Skip to main content

Installation

This guide will help you install Bethrou on your system.

Prerequisites​

Before installing Bethrou, ensure you have the following:

  • Go 1.24.7 or higher - Download Go
  • Git - For cloning the repository
  • Redis (optional) - For node discovery features
  • Docker/Podman (optional) - For containerized deployments
  • OpenSSL - For generating network keys

Check Prerequisites​

# Check Go version
go version

# Check Git
git --version

# Check OpenSSL
openssl version

Installation Methods​

Method 1: Build from Source​

Clone the repository and build the binaries:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bethrou/bethrou.git
cd bethrou

# Build the node
cd node
go build -o bethrou-node main.go

# Build the client
cd ../client
go build -o bethrou-client main.go

The binaries will be created in their respective directories:

  • node/bethrou-node
  • client/bethrou-client

Method 2: Using Docker​

Pull the pre-built image from Docker Hub:

For node:

docker pull henrybarreto/bethrou-node:latest

For client:

docker pull henrybarreto/bethrou-client:latest

Or build the image locally:

For node:

# Build from repository root
docker build -f ./node/Containerfile -t bethrou-node .

For client:

# Build from repository root
docker build -f ./client/Containerfile -t bethrou-client .

Method 3: Using Go Install​

You can install directly using Go:

# Install node
go install github.com/bethrou/bethrou/node@latest

# Install client
go install github.com/bethrou/bethrou/client@latest

Generate Network Key​

All nodes in a Bethrou network must share the same pre-shared key (PSK). Generate one:

echo "/key/swarm/psk/1.0.0/" > network.key
echo "/base16/" >> network.key
openssl rand -hex 32 >> network.key

This creates a network.key file that looks like:

/key/swarm/psk/1.0.0/
/base16/
abc123def456...
Important

Keep your network.key file secure! Anyone with this key can join your private network. Never commit it to version control.

Copy this file to:

  • The directory where you run the node
  • The directory where you run the client
  • All machines that will participate in your network

Verify Installation​

Verify Node Binary​

cd node
./bethrou-node --help

You should see the help output with available commands.

Verify Client Binary​

cd client
./bethrou-client --help

You should see the help output with available commands.

Verify Docker Image​

docker run --rm bethrou --help

Optional: Redis Setup​

If you want to use the discovery feature, install and start Redis:

Using Package Manager​

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server

macOS:

brew install redis
brew services start redis

Using Docker​

docker run -d -p 6379:6379 --name redis redis:alpine

Verify Redis​

redis-cli ping
# Should return: PONG

Next Steps​

Now that Bethrou is installed, proceed to the Quick Start guide to run your first client and node.