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Developer Environment Setup

This guide will help you configure your development environment for integrating with Ark. We'll cover both local testing setups and connections to public operator instances.

Regtest Configuration​

The Regtest configuration is ideal for local development and testing. It allows you to create a private Bitcoin network where you can test your integration without the need for real Bitcoin transactions.

We recommend using Nigiri, which provides a convenient way to run the entire Ark Operator stack locally.

  1. Install Nigiri by running the following command in your terminal:

    curl https://getnigiri.vulpem.com | bash
    reset
    Prerequisites

    Make sure to have Docker installed and running on your machine before executing the command.

    Windows Users

    If you are using Windows, you may need to run the command in a WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) terminal.

  2. Verify the installation by reopening your terminal for the changes to take effect and running:

    nigiri --version

  3. Start the Nigiri environment with Ark:

    nigiri start --ark

  4. Configure your Ark Operator:

    # Create a new wallet 
    nigiri arkd wallet create --password secret

    # Unlock the wallet
    nigiri arkd wallet unlock --password secret

    # Show wallet status
    nigiri arkd wallet status

  5. Configure the Nigiri Ark client:

    # Initialize the Ark client
    nigiri ark init --network regtest --password secret --server-url localhost:7070 --explorer http://chopsticks:3000

    # View wallet status
    nigiri ark config

  6. Access the RPC Endpoints:

Manual Setup​

If you prefer a manual setup, you can follow the detailed instructions provided in the Ark repository. This approach gives you more control over the configuration but requires more steps.