table of contents

Installation

First you'll need to install the dat command line tool if you haven't already. There are two ways to do this, using npm or downloading a binary. If you don't have a preference we recommend using npm which you can do by downloading the Node LTS installer from the Node.js website:

• Download node and npm here

If you run into problems, you can view more detailed installation instructions here.

You'll also need a Terminal application on your local computer. If you're using Windows, you should use the Git Shell app as your terminal. It is installed with GitHub Desktop. In Mac and Linux you can use the app Terminal, which is already on your computer.

If you've never used the command line before, check out Command Line Bootcamp to get comfortable navigating your computer via the command line.

Once you have downloaded npm, install dat on your local machine. Type the following in your local terminal:

npm install -g dat

This means that dat is now installed on your system:

$ dat

Usage: dat <cmd> [<dir>] [options]

Sharing Files:
   dat share                   create dat, import files, share to network
   dat create                  create empty dat and dat.json
   dat sync                    import files to existing dat & sync with network

Downloading Files:
   dat clone <link> [<dir>]    download a dat via link to <dir>
   dat pull                    update dat & exit
   dat sync                    live sync files with the network

Info:
   dat log                     log history for a dat
   dat status                  get key & info about a local dat

Dat public registries:
   dat <cmd> [<registry>]      All commands take <registry> option
   dat register                register new account
   dat login                   login to your account
   dat publish                 publish a dat
   dat whoami                  print active login information
   dat logout                  logout from active login

Stateless/Shortcut Commands:
   dat <link> [<dir>]          clone or sync link to <dir>
   dat <dir>                   create and sync dat in directory

Troubleshooting & Help:
   dat doctor                  run the dat network doctor
   dat help                    print this usage guide
   dat <command> --help, -h    print help for a specific command
   dat --version, -v           print the dat version


Have fun using Dat! Learn more at docs.datproject.org

Once you have this installed, you're good to go! Let's move on to the good stuff.