Asentum

Run a Node

Run a validator on a Chromebook

ChromeOS via Crostini · Estimated read time: 5 minutes

TL;DR

Yes, you can run a full Asentum validator on a Chromebook. ChromeOS ships with a built-in Linux container (Crostini) based on Debian. Once you enable it, the standard validator one-liner works exactly as it does on any Ubuntu or Debian VPS.

# After enabling Linux on ChromeOS, open the Terminal app:
sudo curl -fsSL https://testnet.asentum.com/install/validator | bash

Enable Linux on ChromeOS

The Linux development environment is off by default. To enable it:

  1. Open Settings on your Chromebook.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Advanced → Developers.
  3. Find Linux development environment and click Turn On.
  4. Accept the defaults (or pick a username and disk size — 10 GB is plenty for a validator).
  5. ChromeOS downloads and installs the Linux container. This takes a few minutes.
  6. When it's done, the Terminal app appears in your launcher. Open it.

You're now in a Debian shell. cat /etc/os-release should show PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)" or similar.

Install the validator

Inside the Linux Terminal, run the standard one-liner:

sudo curl -fsSL https://testnet.asentum.com/install/validator | bash

The installer will:

  1. Install Node.js 22, jq, ufw, and curl.
  2. Download the validator bundle and chain snapshot.
  3. Generate a Dilithium3 validator keypair.
  4. Set up systemd, sync the chain, fund via faucet, and bond into the active set.

Total time on a Chromebook: usually 5–10 minutes. See the main validator guide for full details on what each step does.

Chromebook considerations

Sleep behavior

Chromebooks aggressively suspend when the lid is closed or the device is idle. When ChromeOS sleeps, the Linux container pauses too — your validator stops producing blocks and may miss its proposer slot, which can lead to slashing.

For a stable validator, plug the Chromebook in and disable sleep:

# Settings -> Device -> Power
# Set "When idle" and "When charging" to "Keep display on"
# Or use the keep-awake extension if you don't want to leave the screen on

Network & ports

The Linux container sits behind ChromeOS's network stack. Other validators on the public internet won't be able to reach your node directly — you're behind NAT, like any laptop on home WiFi.

That's fine for a sync-only or testnet validator: your node still connects out to peers and produces blocks. For a public-facing production validator, run on a VPS instead.

Hardware

Asentum is designed to run on consumer hardware (Raspberry Pi 4, 4 GB RAM is the floor). Any Chromebook from the last few years — Intel x86 or ARM — meets that bar. The chain uses ~85 MB RAM, ~40 MB disk for the chain snapshot, and minimal CPU.

Troubleshooting

"Linux development environment" option is missing

Some school- or work-managed Chromebooks have Linux disabled by policy. If you don't see the toggle, your administrator has turned it off — nothing you can do from the device itself.

Installer says "Unsupported distro"

Make sure you're running the one-liner inside the Linux Terminal app (not the ChromeOS shell). Run cat /etc/os-release — you should see Debian. The installer accepts Debian and Ubuntu.

Node stops when I close the lid

That's ChromeOS suspend kicking in. Disable suspend in Settings → Device → Power, or run the validator on a VPS for production use.

For other issues, see the FAQ or join the community.