Quickstart

Set the destination values

This procedure uses UDP port 9000 as a runnable example. Keep that value when it is free, or replace every occurrence with one port you control. Register the server's public IP, not a private address. Behind NAT, make the chosen public port forward to the receiving socket.

Both the verification packet and later shreds come from ${SOURCE_IP}. Permit inbound UDP from that exact address. This rule remains necessary when cloud firewalls, host firewalls, or network ACLs admit other traffic. Missing source permission causes most quickstart activation failures.

Open the host firewall

Use this ufw command when ufw manages the host firewall:

sudo ufw allow proto udp from 203.23.178.228 to any port 9000sudo ufw status numbered

Use the matching command from Firewall configuration when the host uses iptables or nftables. Add the same source CIDR, ${SOURCE_IP}/32, to the cloud firewall or security group when the server runs behind one. Do not replace the narrow source with this internet-wide range:

0.0.0.0/0

Start a receiver

Run this command in a terminal on the destination server. It binds all local IPv4 interfaces on UDP port 9000, prints the verification payload as text, and reports aggregate stream counters once per second.

python3 - <<'PY'import socketimport time HOST = "0.0.0.0"PORT = 9000SOURCE_IP = "203.23.178.228" sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_RCVBUF, 8 * 1024 * 1024)sock.bind((HOST, PORT))print(f"listening on udp://{HOST}:{PORT}", flush=True) stream_packets = 0stream_bytes = 0last_report = time.monotonic() while True:    data, peer = sock.recvfrom(65535)    if not peer[0] == SOURCE_IP:        print(f"ignored source={peer[0]}:{peer[1]} bytes={len(data)}", flush=True)        continue    if data.startswith(b"SHREDCAST-VERIFY"):        print(data.decode("utf-8", errors="replace"), flush=True)        continue    stream_packets += 1    stream_bytes += len(data)    now = time.monotonic()    if now - last_report >= 1.0:        print(            f"source={peer[0]} stream_packets={stream_packets} "            f"stream_bytes={stream_bytes}",            flush=True,        )        stream_packets = 0        stream_bytes = 0        last_report = nowPY

Leave this terminal running. The receive buffer setting asks the kernel for 8 MiB. The kernel may cap the effective buffer according to host policy. Changing that cap is an operating-system task and is not required to read the one verification datagram.

Register and verify the destination

1. In the dashboard, select your paid destination.
2. Set its address to the server's public IP.
3. Set its UDP port to 9000.
4. Save both destination fields.
5. Issue the verification challenge.
6. In the receiver terminal, find the line starting with ${CHALLENGE_PREFIX}.
7. Copy its token value.
8. Enter that value in the dashboard verification field.
9. Submit it before ${CHALLENGE_TTL_SECONDS} seconds elapse.
10. Leave the receiver running.

The literal prefix ${CHALLENGE_PREFIX} opens the datagram. Its destination ID comes next and its token follows. Neither the delimiter nor post-prefix encoding is published. Read the complete printable payload instead of assuming spaces, colons, JSON, or line breaks.

Each request sends exactly one challenge datagram, which UDP will not retransmit. Ask again through the dashboard if the receiver prints nothing or the ${CHALLENGE_TTL_SECONDS} second window expires. Submit only the latest request's token.

Confirm the stream

After the dashboard accepts the token, watch the existing receiver terminal. Stream datagrams from ${SOURCE_IP} should replace the single verification message. The exact activation delay is not currently specified.

Open a second terminal and observe counters without decoding payloads:

sudo tcpdump -n -i any -c 20 'src host 203.23.178.228 and udp dst port 9000'

After 20 matches, tcpdump exits. A working feed produces continuing traffic whose rate changes with Solana network activity. Arrival proves current delivery, not ordering or future completeness. Service datagrams may reach ${WIRE.maxPacketBytes} bytes.

Confirm that the Python stream counter reports ${SOURCE_IP} for accepted traffic. Since no UDP source port is published, omit it from the filter. Select only source IP, protocol, and your destination port.

Preserve the working configuration

The example ufw rule is managed by ufw. Linux distributions determine iptables and nftables persistence, which lies outside the product contract. After confirming delivery, persist the chosen rule with the host's normal firewall configuration.

Keep the public IP and port stable. Changing either field counts as a destination address change and requires a new verification challenge. Each destination receives an allowance of three address edits daily.

Monitor receive errors, kernel UDP drops, process restarts, and firewall changes. Raw UDP supplies no retransmission, ordering, or backpressure. A slow or stopped receiver cannot ask the sender to replay missed packets. Base sustained capacity on local receiver measurements, with headroom for short peaks. No required percentage is published.

If no packet arrives

Run the tcpdump command while requesting a new challenge. If tcpdump sees nothing, check the public IP, cloud rule, host rule, NAT mapping, and dashboard port. If tcpdump sees the challenge but Python does not, another process may own the port or the receiver may be bound to a different interface. Inspect the binding with:

sudo ss -ulnp | grep ':9000 '

Do not debug the shred decoder until the network path works. First prove that one datagram from ${SOURCE_IP} reaches the configured UDP socket. Then complete verification. Then count stream datagrams. Decode payloads only after those three checks pass.