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Install dependencies and World CLI

Learn how to install World Engine dependencies and the World CLI.
Note: This assumes that you are using Linux or MacOS. If you are using Windows, we recommend you use WSL to run World Engine.
World Engine (WE) is built using Go, a performant, easy-to-learn, and expressive programming language that is widely used in distributed systems.To install Go, follow the instructions on the Go website.To verify that Go is installed, run the following command in your terminal:
go version
Go beginner tip: World Engine, combined with the simplicity of Go, makes it easy to get started with your game with little to no experience in Go. If this is your first time writing a program in Go, we recommend you follow the Go tour to familiarize yourself with the language. However, you don’t need prior Go knowledge to complete this quickstart
World Engine uses Docker to make it easier to develop and deploy your rollup and game in any operating system.Docker is a containerization tool that allows you to run applications in a sandboxed environment; it ensures that the World Engine stack will run the same way on your machine as it will on production deployments.To install Docker, follow the instructions on the Docker website.To verify that Docker is installed, run the following command in your terminal:
docker version
World CLI is a swiss army knife command-line tool for creating, managing, and deploying World Engine projects.Important: World CLI will not work properly without Go and DockerTo install World CLI, follow the instructions on the CLI release page.Important: If you have previously installed World CLI using the install script, you need to remove it first by running the following command:
rm $(which world)
OrbStack is a tool that makes it easier to run Docker containers on MacOS. It is not required to run World Engine, but it is recommended for MacOS users as it provides a better performance and user experience than Docker Desktop.The Argus Labs team uses OrbStack to develop and build on top of World Engine, and we recommend it for MacOS users.To install OrbStack, follow the instructions on the OrbStack website.

Setup your first World Engine project

If you’re looking for fully functioning examples, you can head over to the basic example or demo game example.

Scaffold a boilerplate project

This scaffolds the same stack as the demo game example, minus the client.
Once you have World CLI installed, you can scaffold your first World Engine stack by running the following command in your terminal:
world setup
CLI: world setup
TroubleshootingIf you encountered Error: dependency check "Docker daemon is running" failed, make sure that you have installed Docker and have Docker Desktop or OrbStack running.

Start World Engine stack

Once you have scaffolded your project, you can start World Engine stack by running the following command from your project directory in your terminal:
world cardinal start
To stop the World Engine Stack you can run the following command from your project directory in your terminal:
world cardinal stop
To clean up your docker images you can run the following command in your terminal:
world cardinal purge
Once that’s up and running, you can start integrating your client using one of our client SDKs.
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