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Getting Started

This guide is intended for developers who want to build on, or contribute to, the SUBFROST protocol.

To start, we will walk you through the process of setting up the necessary tools to interact with the protocol. You will install the subfrost-node to connect to the network and the subrail-cli CLI for user-level interactions like managing assets.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, you must have the Rust programming language and its package manager, Cargo, installed on your system. If you don't have them, follow the official instructions at rust-lang.org.

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

You will also need Git to clone the required repositories.

1. Install subfrost-node​

The subfrost-node is the core software that runs the SUBFROST network. It handles consensus, block production, and communication with other nodes.

First, clone the subfrost repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/subfrost/subfrost.git
cd subfrost

Next, build the subfrost-node binary using Cargo. This command compiles the subfrost-node crate in release mode for optimal performance.

cargo build --release --package subfrost-node

The compiled binary will be located at target/release/subfrost-node. For ease of use, you should move it to a directory in your system's PATH, such as /usr/local/bin.

sudo mv target/release/subfrost-node /usr/local/bin/

Verify the installation by checking the version:

subfrost-node --version

2. Install subrail-cli CLI​

The subrail-cli CLI is the primary tool for users to interact with the SUBFROST network. It allows you to create wallets, check balances, and initiate transactions like wrapping and unwrapping frBTC.

Clone the subrail-cli repository:

git clone https://github.com/subfrost/subrail-cli.git
cd subrail-cli

Build the subrail-cli binary:

cargo build --release --package subrail-cli

Move the compiled binary to your PATH:

sudo mv target/release/subrail-cli /usr/local/bin/

Verify the installation:

subrail-cli --version

Next Steps​

With subfrost-node and subrail-cli installed, you are now ready to run a node and interact with the network. The next sections will guide you through running a node and performing common operations.