> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cosmos.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prerequisites

## Introduction

The Cosmos SDK requires Go and a built binary to run a blockchain node. This tutorial walks through installing Go, building the `simd` binary, and configuring your environment to run a Cosmos SDK node.

## Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes you have the following installed:

* A terminal application
* A code editor
* Basic familiarity with command-line operations

## 1. Install Go

The Cosmos SDK requires [Go](https://go.dev/) version 1.25 or higher. Download the installer from the [official Go downloads page](https://go.dev/dl/) and follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

Verify the installation:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
go version
```

### Configure Go environment variables

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Linux">
    Open your shell config file (`~/.bashrc` or `~/.zshrc`) and add:

    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    export GOPATH=$HOME/go
    export PATH=$PATH:$GOPATH/bin
    ```

    Apply changes: `source ~/.bashrc`
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    Open `~/.zshrc` and add:

    ```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    export GOPATH=$HOME/go
    export PATH=$PATH:$GOPATH/bin
    ```

    Apply changes: `source ~/.zshrc`
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    In PowerShell (as Administrator):

    ```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
    [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('GOPATH', "$HOME\go", 'User')
    [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', "$env:Path;$HOME\go\bin", 'User')
    ```

    Restart PowerShell after setting.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Verify: `go env GOPATH`

## 2. Clone the Cosmos SDK repository

This tutorial uses `simapp`, the Cosmos SDK example application. Clone the [Cosmos SDK repository](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk) to access `simapp`.

1. Navigate to your preferred directory. This example uses `~/Documents/GitHub`:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
cd ~/Documents/GitHub
```

2. Clone the Cosmos SDK repository:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
git clone https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk.git
```

3. Navigate into the cloned repository:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
cd cosmos-sdk
```

<Tip>
  If you are building your own chain, clone your chain's repository instead. Replace `simd` with your chain's binary name throughout this tutorial.
</Tip>

## 3. Build the simd binary

The `simd` binary is the command-line interface for interacting with the Cosmos SDK blockchain.

Build and install the `simd` binary:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
make install
```

<Note>
  **Windows users**: If `make` is not available, you can install it via [Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org/) (`choco install make`) or use WSL2.
</Note>

Verify `simd` is working:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-high-contrast","dark":"github-dark-high-contrast"}}
simd version
```

Your environment is now set up to run a Cosmos SDK node.

## Next steps

* [Set up the keyring](/sdk/latest/node/keyring) to create and manage cryptographic keys