Setup the DevKit

Use this guide to install the Thru CLI, configure the RPC endpoint, and verify everything works with a live request.

Prerequisites

Recommended install: Install Node.js 18 or newer from nodejs.org.
Linux package install: Use an x86_64 or arm64 Linux VM with curl and sudo access.

Setup

Install the CLI

Install the Thru CLI globally using npm:
Terminal window
```
npm i -g thru
```
The npm package installs a prebuilt binary for macOS, Windows, and Linux; no Rust toolchain is required.

More installation methods:
Debian or Ubuntu (.deb)
Install the Debian package for your architecture:
Terminal window
```
# x86_64
curl -fsSLO https://github.com/Unto-Labs/thru/releases/latest/download/thru_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./thru_amd64.deb
```
Terminal window
```
# arm64
curl -fsSLO https://github.com/Unto-Labs/thru/releases/latest/download/thru_arm64.deb
sudo apt install ./thru_arm64.deb
```
RHEL-compatible Linux (.rpm)
Install the RPM package for your architecture (dnf accepts a URL directly):
Terminal window
```
# x86_64
sudo dnf install https://github.com/Unto-Labs/thru/releases/latest/download/thru-x86_64.rpm
```
Terminal window
```
# aarch64
sudo dnf install https://github.com/Unto-Labs/thru/releases/latest/download/thru-aarch64.rpm
```
To build from source instead, cargo install thru is still available. It requires the Rust toolchain (rustup.rs) and the Buf CLI (buf.build/docs/cli/installation).

Verify the install:
Terminal window
```
thru --help
```
Install the SDKs

Install the Thru toolchain and C SDK using the CLI:
Terminal window
```
# Install RISC-V toolchain
thru dev toolchain install

# Install C SDK
thru dev sdk install c
```
The SDK will be installed to ~/.thru/sdk/c/ by default. The toolchain will be installed to ~/.thru/sdk/toolchain/.
Make an initial call

Try a simple command:
Terminal window
```
thru getversion
```
The default RPC endpoint is https://rpc.alphanet.thru.org. You may change this to access other nodes.
Configure RPC endpoint

Edit your CLI configuration file at ~/.thru/cli/config.yaml

Set the base URL:
```
rpc_base_url: https://rpc.alphanet.thru.org
```
Verify with getversion

Run again:
Terminal window
```
thru --json getversion
```
If you can see the thru-node version your CLI can reach the alphanet endpoint.
Generate a keypair

Generate a keypair to use for your account:
Terminal window
```
thru keys generate $NAME
```
For example, to create a keypair named default:
Terminal window
```
thru keys generate default
```
This command generates a private key. Never share your private key with anyone. It’s stored locally as plaintext hex in ~/.thru/cli/config.yaml. Keep your files safe.

This keypair will be stored locally and used to sign transactions. You may replace this key later with thru keys generate --overwrite default

Create your first account

Create an account on-chain using your keypair:

thru account create $NAME

For example, to create an account named default:

thru account create default

You’ll see output similar to this:

Info: Creating account with fee payer proof...
Info: Account public key: tayzC11YgWrPpXBon_hBxI_Szh3eUqsHxEelsHxFroPsAB
Info: Using slot: 776
Info: Calling makeStateProof RPC method...
Success: State proof created successfully
Info: Building transaction with fee payer proof...
Info: Signing transaction...
Info: Submitting transaction...
Account Creation
  Key Name: default
  Public Key: tayzC11YgWrPpXBon_hBxI_Szh3eUqsHxEelsHxFroPsAB
  Signature: tsRIKKU4-Hu9nqzwlaZxcHjv7etbguo6g1AUMt5q9ga96dXxvqnTRTm8w6XH9C6OGSgcPc94TMmKzczNg8qqMTCyXX
  Status: success
Success: Account creation transaction completed. Signature: tsRIKKU4-Hu9nqzwlaZxcHjv7etbguo6g1AUMt5q9ga96dXxvqnTRTm8w6XH9C6OGSgcPc94TMmKzczNg8qqMTCyXX

Updating the CLI

When the CLI changes, update it with the same install method you used. For npm installs, run:

npm i -g thru@latest

For Debian, Ubuntu, or RHEL-compatible installs, re-run the install command you used above. The releases/latest/download/ URLs always resolve to the newest release, so the command does not change between versions:

curl -fsSLO https://github.com/Unto-Labs/thru/releases/latest/download/thru_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./thru_amd64.deb