Skip to main content

Installation

Prerequisites​

  • Node.js 18+ - Required for the SDK
  • Docker - Required for local devnet (Docker Desktop recommended)

Install via npm​

# Using npm
npm install cardano-devkit

# Using pnpm (recommended)
pnpm add cardano-devkit

# Using yarn
yarn add cardano-devkit

Verify Installation​

import { createDevKit } from 'cardano-devkit';

const devKit = createDevKit({ network: 'Preprod' });
console.log('DevKit ready!', devKit.getNetwork());

CLI Installation​

The CLI is included with the package:

# Run directly
npx cardano-devkit --version

# Or add to PATH via global install
npm install -g cardano-devkit
cardano-devkit --version

Docker Setup (for Local Devnet)​

The local devnet requires Docker. Install Docker Desktop:

  • macOS/Windows: Docker Desktop
  • Linux: sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose

Verify Docker is running:

docker --version
docker compose version

Optional Dependencies​

For enhanced features in the local devnet indexer:

# SQLite support for persistent storage (auto-detected)
npm install better-sqlite3

# WebSocket support for real-time subscriptions (auto-detected)
npm install ws

TypeScript Configuration​

Add to your tsconfig.json:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ES2022",
    "moduleResolution": "node",
    "esModuleInterop": true
  }
}

Next Steps​