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This guide walks you through installing and configuring the necessary tools to start developing on Sui.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • A modern operating system (macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL2)
  • At least 8GB of RAM
  • 10GB of free disk space

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Install Sui CLI

The Sui CLI is the primary tool for interacting with the Sui network and developing Move packages.
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Install Rust
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Sui requires Rust to be installed. Install it using rustup:
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curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
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After installation, configure your current shell:
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source $HOME/.cargo/env
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Install Sui from source
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Clone the Sui repository and install the CLI:
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cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/MystenLabs/sui.git --branch mainnet sui
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This will install the sui binary to ~/.cargo/bin/.
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Verify installation
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Check that Sui is installed correctly:
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sui --version
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You should see output similar to:
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sui 1.18.0-a9f87b9cc
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Initialize Sui configuration
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Run the client to initialize your configuration:
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sui client
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This creates a configuration file at ~/.sui/sui_config/client.yaml and generates a new keypair.

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Configure Network Connection

Sui supports multiple networks: localnet, devnet, testnet, and mainnet.

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View active environment

sui client active-env

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Switch to testnet

sui client new-env --alias testnet --rpc https://fullnode.testnet.sui.io:443
sui client switch --env testnet

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Get testnet tokens

Request test SUI tokens from the faucet: 
sui client faucet

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Check your address and balance

# View your address
sui client active-address

# Check balance
sui client gas

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Install Development Tools

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VS Code Extension

For the best Move development experience, install the Move Analyzer extension:
  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + X)
  3. Search for “Move” and install the Move Analyzer extension

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Git

Ensure Git is installed for version control: 
git --version
If not installed, download from git-scm.com.

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Set Up Local Network (Optional)

For local development and testing, you can run a local Sui network:
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Start local network
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SUI_RUN_FULLNODE_MODE=1 sui start
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This starts a local Sui network with a fullnode and faucet.
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Switch to localnet
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In a new terminal:
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sui client new-env --alias localnet --rpc http://127.0.0.1:9000
sui client switch --env localnet
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Request local tokens
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sui client faucet

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Verify Your Setup

Create a simple test to verify everything works: 
# Check client is working
sui client active-address

# View available commands
sui --help

# Check Move compiler
sui move --help

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Next Steps

Now that your environment is set up:

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Troubleshooting

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Rust toolchain issues

If you encounter Rust version issues: 
rustup update stable

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Network connectivity

If you can’t connect to a network, verify the RPC endpoint: 
sui client envs

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Permission errors

On Linux/macOS, you may need to add Cargo’s bin directory to your PATH: 
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
Add this line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.

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