Install on Linux

This guide covers installing Kinetic on Linux using the interactive terminal installer.

Prefer a graphical interface?

Download the Tauri desktop app instead — it handles installation for you with a GUI. See the welcome page for the download link.

Prerequisites

• curl installed (standard on all major distros)
• sudo access — the installer writes binaries to /usr/local/bin/ and registers system services
• Port 53 available if you choose the Power User profile (DNS server)

Run the installer

curl -sSL https://kinetic.saifmukhtar.dev/install.sh | bash

The installer is interactive. It presents an arrow-key menu — use ↑ / ↓ to navigate, Enter to select.

Choose your profile

When prompted, pick the profile that fits your use case:

Profile	Installs	Best for
Standard User	Daemon + CLI	Registering names, resolving .kin
Power User	Daemon + CLI + DNS Server	OS-level .kin resolution in your browser
Node Operator	Node + CLI	Running a P2P infrastructure node
Host Operator	Host + CLI	Hosting content on a .kin address
Custom	You choose	Mixed setups

For most users, Standard User or Power User is the right choice.

What is the DNS Server profile?

The Power User profile installs kinetic-dns and configures systemd-resolved to forward .kin queries to it. This means your browser and all apps on your system can resolve .kin names natively without extra configuration.

What the installer does

1. Downloads binaries from GitHub Releases
2. Verifies SHA256 checksums before installing anything
3. Copies binaries to /usr/local/bin/
4. Runs kinetic setup to generate your node identity (if no identity exists yet)
5. Installs and starts each service via systemd

Verify the installation

kinetic --version
kinetic-daemon --version

Check that the daemon service is running:

systemctl status kinetic-daemon

You should see active (running).

First-time setup

The installer runs kinetic setup automatically if no identity exists. If you need to re-run it:

kinetic setup

This generates your 24-word seed phrase — write it down immediately. It is shown once and never again.

Back up your seed phrase

The seed phrase is shown once during setup. If you lose it and lose your machine, you lose your names permanently. Write it down on paper and store it somewhere safe. See Seed Backup.

Data directory

Your identity, zones, and API token are stored at:

~/.local/share/kinetic/
├── identity.key          # Ed25519 private key — never share this
├── api.token             # Bearer token for the local API (regenerated on restart)
└── zones/
    └── yourname.kin.json # DNS zone file for each registered name

Common issues

Port 53 already in use

On Ubuntu 22.04+, systemd-resolved listens on port 53 by default. The installer handles this automatically for the Power User profile by configuring resolved.conf.d/kinetic.conf. If you installed the Standard User profile and later want DNS resolution, upgrade by re-running the installer and selecting Power User.

If you see a conflict manually:

sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-resolved
sudo systemctl restart kinetic-dns

"Permission denied" on /usr/local/bin

The installer requires sudo. Run with:

sudo bash -c "$(curl -sSL https://kinetic.saifmukhtar.dev/install.sh)"

Upgrading

Re-run the installer. It detects an existing installation and offers an upgrade path.

Full uninstall

Re-run the installer, select Full Cleanup when prompted. This removes binaries, services, and data including your identity keys.

Full cleanup is irreversible

Full cleanup deletes your identity key and all registered name data. Ensure you have your 24-word seed backed up before doing this.