Installation

GUN is flexible and can be installed and used across multiple platforms and environments. Choose the installation method that best fits your project.

Browser via CDN

The quickest way to get started is to include GUN directly from a CDN:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gun/gun.js"></script>
<script>
  // GUN is now available globally
  const gun = GUN();
</script>

The CDN version is approximately 9KB gzipped and includes everything you need to get started.

Include SEA for user authentication

If you need user authentication and encryption, also include SEA:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gun/gun.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gun/sea.js"></script>
<script>
  const gun = GUN();
  const user = gun.user();
</script>

Include AXE for mesh networking

For advanced peer-to-peer mesh networking:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gun/gun.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gun/axe.js"></script>

npm installation

For Node.js projects or modern build tools (Webpack, Vite, etc.), install via npm:

npm install gun

If the npm command doesn’t work, you may need to create the node_modules directory first:

mkdir node_modules

Or use sudo npm install gun depending on your system permissions.

Basic usage in Node.js

const GUN = require('gun');
const gun = GUN();

// Your GUN code here
gun.get('test').put({ hello: 'world' });

ES Module imports

import GUN from 'gun';
const gun = GUN();

Using with SEA in Node.js

For cryptographic features, you need to install the WebCrypto shim:

npm install gun @peculiar/webcrypto --save

Then require both:

const GUN = require('gun/gun');
const SEA = require('gun/sea');

const gun = GUN();
const user = gun.user();

The @peculiar/webcrypto package is only needed for Node.js and React Native. Browsers have native WebCrypto support.

Node.js server setup

To create a GUN relay peer server:

Simple HTTP server

const GUN = require('gun');
const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer(GUN.serve(__dirname));
const gun = GUN({ web: server });

server.listen(8765);
console.log('Relay peer started on port 8765 with /gun');

Server with options

const GUN = require('gun');
const http = require('http');

const port = process.env.PORT || 8765;
const peers = process.env.PEERS ? process.env.PEERS.split(',') : [];

const server = http.createServer(GUN.serve(__dirname));
const gun = GUN({ 
  web: server,
  peers: peers 
});

server.listen(port);
console.log(`Relay peer started on port ${port} with /gun`);

HTTPS server

const GUN = require('gun');
const https = require('https');
const http = require('http');
const fs = require('fs');

const options = {
  key: fs.readFileSync('key.pem'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('cert.pem')
};

const server = https.createServer(options, GUN.serve(__dirname));
const gun = GUN({ web: server });

// Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
http.createServer(function(req, res){
  res.writeHead(301, {"Location": "https://" + req.headers['host'] + req.url });
  res.end();
}).listen(80);

server.listen(443);
console.log('Secure relay peer started on port 443');

You can set environment variables for SSL certificates:

export HTTPS_CERT=~/cert.pem
export HTTPS_KEY=~/key.pem
export PORT=443

React integration

For React applications, install GUN and require it specifically:

npm install gun

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
const GUN = require('gun/gun');

function App() {
  const [gun] = useState(GUN());
  const [data, setData] = useState({});
  
  useEffect(() => {
    gun.get('mydata').on(setData);
  }, []);
  
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Data: {JSON.stringify(data)}</h1>
    </div>
  );
}

For React, use require('gun/gun') instead of require('gun') to avoid webpack issues.

React Native installation

GUN works with React Native but requires additional setup for crypto support.

Install dependencies

npm install gun @peculiar/webcrypto --save

Set up crypto shim

Create a shim file or import the webcrypto polyfill before using SEA:

import { Crypto } from '@peculiar/webcrypto';
global.crypto = new Crypto();

const GUN = require('gun/gun');
const SEA = require('gun/sea');

Use GUN in your components

const gun = GUN();
const user = gun.user();

For detailed React Native setup instructions, see the official React Native docs.

Electron installation

GUN works seamlessly with Electron applications:

npm install gun

In your Electron renderer process:

const GUN = require('gun');
const gun = GUN();

For examples, check out the Electron test repository.

Framework integrations

GUN has community-maintained integrations for popular frameworks:

Vue.js

npm install gun vue-gun

See vue-gun for integration details.

Svelte

Check out the Svelte documentation for integration guides.

Angular

Install GUN and create a service:

import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
const GUN = require('gun/gun');

@Injectable({
  providedIn: 'root'
})
export class GunService {
  public gun;
  
  constructor() {
    this.gun = GUN();
  }
}

See the Angular example for a complete setup.

Configuration options

When initializing GUN, you can pass various configuration options:

const gun = GUN({
  // Connect to relay peers
  peers: ['https://peer1.com/gun', 'https://peer2.com/gun'],
  
  // Use localStorage (browser only)
  localStorage: true,
  
  // Use sessionStorage (browser only)
  sessionStorage: true,
  
  // Use IndexedDB (browser only)
  radisk: true,
  
  // Attach to existing HTTP server (Node.js only)
  web: server,
  
  // Set file storage path (Node.js only)
  file: 'data.json',
  
  // Use Amazon S3 for storage
  s3: {
    key: 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY',
    secret: 'YOUR_SECRET_KEY',
    bucket: 'YOUR_BUCKET'
  }
});

By default, GUN uses localStorage in browsers and file storage in Node.js. You can customize storage adapters as needed.

