Monitoring
Setting up dashboards, performance indicators, and alerts
Why Monitoring Matters
Non-validator nodes are a critical interface between Plasma’s consensus layer and the applications that rely on stablecoin transfers and real-time blockchain state. Interruptions in RPC responsiveness, degraded sync, or resource exhaustion can directly impact wallets, exchanges, and payment processors.
Monitoring ensures:
- Ongoing synchronisation with Plasma’s consensus layer
- Timely responses to RPC requests
- Accurate, up-to-date state for stablecoin balances and transfers
- Early detection of system or network-level issues
Monitoring adds approximately 5–10% to overall resource usage. For typical setups, expect an additional 0.2–0.5 vCPUs and 1–2 GB RAM depending on metrics collected and retention policies.
Key Monitoring Domains
Node Synchronisation and Health
Monitor your non-validator node’s synchronisation status with Plasma’s consensus layer, including block height alignment, consensus endpoint connectivity, and state consistency. Track sync speed during initial setup and ongoing operation to ensure your node maintains current state with Plasma’s rapid block production.
Key indicators include:
- Block processing rates: Alignment with Plasma’s sub-second block times.
- Consensus endpoint connectivity: Connection stability to Plasma’s consensus nodes.
- State synchronisation progress: Non-validator client sync status with consensus layer.
- Transaction throughput: Processing capacity for transaction volumes.
These metrics help identify network-level issues or local performance problems affecting your node’s ability to serve current payment data.
System Resource Utilisation
Monitor core system metrics to detect saturation or configuration issues:
- Disk space usage and I/O patterns: Plasma’s transaction volume can create significant data growth.
- Network connectivity metrics: Critical for maintaining low-latency connections to consensus endpoints.
- Memory usage during peak activity: Payment applications can create traffic spikes.
- CPU usage for RPC request processing: Stablecoin applications often make frequent balance and status queries.
Execution Layer Performance (Reth)
Since Plasma uses Reth as its execution engine, track:
- Transaction pool size and processing: Particularly important during high volumes.
- EVM execution performance: Smart contract interactions for DeFi protocols.
- State database performance: Critical for serving current balances.
- Engine API communication: Non-validator client to Reth communication latency.
Monitoring Architecture
Real-Time Dashboards
Dashboards give immediate insight into node status and help support rapid debugging. Include:
- Ecosystem health indicators: USD₮ transfer rates, gas usage, payment application connectivity.
- Non-validator node synchronisation metrics: Alignment with Plasma consensus, block processing lag.
- Payment processing performance: RPC response times for common operations.
- Resource utilisation trends: Capacity planning for growing adoption.
Consider separating dashboards by operational role to support different levels of abstraction.
Alerting Strategy
Alerts should distinguish between critical failures and trends worth watching. Suggested categories:
Payment-Critical Alerts:
- Consensus synchronisation failures affecting payment processing.
- Resource exhaustion impacting transaction serving.
- Network connectivity loss to Plasma consensus endpoints.
- Performance degradation affecting payment application SLAs.
Stablecoin-Specific Alerts:
- Unusual patterns in USD₮ transfer volumes or failures.
- Custom gas token processing anomalies.
- Payment application connection failures or timeouts.
- State inconsistencies affecting balance queries.
Avoid over-alerting by setting thresholds based on historical usage. Use deduplication and escalation policies for production environments.
Performance Baselines
Expected Performance Ranges
These benchmarks reflect testnet conditions and may evolve as the network scales.
Target operating ranges for non-validator nodes:
| Metric | Expected Range |
|---|---|
| CPU Utilisation | < 50% during typical loads |
| Memory Utilisation | < 75% with buffer for spikes |
| Disk I/O Throughput | Consistent under payment load |
| Network Latency | Low, stable to consensus peers |
Plasma-Specific Benchmarks:
| Metric | Expected Range |
|---|---|
| Block synchronization | < 1% second behind tip |
| RPC Latency | < 100ms |
| Payment Throughput | Matches app-side demand |
| State consistency | Always accurate |
Security Considerations for Payment Infrastructure
Non-validator nodes often support sensitive payment flows. Extend your monitoring setup to include basic infrastructure security:
- Unusual network traffic: Potential attacks on payment infrastructure.
- Unauthorised access attempts: Protecting sensitive payment processing systems.
- Configuration drift: Changes that might affect payment security or compliance.
- Resource abuse: Unusual usage patterns that might indicate compromise.
Ensure logs are retained securely and access to monitoring systems is controlled. For production-facing services, integrate with existing security incident response pipelines.