Skip to main content

Quickstart

The easiest way to start developing on Aztec locally is through npx aztec-app. This is a convenient way of installing the development environment (A.K.A. Sandbox) and starting new projects from a boilerplate.

To locally install the Sandbox without other tools, see here.

Prerequisites​

Run the npx script​

Thanks to Node, you can run the recommended npx script:

npx aztec-app

This script gives you some options to bootstrap a new project, start/stop the sandbox, or see the logs. Run npx aztec-app -h for a list of options.

Install the Noir Language Support extension to get syntax highlighting, syntax error detection and go-to definitions for your Aztec contracts.

Once the extension is installed, check your nargo binary by hovering over Nargo in the status bar on the bottom right of the application window. Click to choose the path to aztec-nargo (or regular nargo, if you have that installed).

You can print the path of your aztec-nargo executable by running:

which aztec-nargo

To specify a custom nargo executable, go to the VSCode settings and search for "noir", or click extension settings on the noir-lang LSP plugin. Update the Noir: Nargo Path field to point to your desired aztec-nargo executable.

What's next?​

Now you have a development network running, so you're ready to start coding your first app with Aztec.nr and Aztec.js!

To follow the series of tutorials, start with the private voting contract here.

If you want to just keep learning, you can read about the high level architecture on the Core Components page and the lifecycle of a transaction.