_ADDR	BASE_NODE_METRICS_ADDR
OP_NODE_METRICS_PORT	BASE_NODE_METRICS_PORT
OP_NODE_RPC_ADDR	BASE_NODE_RPC_ADDR
OP_NODE_RPC_PORT	BASE_NODE_RPC_PORT
OP_NODE_RPC_ENABLE_ADMIN	BASE_NODE_RPC_ENABLE_ADMIN
OP_NODE_RPC_ADMIN_STATE	BASE_NODE_RPC_ADMIN_STATE
OP_NODE_SAFEDB_PATH	BASE_NODE_SAFEDB_PATH
OP_NODE_SYNCMODE	—
OP_NODE_VERIFIER_L1_CONFS	—
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_KIND	—
OP_NODE_L1_RPC_KIND	—
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON_FETCH_ALL_SIDECARS	—
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON_FALLBACKS	—
OP_NODE_ROLLUP_LOAD_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS	—
OP_NODE_P2P_STATIC	—
OP_NODE_P2P_DISABLE	—
OP_NODE_P2P_NAT	—

FAQ

• Do I have to re-sync? No, not if you are already on OP Reth — the existing data directory is compatible.
• What if I run op-geth or nethermind? Move to base-reth-node and bootstrap from a Reth snapshot.
• Do the OP namespace RPCs still work? Yes — every existing RPC remains supported.