geth init, what are the arguments?

Question

this command works but yields a warning of future removal so I'd like to use new option init :

➜  ~ go-ethereum/build/bin/geth --datadir="~/testgeth/" --genesis ~/testgeth/customgenesis.json --port "30304" --networkid 6776 --rpc --rpccorsdomain="http://localhost:63342" --rpcport="8546" --minerthreads="1" --nodiscover --maxpeers=0 console

####################################################################
#                                                                  #
# --genesis is deprecated. Switch to use 'geth init /path/to/file' #
#                                                                  #
####################################################################

unfortunately the help isn't very verbose :

➜  ~ go-ethereum/build/bin/geth init --help
init [arguments...]

The init command initialises a new genesis block and definition for the network.
This is a destructive action and changes the network in which you will be
participating.

I tried that but it yields an error :

➜  ~ go-ethereum/build/bin/geth init testgeth/customgenesis.json --datadir="~/testgeth/" --port "30304" --networkid 6776 --rpc --rpccorsdomain="http://localhost:63342" --rpcport="8546" --minerthreads="1" --nodiscover --maxpeers=0 console
Incorrect Usage.

init [arguments...]

The init command initialises a new genesis block and definition for the network.
This is a destructive action and changes the network in which you will be
participating.


flag provided but not defined: -datadir

try geth --datadir="~/testgethnew/" make sure to run mkdir ~/testgethnew before that. — niksmac, Apr 04 '16 at 14:03
@NikhilM the directories are fine, the deprecated command works perfectly, 1st one I wrote in my question in fact — euri10, Apr 04 '16 at 14:20

BokkyPooBah · Accepted Answer · 2016-07-19T23:09:54.437

Move the --datadir "~/testgeth/" parameter before the init {customgenesis-path} parameter and it will work.

This init parameter is new, in the develop branch version 1.4.0 .

From https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/blob/develop/cmd/geth/main.go#L440-L461 :

// initGenesis will initialise the given JSON format genesis file and writes it as
// the zero'd block (i.e. genesis) or will fail hard if it can't succeed.
func initGenesis(ctx *cli.Context) {
    genesisPath := ctx.Args().First()
    if len(genesisPath) == 0 {
            utils.Fatalf("must supply path to genesis JSON file")
    }

    chainDb, err := ethdb.NewLDBDatabase(filepath.Join(utils.MustMakeDataDir(ctx), "chaindata"), 0, 0)
    if err != nil {
            utils.Fatalf("could not open database: %v", err)
    }

    genesisFile, err := os.Open(genesisPath)
    if err != nil {
            utils.Fatalf("failed to read genesis file: %v", err)
    }

    block, err := core.WriteGenesisBlock(chainDb, genesisFile)
    if err != nil {
            utils.Fatalf("failed to write genesis block: %v", err)
    }
    glog.V(logger.Info).Infof("successfully wrote genesis block and/or chain rule set: %x", block.Hash())
}

From https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/blob/develop/cmd/utils/flags.go#L387-L399 :

// MustMakeDataDir retrieves the currently requested data directory, terminating
// if none (or the empty string) is specified. If the node is starting a testnet,
// the a subdirectory of the specified datadir will be used.
func MustMakeDataDir(ctx *cli.Context) string {
    if path := ctx.GlobalString(DataDirFlag.Name); path != "" {
            if ctx.GlobalBool(TestNetFlag.Name) {
                    return filepath.Join(path, "/testnet")
            }
            return path
    }
    Fatalf("Cannot determine default data directory, please set manually (--datadir)")
    return ""
}

Update 20/07/2016

From geth Command Line Options - Init:

Init

With the init command it is possible to create a chain with a custom genesis block and chain configuration (currently only the homestead transition block can be configured). It respects the --datadir argument and accepts a JSON file describing the chain configuration.
geth --datadir <some/location/where/to/create/chain> init genesis.json
Example genesis.json file:
{
    "config": {
            "homesteadBlock": "10"
    },
    "nonce": "0",
    "difficulty": "0x20000",
    "mixhash": "0x00000000000000000000000000000000000000647572616c65787365646c6578",
    "coinbase": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
    "timestamp": "0x00",
    "parentHash": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
    "extraData": "0x",
    "gasLimit": "0x2FEFD8",
    "alloc": {}
}
To use the created chain start geth with:
geth --datadir <some/location/where/to/create/chain>

go-ethereum/build/bin/geth init testgeth/customgenesis.json --datadir ~/testgeth with or without quotes around the datadir directory yields the same error: flag provided but not defined: -datadir — euri10, Apr 04 '16 at 14:53
go-ethereum/build/bin/geth init testgeth/customgenesis.json datadir="~/testgeth" is a little bit better : I0404 16:54:55.024842 ethdb/database.go:82] Alloted 16MB cache and 16 file handles to /home/lotso/.ethereum/chaindata Fatal: could not open database: resource temporarily unavailable seems like a bug handling arguments in the init command to me — euri10, Apr 04 '16 at 14:55
use the --datadir '{directory}' before the init parameter and it works. — BokkyPooBah, Apr 04 '16 at 14:57
mmmm you're right the --datadir and other -- args apply to geth ! thanks — euri10, Apr 04 '16 at 14:59
As a side note: Be very careful running init. If you forget to set the datadir you will overwrite you existing chaindata! — dbryson, Jun 07 '16 at 20:42

geth init, what are the arguments?

1 Answers1

Update 20/07/2016

Linked