If you’re eager to dive deep into the world of privacy-focused blockchains, Iron Fish is a prime candidate. This guide will walk you through the installation process, usage, testing, and even troubleshooting to help you contribute effectively to the Iron Fish codebase!

Prerequisites

Before diving into installing Iron Fish, you’ll need to ensure you have the following tools installed on your machine:

• Node.js 20 LTS (or greater)
• Rust
• Yarn

Windows Specific Setup

If you’re using Windows, additional setup steps are required:

• Install the current version of Python from the Microsoft Store package.
• Install Visual C++ Build Environment:
  Visual Studio Build Tools (using Visual C++ build tools or Desktop development with C++ workload).

If you hit a roadblock during this process, refer to Microsoft’s Node.js Guidelines for Windows for additional tips.

Installation Steps

1. Run yarn install from the root directory to install packages.
2. If you encounter an error relating to cmake, install it as follows:
   • On macOS, run brew install cmake. You need cmake version 3.15 or higher.
3. If you see an error relating to OpenSSL, install it:
   • On macOS, run brew install openssl.
   • Run export OPENSSL_ROOT_DIR=$(brew --prefix openssl).
   • Attempt yarn install again.
4. If errors indicate that make or C++ compiler tools are required, install the necessary development tools:
   • On Ubuntu, run apt install build-essential.
   • On Amazon Linux, run sudo yum groupinstall Development Tools.
5. If you encounter a Python installation error, ensure Python3 is installed:
   • On macOS, run brew install python.

Usage

Once your environment is set up, you can run the Command Line Interface (CLI) by following the directions found in the Iron Fish GitHub repository.

Running Tests

Testing requires Node.js 20 or greater. Follow these steps for testing the monorepo:

1. Run yarn test at the root of the repository.
2. Run yarn test:slow in the .ironfish directory to run slow tests.
3. Run yarn test:coverage at the root to assess tests and coverage.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during setup or testing, here are some troubleshooting tips:

• Check that you have all prerequisites installed properly.
• Ensure your path variable is correctly configured to include Node.js, Yarn, and any other installed binaries.
• If you receive specific error messages, search them online or refer to the relevant GitHub FAQs.
• For persistent issues or to seek advice, consider reaching out to the community by visiting fxis.ai.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Conclusion

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

Iron Fish is a fascinating project that offers unparalleled privacy guarantees through its advanced technology. By following this guide, you will be well on your way to contributing to a revolution in blockchain privacy.