Run a Sentinel dVPN node With a wallet you already funded.
A Sentinel dVPN node on Selfhost.dev runs the official node software on a dedicated server we provision and run. Paste the recovery phrase of a Sentinel wallet that already holds DVPN; the node registers on the Sentinel network with it and serves WireGuard connections to dVPN clients.
No wallet to create and fund afterwards: bring one that already holds DVPN, and the node imports it on its first boot.
- nodesentinel-dvpnx v9.0.0, pinned
- walletyour funded phrase, encrypted
- tunnelWireGuard on UDP 51820
- node APITCP 8585, open to clients
- networkSentinel mainnet
What is a Sentinel dVPN node?
What it is
Sentinel is a decentralized VPN network. A dVPN node serves WireGuard connections to Sentinel clients and pays its network fees in DVPN from its operator's wallet. This template runs the official node, sentinel-dvpnx, on a server.
Who it is for
Sentinel operators who want a node that runs all day on a dedicated server, not on a home connection or a laptop.
When to use it
When you already hold DVPN in a wallet you can dedicate to the node. To browse through Sentinel yourself, you need a Sentinel client app, not a node.
Sentinel dVPN node setup, done for you
Setting up a Sentinel node by hand on the v9 software takes three commands: dvpnx init to write the configuration, its TLS certificate and the WireGuard keys, dvpnx keys add to import a wallet, then dvpnx start. This template runs all three on the first boot and keeps the result.
The stack, end to end
dVPN clients on the Sentinel network
Ports 8585 and 51820, open
sentinel-dvpnx v9.0.0
Your wallet phrase
Node key and configuration
Sentinel network
| Running sentinel-dvpnx by hand | Sentinel dVPN on Selfhost.dev |
|---|---|
dvpnx init with the public IP, ports and prices as flags | Written on the first boot from the server's public IP, on Sentinel mainnet |
| WireGuard on a random port, which v9 offers no flag to set | WireGuard pinned to UDP 51820 on every boot |
The phrase typed into dvpnx keys add | The phrase pasted once in the console, stored encrypted and never logged |
| Firewall rules for the API and the tunnel to open yourself | TCP 8585 and UDP 51820 opened for you |
| Whichever release you installed | ghcr.io/sentinel-official/sentinel-dvpnx:v9.0.0, an exact tag |
Sentinel dVPN node requirements
Sentinel dVPN node requirements on this template are a server, a funded wallet and two open ports. It runs on the platform default 4 GB server, x86 or ARM, and a project holds one node, because its ports are fixed.
What it needs
- Server
- 4 GB, the platform default; x86 or ARM
- Node image
ghcr.io/sentinel-official/sentinel-dvpnx:v9.0.0, an exact tag- Wallet
- The 12 or 24 word recovery phrase of a wallet that already holds DVPN
- Funding
- At least 1 DVPN to start, about 0.3 DVPN a day after that
- Ports
- TCP 8585 and UDP 51820, open to the internet
- Per project
- One node, and not beside a WireGuard server
What we run and what you bring
The node, its ports and its health check are ours to run. The wallet is yours: the node signs in to the Sentinel network with it and pays its fees from it.
On the server (we set it up)
- The Sentinel node, its configuration and its keys
- TCP 8585 and UDP 51820, open to clients
- The health check on the node API
What you bring
- A Sentinel wallet that already holds DVPN
- The wallet's 12 or 24 word recovery phrase
- DVPN to keep it funded, about 0.3 a day
How to run a Sentinel dVPN node in 3 steps
One funded wallet, one phrase, one click.
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Fund a dedicated wallet
Use a Sentinel wallet that holds only what the node needs, not your main one. There is no deposit: the node pays about 0.3 DVPN a day in fees, so at least 1 DVPN starts it and 10 cover about a month.
-
Launch the template
Launch opens the Sentinel dVPN template in the console. Paste the wallet's 12 or 24 word recovery phrase, name the node if you like, acknowledge that it carries other people's traffic and pick a 4 GB server.
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Check that it reads Running
Running means the node registered on the Sentinel network with your wallet and its API answers. If it stays unhealthy, the wallet is unfunded or the phrase is wrong; the logs show the wallet address, never the phrase.
