Overview
QORel is QoreChain's IBC relayer. A relayer is the program that carries IBC packets, proofs and client updates between two chains; without one running, a transfer over an IBC channel stays pending. QORel is for operators, validators and teams who want to run the relay for a QoreChain channel, and for anyone who needs a relayer that can submit transactions to QoreChain at all.
What is new
This page lists what each QORel release adds. It is for operators deciding whether to move from Hermes, or from an earlier QORel, and it only states what a release does, as checkable behaviour. QORel is based on Hermes 1.13.3 (Informal Systems, Apache-2.0); every change below is on top of that base. Anything not listed behaves as it does in Hermes.
Install
QORel is one binary, qorel. This page shows each way to install it and how to check what you downloaded. It is for operators setting up a relayer on a server, a laptop or a container platform. Pick one channel; they all install the same program.
Quickstart
This walks through relaying between the QoreChain testnet qorechain-diana and the Cosmos Hub public testnet (chain ID provider): install, configure, add and register keys, check readiness, start the relayer, and send a first transfer. It is for someone who has not run a relayer before. Everything here is testnet; the tokens have no value.
Configuration
QORel reads one TOML file (~/.hermes/config.toml by default, or the path given with --config). For any chain that signs the standard way the file is exactly Hermes' configuration; the Hermes guide describes every setting. This page covers what QORel adds: the QoreChain chain entry, the post-quantum keys, the gas settings and the checks that run before a transaction is sent. It is for operators writing or reviewing a QORel config.
Next to a validator
Validators often relay the channels of their own chain. QORel can run on the validator host, as a sidecar container, or in Kubernetes. This page gives the three layouts and the rules that keep the relayer isolated from the validator's own keys. It is for validator and node operators. For running the node itself see Running a Validator and Running a Node.
Monitoring
A relayer that stops quietly leaves packets pending, so it should be watched. This page lists what QORel exposes (Prometheus telemetry, an optional REST endpoint, logs and commands) and what to alert on. It is for operators who run a relayer for a channel they care about.
Signing from any language
QORel signs in Rust with the qorel-signer crate. Other relayers, bots and tools can produce the same hybrid post-quantum signature in other languages with the QoreChain SDK and the post-quantum libraries. This page states the contract they all follow and lists the library to use for Rust, TypeScript, Go, Python and Java. It is for developers who build a relayer, a bot or a backend that submits transactions to QoreChain.
Troubleshooting
Questions and fixes for running QORel, in the order people usually hit them. It is for operators with a relayer that does not start, refuses to send, or leaves packets pending. QORel is testnet only today, so every answer assumes qorechain-diana.