How to create a virtual network

Start Studio from the project root:

acton studio

1. Open Virtual environments → Create environment.
2. Select Simulator or Localnet and enter a name.
3. For a simulator, keep Clean network or choose a public-network fork.
4. Select project wallets under Startup accounts, or clear the selection for no startup wallets.
5. Select Create environment and wait for readiness. Open the resulting environment.

Studio preselects [localnet].accounts, but initializes only the wallets submitted in the form. Each selected wallet starts with 100 GRAM.

Start a persistent network on port 5411:

acton simulator start --port 5411 --db-path .acton/simulator.sqlite --accounts deployer

The deployer must be a configured wallet. Omit --accounts to use [localnet].accounts, or pass --accounts "" to select none. Keep this terminal open.

In another terminal, inspect readiness:

acton simulator status --port 5411 --json

Configure defaults in Acton.toml; explicit flags override them.

Create a named network and leave it running in the background:

acton localnet start dev --port-base 19000 --accounts deployer --detach
acton localnet status dev --json

The command waits for readiness and prints endpoint URLs.

The deployer must be a configured wallet. Omit --accounts to use [localnet].accounts, or pass --accounts "" for no project wallets.

The port range 19000–19005 must be free. Omit --port-base to let Acton choose a range.

These options apply to new networks. Resume an existing network without creation options.

In Create environment, select Localnet. Open Genesis configuration before you create the network.

• Import genesis.toml loads your file into the form.
• The field groups let you edit individual values without a file.
• Export genesis.toml saves the complete configuration, including defaults.
• Reset defaults restores the local development configuration.

Studio highlights invalid values and related fields with an explanation. For example, Elections start offset must be less than Validator round duration. Correct the highlighted values before you create the network.

Pass the file when you start a new network:

acton localnet start custom --genesis genesis.toml --detach

To save the configuration without starting Docker, use acton localnet create custom --genesis genesis.toml instead.

The ACTON_LOCALNET_GENESIS environment variable can also supply the file path. An explicit --genesis path takes precedence. Acton does not automatically load genesis.toml from the project directory.

Explicit --block-time-ms and --election-time-seconds values override the corresponding genesis timing values. Acton checks the configuration before it starts Docker.