How to start a TP-Node from the source?

TP-Node is the main module of The Power Ecosystem. In this manual, you'll learn how to start a node from the source code on Linux.

Setting up the environment

Before you start your TP-Node, you need to set up the environment:

Check if you have Git installed:
```
git version
```
If you don't have Git installed on your machine, run:
```
apt install git
```
Install Erlang. To do this, download the kerl script
```
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kerl/kerl/master/kerl
```
Note

If you already have Erlang installed on your machine, we strongly recommend deleting it before the new installation, using the following command:
```
apt purge erlang*
```
Change script mode to executable by using the following command:
```
chmod a+x kerl
```
Create a new directory in /opt. You can choose any name for this directory. Noteworthy is that the name should be descriptive for you:
```
mkdir erlang
```
Update the list of Erlang releases using the following command:
```
./kerl update releases
```
Build the release 22.3.4.25 using the following command:
```
./kerl build 22.3.4.25
```

Important

You need to install Erlang ver. 22.3.4.25. Other versions may not work correctly.

After installation is complete, you will see the following message in the console:

Erlang/OTP 22.3.4.25 (22.3.4.25) has been successfully built

Install Erlang using the following command:
```
./kerl install 22.3.4.25 /opt/erlang
```
Run the following command to activate the Erlang installation:
```
source /opt/erlang/activate
```

After setting up the working environment, you can download and build the node:

Note

Choose a project folder to clone your project into. Use this folder to build the node.

Download the node sources from Github into your working directory (your_node, for instance), using the following command:
```
git clone https://github.com/thepower/tpnode.git
```
Delete the previous builds (if present) in /tpnode by running the following command:
```
rm -rf _build/default/*
```
Compile the node source by running the following command:
```
./rebar3 compile
```
Pack the compiled node into a tar by running the following command:
```
./rebar3 tar
```
Note

This step is optional. tar-package is needed to quickly transfer the compiled source code. However, it can be a good option if you need to download the source manifold.

Now you can start the node.

You can start a node in two different modes:

Dev Mode. In this mode, you can start a node without building a release.
Release Mode. In this mode, you must build the release before starting the node.

tmux

To start the node in Dev Mode, run:

./rebar3 shell