Skip to main content

Install on Ubuntu/Debian (apt)

On Ubuntu, Debian, and other Debian-family distributions, install the DIG ecosystem from the apt.dig.net repository. You get the dig-node service and the digstore CLI as ordinary apt packages — signed, and upgraded with apt upgrade like anything else on the box. Installing dig-node sets up and enables a systemd service so your node starts on boot and stays running.

Pre-release — infrastructure being provisioned

apt.dig.net is still being stood up, so these commands may not resolve yet. They are the real, intended flow — bookmark this page. In the meantime, use the cross-platform universal installer or grab a binary from the Releases page.

1. Add the signing key​

The repository is signed; add its public key to a dedicated keyring (the modern, per-repo way — no global apt-key):

curl -fsSL https://apt.dig.net/dig.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/dig.gpg

2. Add the apt source​

Point apt at the repository, telling it to trust packages signed by the key you just added:

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/dig.gpg] https://apt.dig.net stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dig.list

3. Install the packages​

sudo apt update && sudo apt install dig-node digstore
  • dig-node — the headless node service (serves the dig RPC, hosts capsules, keeps the local .dig cache).
  • digstore — the CLI for creating, committing, and reading stores. Optional if you only want to serve, but usually wanted alongside.

4. Start and enable the service​

Installing dig-node registers a systemd unit. Enable it (start now and on every boot):

sudo systemctl enable --now dig-node

Check it's running and watch its logs:

systemctl status dig-node      # is it active? when did it start?
journalctl -u dig-node -f      # follow the node's logs live

systemctl status dig-node should report active (running). The node now serves the dig RPC on its local endpoint and begins hosting/caching content.

What dig-node does once it's running​

Your dig-node is now the serve side of the network on this machine:

  • Exposes the dig RPC locally, so a DIG Browser or the extension on the same machine reads content from your node instead of going out to rpc.dig.net — local, offline-capable, and contributing to the network. Consumers prefer a reachable local node and fall back to rpc.dig.net when there isn't one. (See serving vs. consuming.)
  • Keeps the local .dig cache of verified capsules. When a browser/extension and a dig-node are both present, they share one cache — content isn't stored twice.
  • Verifies and decrypts locally. Even reading through your own node, every byte is checked against the on-chain root before it's served — the node is never blindly trusted.

A node running headless on a server (no browser present) simply serves its RPC to whatever consumes it — a seedbox for the capsules you host.

Keeping it up to date​

Because it's an apt package, updates ride your normal system upgrades:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade        # picks up new dig-node / digstore releases

To restart after a config change, or stop the service:

sudo systemctl restart dig-node
sudo systemctl stop dig-node               # stop serving (does not uninstall)
sudo systemctl disable dig-node            # don't start on boot

Other operating systems​

apt is the Ubuntu/Debian-native path. For Windows, macOS, or non-Debian Linux, use the cross-platform universal installer (curl … | sh), which installs the same dig-node service (as a Windows service / systemd / launchd) and the digstore CLI on every OS. To read DIG content without running a node, just get the DIG Browser ↗.