What a Sentinel dVPN node costs here
A Sentinel dVPN node here costs the server, billed by us, and its network fees, paid in DVPN from your wallet to the Sentinel network. A European 4 GB server is $0.02/hr, about $15 to $16 a month, paid by the hour from prepaid credits. There are no bandwidth charges on project servers.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| The Sentinel dVPN template | $0 |
| Bandwidth the node serves | $0, traffic is included in the server price |
| Sentinel network fees | About 0.3 DVPN a day, from your wallet to the network, not to us |
| Optional daily backups | +20% of the server price |
| Server | RAM, cores, disk | Where | Rate | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cx23 (recommended) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $15.18 |
cax11 (ARM) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $16.35 |
cpx21 | 4 GB, 3 cores, 80 GB | US | $0.12/hr | $87.75 |
cpx22 | 4 GB, 2 cores, 80 GB | Singapore | $0.10/hr | $72.56 |
Monthly figures assume 730 hours.
If your balance reaches zero
With a card on file or a past top-up, the node keeps running for 5 days after your balance reaches zero. Then it is stopped and kept for 24 hours before it is deleted; a top-up in that time restarts it. We email you when the balance reaches zero and again when it stops. Welcome-credit-only servers are deleted at zero.
Price another size or region in the calculator, no signup.
Five checks on every Sentinel node
- Running means registered. The console marks the node Running only once its API answers, which a node with an unfunded wallet or a wrong phrase never reaches.
- Your phrase never reaches a log. The node logs show only the wallet address, and our own request and error logs redact the phrase.
- The phrase is never resent behind your back. A failed create is not retried automatically; you decide what happens next.
- Your node version stays put. The image is an exact tag; a restart or redeploy brings back the same build.
- The wallet is imported once. The node keeps its key in its own volume, so a restart reuses it.
The console allows up to fifteen minutes for the node after the server is ready, because its first boot syncs with the Sentinel network and registers; first-time server provisioning adds time.
Sentinel dVPN node limitations
- Early, and offered so you can try it. A funded node registering and serving has been proven on a Sentinel test network, not yet in our own live test with a funded wallet and an outside client. Tell us what you see.
- No funds, no node. The node cannot start on an unfunded wallet, and one whose wallet runs dry stops serving. Top it up before it runs out.
- Other people's traffic uses your server's IP address. The console asks you to acknowledge this before it deploys.
- One node per project, and no web interface. Its ports are fixed, so a project holds one, and not beside a WireGuard server. There is no dashboard on the server and no custom domain.
Nothing here in your way? Bring a funded wallet and the node registers on its first boot.
Launch Sentinel dVPNRunning nodes on more than one network?
Tell us which networks and how many servers you have in mind. We reply with the sizes we would pick and what they cost a month.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Sentinel dVPN node need to start?
A Sentinel wallet that already holds DVPN. The node cannot start on an unfunded wallet, because the network does not know the address until it holds funds. You paste the wallet's recovery phrase when you deploy. There is no deposit; the node pays about 0.3 DVPN a day in fees from the wallet, so at least 1 DVPN starts it and 10 cover about a month.
Is my recovery phrase safe with Selfhost.dev?
It is handled as the secret it is. The phrase is stored encrypted, handed to the node when it deploys and never written into the deployment file. The node logs show only the wallet address, and our own request and error logs redact the phrase. It still controls the wallet, so use a dedicated wallet that holds only what the node needs.
Which ports does a Sentinel node open?
Two, both open to the internet, because dVPN clients connect to the node: TCP 8585 for the node API and UDP 51820 for the WireGuard tunnel. Those ports are fixed, so a project holds one node, and not beside a WireGuard server. There is no web interface and no custom domain.
Does Running mean the node is earning?
No. Running means the node registered on the Sentinel network with your wallet and its API answers. Whether clients connect, and what the node earns, are up to the Sentinel network. Keep the wallet funded: a node whose wallet runs dry stops serving. See pricing.
What happens to my DVPN if I delete the node?
It stays in your wallet. Deleting the node removes its key from the server, not your funds, which stay on the Sentinel network under your recovery phrase.
Your Sentinel node, on a server that stays on. Funded from your own wallet.
- The official Sentinel node, pinned to v9.0.0
- Your recovery phrase encrypted and never logged
- A European 4 GB server, about $15 to $16 a month
About Selfhost.dev
Selfhost.dev is a managed self hosting platform for developers and small teams. Open source apps and databases on dedicated servers you control, billed by the hour, in six locations across three continents.
Best for: Sentinel dVPN, Mysterium, URnetwork, WireGuard and managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, ClickHouse, OpenSearch and Kafka.