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Install CKB

There are three ways to install and run the CKB binary, depending on your platform and preference:

  • Download from release – the fastest way. Grab a prebuilt binary package from the official GitHub Releases page and unzip it.
  • Build from source – recommended if you want to compile with the latest changes or verify the build process yourself.
  • Use Docker – if your platform isn’t directly supported, or if you prefer containerized environments, you can run CKB inside Docker.

Method 1: Download from Release​

Download the latest version of CKB from the official GitHub Releases page. Make sure to download the correct version for your operating system.

info

This guide uses version ckb_v0.115.0 as an example.

Unzip the downloaded archive into a location that's easy to find. We recommend:

  • MacOS: ~/Documents/ckb_v0.115.0/...
  • Windows: C:\ckb_v0.115.0\...

Open a terminal and navigate into the folder using the following command:

cd /Users/(NAME)/Documents/ckb_v0.115.0_aarch64-apple-darwin-portable/ckb

Remember to replace “(NAME)” with your actual name on the device.

Now that you’ve installed CKB, you can start running a node:

Method 2: Build from Source​

1.1 Install Rust

CKB uses Rust. Install via rustup. The project includes a rust-toolchain file that pins the correct version.

1.2 Install Build Dependencies

Use your system package manager:

sudo apt-get install -y git gcc libc6-dev pkg-config libssl-dev libclang-dev clang

(Optional) If you already have a pre-built Snappy library, you can set:

export SNAPPY_LIB_DIR=/usr/local/lib

1.3 Build CKB

git clone https://github.com/nervosnetwork/ckb.git
cd ckb
git checkout <tag-or-branch>   # use a release tag when possible
make prod

1.4 Add CKB to $PATH

Either add the target/release directory to your PATH:

export PATH="$(pwd)/target/release:$PATH"

Or symlink the ckb binary into /usr/local/bin.

Next Steps​

note

If you prefer containers, you can instead Run a Node with Docker.