This page assumes you want to run the NodeJS Saito client (best for app hosting and development!). If you are interested in running the command-line Rust client or another software package see our overview of all Saito-related resources.
You will need a machine with NodeJS and Git installed. If you are missing either of these tools we have dedicated pages to help you install them for Linux, Mac and Windows. The remainder of this tutorial assumes you have both packages installed and are comfortable using the command-line.
Clone the Saito repository and go into the node sub-directory. This is where the NodeJS version of Saito is located. Running npm install from here downloads all of the packages you will need to run your server, including a pre-compiled version of the Rust codebase located elsewhere in our repository.
git clone https://github.com/saitotech/saito
cd saito/node
npm install
Note: if npm install fails to install a module, you may need to install python-is-python3 to work around the problem. On Ubuntu this can be done with sudo apt-get install python-is-python3.
The first instruction runs a script that compiles Saito into a compressed javascript file that can be served to browsers and contains the modules browsers will need to interact with it. The second starts the server:
npm run nuke
npm start
After a few moments, you should see a large Saito ASCII logo appear on your screen. This indicates that Saito is running normally and you can start using it!
Congratulations! You can now open a browser and visit:
Note that if you are installing Saito on a remote server and cannot access the server through localhost you will need to update your server configuration file prior to running npm start. We have a quick guide covering the configuration changes needed for remote deployment in this deployment guide.