quickstart.mdx

title	Quickstart
description	Connect two iroh endpoints in five minutes

In five minutes you'll have two iroh endpoints connecting over the iroh-ping protocol. Clone the repo, run the included quickstart example as a receiver in one terminal and a sender in another, and watch the round-trip time print.

1. Set your API key

If you want to see your metrics and verify connectivity, get an API key from your project's Settings → API Keys tab and export it as an environment variable. See API Keys for the full walkthrough.

export IROH_SERVICES_API_SECRET=<your-api-key>

The example will pick up the key automatically. This step is optional, skip this step if you just want to see iroh-ping work.

2. Install Rust

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

3. Clone iroh-ping

git clone https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh-ping
cd iroh-ping

4. Run the receiver

cargo run --example quickstart receiver

The receiver prints a ticket. Copy it.

5. Run the sender

In another terminal:

cargo run --example quickstart sender <TICKET>

Replace <TICKET> with the ticket from the receiver. The sender will print the round-trip time once the connection succeeds.

Next steps

Integrate iroh into your own app by following one of the tutorials below.

<Card title="Connect two endpoints" icon="rocket" href="/connect-two-endpoints" horizontal

Build the receiver/sender ping app from scratch and learn how iroh-ping, tickets, and routers fit together.

<Card title="View metrics" icon="chart-line" href="/iroh-services/quickstart" horizontal

See your direct data rate and other connectivity metrics in the dashboard.

<Card title="Add a relay" icon="server" href="/add-a-relay" horizontal

Configure dedicated relays for your endpoints and learn why they matter for production.