Gateway Configuration

Configure Gateway for secure production use, manage wallets, and set up blockchain connections

Gateway configuration involves setting up secure communication, managing wallet connections, and configuring blockchain network settings.

Development vs Production Modes

Gateway can operate in two distinct modes with different security characteristics:

Development Mode (Default)

Development mode is not secure for production use. Only use it for local testing and development.

Development mode characteristics:

• Protocol: HTTP (unencrypted)
• Default Port: 15888
• Authentication: None
• Certificates: Not required
• Use Cases: Local testing, development, learning

Configuration:

# Start Gateway in development mode (default)
DEV=true docker-compose up -d

Production Mode

Production mode provides encrypted HTTPS communication and certificate-based authentication.

Production mode characteristics:

• Protocol: HTTPS (encrypted)
• Default Port: 15888
• Authentication: Mutual TLS (client certificates)
• Certificates: Required (CA cert, client cert, client key)
• Use Cases: Production trading, remote access, any deployment with real funds

Configuration:

1. Generate Certificates

   From the Hummingbot CLI, generate SSL certificates:

   gateway generate-certs
   

   This creates three files in the certs/ directory:

   • ca_cert.pem - Certificate Authority certificate
   • client_cert.pem - Client certificate for authentication
   • client_key.pem - Private key for the client certificate
2. Enable Production Mode

   Set the DEV environment variable to false:

   # Stop containers
   docker-compose down
   
   # Start in production mode
   DEV=false docker-compose up -d
   
3. Verify HTTPS

   Confirm Gateway is using HTTPS:

   # In Hummingbot CLI
   gateway status
   

   The output should show an HTTPS URL (https://localhost:15888).

Certificates are automatically loaded from the certs/ directory. Hummingbot will use these certificates to establish secure communication with Gateway.

Security Best Practices

Always Use HTTPS in Production

Never run Gateway in development mode (HTTP) with real funds or on untrusted networks.

Protect Your Certificates

Keep certificate files secure. Anyone with access to your certificates can communicate with Gateway.

Use Firewall Rules

Restrict access to port 15888 using firewall rules if running on a remote server.

Regular Certificate Rotation

Regenerate certificates periodically for enhanced security.

Wallet Configuration

Gateway requires wallet private keys to sign and submit blockchain transactions.

Adding a Wallet

To add a wallet to Gateway:

1. Access Gateway Connect Command

   In the Hummingbot CLI:

   gateway connect ethereum
   

   Replace ethereum with your target chain.

2. Enter Private Key

   You’ll be prompted to enter your wallet’s private key:

   Enter your ethereum private key >>>
   

   Your private key is stored locally in encrypted format. Never share your private key or expose it in logs.

3. Verify Connection

   Check your wallet connection:

   gateway connector-status
   

Multiple Wallets

You can configure different wallets for different chains:

# Add Ethereum wallet
gateway connect ethereum

# Add Polygon wallet (can be the same private key)
gateway connect polygon

# Add Solana wallet (different key format)
gateway connect solana

You can use the same private key (wallet address) across EVM-compatible chains like Ethereum, Polygon, BSC, and Avalanche.

Wallet Security

Wallet private keys are stored in Gateway’s configuration:

• Location: conf/connectors/ directory
• Format: Encrypted JSON files
• Encryption: Uses the same password as your Hummingbot configuration

Backup your conf/ directory regularly. Loss of this directory means loss of access to your configured wallets within Gateway.

Network Configuration

Gateway connects to blockchain networks via RPC endpoints. You can configure custom RPC endpoints for better performance or privacy.

Using Default RPC Endpoints

Gateway comes with default public RPC endpoints for common chains. These work out of the box but may have rate limits.

Configuring Custom RPC Endpoints

For production use, configure your own RPC endpoints:

Ethereum

# Edit conf/ethereum.yml
networks:
  mainnet:
    nodeURL: 'https://your-ethereum-node-url'
    chainID: 1

RPC Provider Recommendations

Alchemy

Alchemy provides reliable RPC endpoints with generous free tiers.

• Free tier: 300M compute units/month
• Supported chains: Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism
• Dashboard: alchemy.com

nodeURL: 'https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR-API-KEY'

Infura

Infura is a popular provider with extensive chain support.

• Free tier: 100,000 requests/day
• Supported chains: Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism
• Dashboard: infura.io

nodeURL: 'https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/YOUR-PROJECT-ID'

QuickNode

QuickNode offers high-performance endpoints.

• Free tier: 5M requests/month
• Supported chains: 20+ chains including Solana
• Dashboard: quicknode.com

nodeURL: 'https://your-endpoint.quiknode.pro/YOUR-API-KEY/'

Self-Hosted

Run Your Own Node for maximum control and privacy.

Popular node software:

• Ethereum: Geth, Erigon
• Polygon: Bor + Heimdall
• BSC: BSC Geth

nodeURL: 'http://localhost:8545'

Gas Configuration

Configure gas settings for optimal transaction execution:

Gas Price Strategy

Gateway supports multiple gas price strategies:

# conf/ethereum.yml
gas:
  # Strategy: 'fast', 'medium', 'slow', or 'custom'
  strategy: 'fast'
  
  # Custom gas price (in Gwei) - only used if strategy is 'custom'
  customGasPrice: 50
  
  # Gas limit multiplier (1.0 = 100% of estimated gas)
  gasLimitMultiplier: 1.2

Strategy options:

• fast - Higher gas price for faster confirmation (1-2 blocks)
• medium - Standard gas price (2-5 blocks)
• slow - Lower gas price for cost savings (5+ blocks)
• custom - Specify exact gas price in Gwei

EIP-1559 Support

For chains supporting EIP-1559 (like Ethereum post-London fork):

gas:
  eip1559:
    enabled: true
    maxPriorityFeePerGas: 2  # in Gwei
    maxFeePerGas: 100         # in Gwei

Connector-Specific Configuration

Each DEX connector may have additional configuration options:

Uniswap Configuration

# conf/uniswap.yml
uniswap:
  router:
    version: 'v3'  # 'v2' or 'v3'
  
  # Slippage tolerance (percentage)
  slippageTolerance: 1.0
  
  # Transaction deadline (seconds from now)
  ttl: 300

SushiSwap Configuration

# conf/sushiswap.yml
sushiswap:
  # Slippage tolerance (percentage)
  slippageTolerance: 2.0
  
  # Transaction deadline (seconds from now)
  ttl: 600

Environment Variables

Key environment variables for Gateway configuration:

Variable	Description	Default
DEV	Enable development mode (HTTP)	true
GATEWAY_HOST	Gateway host address	localhost
GATEWAY_PORT	Gateway port	15888
CERT_PATH	Path to certificates directory	/home/gateway/certs
CONFIG_PATH	Path to configuration directory	/home/gateway/conf

Configuration Files

Gateway configuration is stored in YAML files:

conf/
├── ssl.yml                  # SSL/TLS configuration
├── server.yml               # Server settings
├── ethereum.yml             # Ethereum network config
├── polygon.yml              # Polygon network config
├── binance-smart-chain.yml  # BSC network config
├── avalanche.yml            # Avalanche network config
└── connectors/
    ├── uniswap.yml          # Uniswap connector config
    ├── sushiswap.yml        # SushiSwap connector config
    └── pancakeswap.yml      # PancakeSwap connector config

After modifying configuration files, restart Gateway for changes to take effect:

docker-compose restart gateway

Testing Configuration

Verify your Gateway configuration:

1. Check Gateway Status

   gateway status
   
2. Test Chain Connection

   gateway test-connection ethereum
   
3. Verify Wallet Balance

   balance
   

   Check that your wallet balances are displayed correctly.

4. Test Token Approval (Optional)

   gateway approve-token ethereum uniswap WETH
   

Troubleshooting

Certificate errors

Symptom: SSL/TLS connection errors

Solution:

1. Regenerate certificates: gateway generate-certs
2. Verify certificate files exist in certs/ directory
3. Ensure Gateway is running in production mode: DEV=false
4. Restart Gateway after regenerating certificates

RPC connection failures

Symptom: “Unable to connect to network” errors

Solution:

1. Verify RPC endpoint URL is correct
2. Check that RPC provider is online and accessible
3. Ensure API key (if required) is valid
4. Test RPC endpoint manually:
   curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}' \
     YOUR_RPC_URL
   

Wallet not found

Symptom: Gateway cannot find configured wallet

Solution:

1. Reconnect wallet: gateway connect <chain>
2. Verify wallet configuration exists in conf/connectors/
3. Check that encryption password matches Hummingbot password

Transaction failures

Symptom: Transactions fail or revert

Solution:

1. Increase gas limit multiplier in configuration
2. Adjust slippage tolerance for the connector
3. Ensure sufficient native token balance for gas fees
4. Check Gateway logs for detailed error messages

Next Steps

Supported Chains

View all available blockchains and DEX protocols

AMM DEX Connectors

Learn about trading on AMM DEXs

CLI Commands

Gateway-related CLI commands reference

Security

Security best practices for Hummingbot