> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dev.guardian.hedera.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dev.guardian.hedera.com/guardian/readme/getting-started/prerequisites.md).

# Prerequisites

## 1. Universal Software

1. [**Git**](https://git-scm.com/downloads) – source-control tooling
2. [**Docker**](https://www.docker.com/) – one-command build & run (recommended)
3. [**MongoDB v6**](https://www.mongodb.com/), [**Node.js v24.15+**](https://nodejs.org/en/download), and [**NATS 2.9.25**](https://nats.io/) – auto-provisioned when using Docker Compose
4. [**IPFS storage**](https://docs.ipfs.tech/concepts/what-is-ipfs/) (choose one):
   * [**Storacha account**](https://storacha.network/) – IPFS pinning service (formerly Web3.Storage)
   * [**Filebase account**](https://filebase.com/) – S3-compatible IPFS pinning
   * Local IPFS node (e.g., [**Kubo**](https://github.com/ipfs/kubo)) – auto-provisioned when using Docker Compose
5. [**Valkey**](https://valkey.io) – in-memory cache & message broker (auto-provisioned by the Docker stack)

When building reference implementation, you can manually build every component or run a single command with Docker.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note**: If you have already installed another version of Guardian, remember to **perform backup operation before upgrading**.
{% endhint %}

## 2. Hedera Network

|              | Testnet (default)                                                     | Mainnet (production)                                                           |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Account**  | Create via [Hedera Developer Portal](https://portal.hedera.com/login) | Create via Hedera-enabled wallet (e.g., [HashPack](https://www.hashpack.app/)) |
| **Key type** | ED25519                                                               | ED25519                                                                        |
| **Network**  | `testnet`                                                             | `mainnet`                                                                      |

> **Fees**: Mainnet operations incur HBAR costs—fund your account before running Guardian.

## 3. Automatic Installation

### 3.1 Prerequisites for Automatic Installation

* [**Docker**](https://www.docker.com/)

#### 3.1.1 Docker Installation

If you build with docker [MongoDB](https://www.mongodb.com), [NodeJS](https://nodejs.org) and [Nats](https://nats.io/) will be installed and configured automatically.