BitGo Express via Docker

This guide is designed to guide your through the installation of BitGo Express node, to enable CAS to use your BitGo wallet (on the BitGo website) after you’ve created your BitGo account (on their website).

BitGo Express is designed and written by BitGo for their BitGo website wallet.

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1. Install Docker.

Install the Ubuntu dependencies:

Install the product signatures to verify file integrity:

Install the latest stable version of Docker:

Assuming the installation went as planned, this next command should succeed:

Success looks like this:

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2. Setup a secure tunnel for encrypted communication.

Your CAS server and this node must have a secure line. Your passphrase and other sensitive information will be passed back & forth. Encrypt (and protect) this communication by using a secure SSH tunnel.

The GB Wallet Tunnel is recommended.

General Bytes has incorporated an open-source SSH client into CAS.

Click here for instructions to install the GB Wallet Tunnel Server on this node.

3. Install & run Bitgo Express.

Navigate to your home directory (~). The home directory is the default login directory.

Run BitGo Express:

This is an example of a successful start:

4. Test it.

Verify that your node is working properly by sending a command via another terminal window.

1. Open a new Terminal window/tab.

2. Login on the second window via SSH to the Bitgo Express node.

3. Type the following:

You should see something similar to this reply:

On the first window, you’ll see confirmation that the second window said “hello”:

Great, everything seems to be working with that! You can close the second window, we’re done there.

5. Ensure continuity.

BitGo Express MUST be running at all times to be available as a Hot Wallet for CAS. If the program terminates for any reason, the Hot Wallet will fail to function. If the server goes down, so does your Hot Wallet. You need the server up & Bitgo Express operating constantly for proper operation.

The best way to ensure that Bitgo Express is always running is to implement Docker’s detached mode:

This is an example of BitGo Express successfully started in the background (detached mode):

• the reply indicates that Bitgo Express was successfully started, and assigned an identifier. That number will vary every time - and it’s not very important unless you wish to stop the program. Normally you won’t stop the program.

• To stop Bitgo Express, simply re-attach the container (use the first 12 characters of the identifier):

• you can now close Bitgo Express by pressing Ctrl-C, or

• watch incoming test messages from CAS (or another window, as described above).

6. Firewall the node.

The node only needs to expose ports 22 (SSH) and 22222 (GB Wallet Tunnel).

• Block off all other access to avoid having malicious actors abuse/attack your node.

UFW, or Uncomplicated FireWall, is a simplified firewall management interface. UFW is included (by default) with Ubuntu.

Check to see if UFW is already enabled and running:

If UFW is enabled and working, it will report the active rules of allowed connections to your server - otherwise you'll see something like this:

• Fresh/new systems will normally be inactive (unprotected).

• If it is not installed, install it now using: sudo apt update && sudo apt install ufw

• If UFW is active, then this procedure will erase that previous configuration and rewrite the rules.

Reset & deny all incoming connections by default:

• This will erase any/all previous UFW configuration.

Deny all public access to all ports:

• Now we’re left to specify the exceptions (the “rules”).

Allow incoming TCP connections on ports 22 and 22222:

Finally, enable & reload UFW to apply the new rules:

7. Create a new Crypto Setting for use with this node.

• See: BitGo Express Parameters

More Hot Wallet & Exchange guides: