Operating a Stellar validator means participating in the network’s agreement about which transactions become part of its ledger. Stellar Core is the software that performs that role, maintaining the local state and network relationships needed for validation. This entry concerns the node software rather than a wallet or a general application database. Its identity keys, quorum settings and storage are operationally significant, and a running container alone does not demonstrate that the node is participating correctly.
Current guidance
Current Stellar documentation distinguishes validator roles, ledger storage and network participation. Its installation guide recommends published packages for production and also documents the standalone stellar/stellar-core production image. The stellar/quickstart image is for development, and Tier 1 validators should use SDF packages. Confirm the deployment model before selecting Kubernetes simply because the historical chart exists.
Validator keys, quorum configuration, peer connectivity and accurate time are operationally significant. The prerequisites also distinguish the public peer port from an unauthenticated administrative HTTP endpoint that should not be exposed directly to the internet. Protect node seeds and review the additional places Kubernetes Secrets and backups may store them.
For an existing node, align the Core release with announced network protocol upgrades and preserve the node’s unique identity, local bucket storage, SQL database and history-archive configuration. Rehearse resynchronization and maintenance without accidentally running duplicate instances with one validator key. A successful container restart does not establish quorum participation, ledger agreement or recovery readiness. Choose resource and storage capacity from current network requirements rather than the small example settings of an old chart; this review does not assess token economics or validator profitability.
Historical upstream link check · 2026-10-09
The recorded upstream address responded successfully (HTTP 200) on 2026-10-09. GitHub confirms that helm/charts is archived: this is a historical chart distribution, not evidence that the application itself is retired. Link availability does not certify the historical installation instructions or current security support.
Website availability is separate from project, chart and image support. Use the current guidance and primary sources on this page to assess the distribution.
Historical Kubedex content
Original publication: 2018-10-11T17:41:36+00:00. Preserved for context. Commands, versions, prices and results below reflect the original research.
Stellar is an open-source and distributed payments infrastructure. Stellar Core is the software that powers the backbone of the Stellar network and validates and agrees on transactions.
Using the Stellar network, you can build mobile wallets, banking tools, smart devices that pay for themselves, and just about anything else you can dream up involving payments! Even though Stellar is a complex distributed system, working with it doesn’t need to be complicated.
API: Horizon
Most applications interact with the Stellar network through Horizon, a RESTful HTTP API server. Horizon gives you a straightforward way to submit transactions, check accounts, and subscribe to events. Because it’s just HTTP, you can communicate with Horizon using your web browser, simple command line tools like cURL, or the Stellar SDK for your favorite programming language.
The easiest way to install Horizon is by using the stellar/quickstart docker image.
Stellar.org maintains JavaScript, Java, and Go-based SDKs for communicating with Horizon. There are also community-maintained SDKs for Ruby, Python, and C#.
Network Backbone: Stellar Core
Behind the scenes, every Horizon server connects to Stellar Core, the backbone of the Stellar network. The Stellar Core software does the hard work of validating and agreeing with other instances of Core on the status of every transaction through the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP). The Stellar network itself is a collection of connected Stellar Cores run by various individuals and entities around the world. Some instances have a Horizon server you can communicate with, while others exist only to add reliability to the overall network.
The easiest way to install Stellar Core is by using the stellar/quickstart docker image.
You might want to host your own instance of Stellar Core in order to submit transactions without depending on a third party, have more control over who to trust, or simply to help make the Stellar network more reliable and robust for others.
Big Picture: The Stellar Network
The Stellar network is a worldwide collection of Stellar Cores, each maintained by different people and organizations. The distributed nature of the network makes it reliable and safe.
All these Stellar Cores, the network of nodes, eventually agree on sets of transactions. Each transaction on the network costs a small fee: 100 stroops (0.00001 XLM). This fee helps prevent bad actors from spamming the network.
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