Start the Local Daemon
When you build on the Autonomi Network through the SDKs or MCP server, you use a local daemon called antd. It runs on your machine and gives your application a stable REST and gRPC interface to the network. This page shows you how to build it from source, start it in read-only mode, and then choose whether you need uploads or a local devnet.
Use antd when you want:
SDKs in multiple languages
a local REST or gRPC gateway
one daemon process shared by applications, scripts, or tools
Prerequisites
Rust toolchain and
protoc(Protocol Buffers compiler) to buildantdfrom sourceFor paid uploads on the default network: access to wallet and payment configuration. See Prepare a Wallet for Uploads and Use External Signers for Upload Payments.
For a fully local devnet: Python 3.10+ and a sibling
ant-nodecheckout if you plan to useant dev start. See Set Up a Local Network.
Steps
1. Build antd from source
antd from sourceYour application code does not need to be Rust, but the supported antd install method in these docs is to build the daemon from the ant-sdk repo:
git clone https://github.com/WithAutonomi/ant-sdk.git
cd ant-sdk/antd
cargo build --releaseantd needs protoc during the build. On macOS, one working setup is:
Verify the binary starts:
2. Start antd in read-only mode
antd in read-only modeStart with the simplest mode first:
This gives you a local REST and gRPC gateway for health checks, reads, and SDK connectivity without upload payment setup.
3. Confirm the daemon is healthy
The default REST endpoint is http://localhost:8082:
Expected response:
On startup, antd also writes a daemon.port file. SDKs can use that file to discover non-default ports automatically.
If you only need retrieval, continue to Retrieve Data from the Network before you think about upload payment setup.
4. Enable uploads when you need them
Skip this step if you are only building read-only features.
To enable the regular write endpoints on the default network, restart antd with wallet and EVM settings:
Use this mode for SDK calls and REST endpoints that upload data directly, such as data_put_public or POST /v1/data/public.
If your application should keep the signing key outside antd, omit AUTONOMI_WALLET_KEY and keep the EVM settings instead:
This mode is for the two-phase prepare and finalize upload flow described in Use External Signers for Upload Payments.
5. Start a local devnet when you need a full local stack
If you want local services and test funds provisioned for you, run the helper from the ant-sdk repo root:
The ant command installed by ant-dev is separate from the direct-network CLI. Use a virtualenv, pipx, or a separate PATH setup if you need both workflows on the same machine.
If you just built antd in ant-sdk/antd, cd .. first to get back to the repo root.
If the two repos are already laid out as siblings and discovery works in your environment, you can omit --ant-node-dir.
It starts ant-devnet, waits for the generated devnet manifest, and then launches antd with the bootstrap peers, wallet key, and local EVM payment settings from that manifest.
On the first run, ant dev start can take longer than usual while local components compile in release mode. If it times out on a cold build, run it again after the initial compilation has completed.
What happened
You built antd and started a local gateway for the Autonomi SDKs. The health check confirms that the daemon is reachable; you can keep it read-only, restart it with wallet-backed upload settings, or let a local devnet provision the upload configuration for you.
Next steps
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