Deploy a relay peer

GUN includes several deployment options for relay peers:

Heroku

Or manually:

git clone https://github.com/amark/gun.git
cd gun
heroku create
git push -f heroku HEAD:master

Heroku’s free tier deletes data every 15 minutes. Consider adding persistent storage with Amazon S3.

Docker

Pull from Docker Hub:

docker run -p 8765:8765 gundb/gun

Or build locally:

git clone https://github.com/amark/gun.git
cd gun
docker build -t myrepo/gundb:v1 .
docker run -p 8765:8765 myrepo/gundb:v1

Then visit http://localhost:8765 in your browser.

The Docker image is community-contributed and may have different version numbers. Check the tags to ensure you’re using the latest version.

Linux server

SSH into your server and run the installation script:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amark/gun/master/examples/install.sh | bash

Always review installation scripts before running them. You can view install.sh on GitHub first.

Set environment variables as needed:

export HTTPS_CERT=~/cert.pem
export HTTPS_KEY=~/key.pem
export PORT=443

You can safely press CTRL+A+D to detach without stopping the peer. To stop everything: killall screen or killall node.

Dome

Deploy with one click using Dome:

Zeet

Deploy using Zeet:

Production deployment notes

For production deployments, consider the following:

Use a process manager

Use pm2 or similar to keep your relay peer running after server reboots:

npm install -g pm2
pm2 start server.js
pm2 startup
pm2 save

Configure reverse proxy

Use nginx or another reverse proxy for SSL termination and load balancing. See the nginx configuration example.

Set environment variables

Configure your deployment with appropriate environment variables:

PORT - Server port
PEERS - Comma-separated list of peer URLs
HTTPS_KEY and HTTPS_CERT - SSL certificate paths

Disable CI warnings

If deploying a web app using GUN on a cloud provider, set CI=false in your .env to prevent GUN warnings from being treated as build errors.

When deploying, the default examples CDN-ify all GUN files and modules. Moving forward, AXE may automatically cluster your peer into a shared DHT. You may want to disable this to run an isolated network.

Testing your installation

After installing GUN, verify it works:

const GUN = require('gun');
const gun = GUN();

gun.get('test').put({ message: 'Hello GUN!' });

gun.get('test').once((data) => {
  console.log('Installation successful!', data);
});

To run the test suite: npm install -g mocha then npm test in the GUN directory. Note that tests trigger persistent writes, so you’ll need to clear the database (rm -rf *data*) before running tests again.

Troubleshooting

Module not found errors

If you see module errors with React or Webpack:

// Use this instead
const GUN = require('gun/gun');

SEA/Crypto errors in Node.js

Install the WebCrypto polyfill:

npm install @peculiar/webcrypto --save

Build errors in cloud deployments

Add to your .env file:

CI=false

Or modify your webpack config to exclude GUN dependencies from builds.

Port already in use

Change the port in your configuration:

const port = process.env.PORT || 8765;
server.listen(port);

Package information

Version

0.2020.1239

Bundle size

~9KB gzipped

Node.js support

= 0.8.4

License

Zlib / MIT / Apache 2.0

Dependencies

Required: ws (WebSocket support for Node.js)
Optional: @peculiar/webcrypto (for SEA in Node.js/React Native)

Next steps

Now that GUN is installed:

Quickstart guide

Build your first GUN application

API reference

Explore the complete API documentation

Examples

Browse real-world example applications

Community

Join the GUN community chat

​Browser via CDN

​Include SEA for user authentication

​Include AXE for mesh networking

​npm installation

​Basic usage in Node.js

​ES Module imports

​Using with SEA in Node.js

​Node.js server setup

​Simple HTTP server

​Server with options

​HTTPS server

​React integration

​React Native installation

​Electron installation

​Framework integrations

​Vue.js

​Svelte

​Angular

​Configuration options

​Deploy a relay peer

​Heroku

​Docker

​Linux server

​Dome

​Zeet

​Production deployment notes

​Testing your installation

​Troubleshooting

​Module not found errors

​SEA/Crypto errors in Node.js

​Build errors in cloud deployments

​Port already in use

​Package information

Version

Bundle size

Node.js support

License

​Dependencies

​Next steps

Quickstart guide

API reference

Examples

Community

Browser via CDN

Include SEA for user authentication

Include AXE for mesh networking

npm installation

Basic usage in Node.js

ES Module imports

Using with SEA in Node.js

Node.js server setup

Simple HTTP server

Server with options

HTTPS server

React integration

React Native installation

Electron installation

Framework integrations

Vue.js

Svelte

Angular

Configuration options

Deploy a relay peer

Heroku

Docker

Linux server

Dome

Zeet

Production deployment notes

Testing your installation

Troubleshooting

Module not found errors

SEA/Crypto errors in Node.js

Build errors in cloud deployments

Port already in use

Package information

Dependencies

Next steps