> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.obsidianlog.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Install with Cargo
> Install ObsidianLog straight from crates.io with cargo install, no download or git clone needed.
Already have Rust? This is the fastest path to a working `obsidianlog` if
you don't want to download a release archive or clone the repository.
Want the latest, possibly-unreleased code instead of the last published
version? See [Building From Source](/get-started/building-from-source).
## Prerequisites
You need Rust and Cargo installed. Check:
```sh theme={null}
cargo --version
```
If that fails, install Rust via [rustup](https://rustup.rs):
```sh theme={null}
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
```
Follow the on-screen prompts, then restart your terminal (or run the
`source` command it prints at the end) so `cargo` is on your `PATH`.
Download and run [rustup-init.exe](https://rustup.rs), or install via
winget:
```powershell theme={null}
winget install Rustlang.Rustup
```
Restart PowerShell afterward so `cargo` is on your `PATH`.
## Installing
```sh theme={null}
cargo install obsidianlog-cli
```
This matches the local backend's default: no Sia support, `obsidianlog
init` defaults to the local backend. To include Sia support (what the
official release binaries ship with):
```sh theme={null}
cargo install obsidianlog-cli --features sia
```
Either command installs the `obsidianlog` binary into your Cargo bin
directory (`~/.cargo/bin` by default, `%USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin` on
Windows), already on your `PATH` if you've used `cargo install` before.
Unlike the release binary or Docker paths, there's no folder to extract
or `cd` into, `obsidianlog` runs from wherever you are.
Want the standalone ingest server too?
```sh theme={null}
cargo install obsidianlog-ingest
```
Most people don't need this separately, `obsidianlog serve` already wraps
it and manages its encryption key for you. See
[Running the standalone ingest server directly](/get-started/building-from-source#running-the-standalone-ingest-server-directly)
if you do.
## Archive your first log and get it back
The same setup, ingestion, retrieval, and integrity-check loop as the
[Quickstart](/get-started/quickstart), just running `obsidianlog` directly
instead of `./obsidianlog` from an extracted folder.
Two terminals. Leave the first running `serve`; use the second for
everything else.
**1. Set up.**
```sh theme={null}
obsidianlog init --non-interactive
```
You'll see:
```text theme={null}
obsidianlog initialized.
config: /Users/you/.config/obsidianlog/config.toml
credentials: the OS keychain
```
**2. Start the server.**
```sh theme={null}
obsidianlog serve
```
The terminal won't return to a prompt after this, it keeps running
until you stop it. Leave it running and use your second terminal for
the rest.
**3. In the second terminal, send a log.**
```sh theme={null}
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:7080/ingest \
-H 'content-type: application/json' \
-d '[{"timestamp":"2026-07-06T10:00:00Z","service":"api","level":"info","msg":"hello"}]' \
-w '%{http_code}\n'
```
A successful ingest has an empty body, so the `200` printed on its own
line (from `-w`) is the actual confirmation, not the absence of output.
**4. Query it back.**
```sh theme={null}
obsidianlog query --service api --level info --from 24h --format human
```
```text theme={null}
2026-07-06T10:00:00Z api info - hello
```
**5. Verify the hash chain.**
```sh theme={null}
obsidianlog verify
```
```text theme={null}
OK api: 1 chunk(s) verified, chain intact
```
Two PowerShell windows. Leave the first running `serve`; use the
second for everything else.
**1. Set up.**
```powershell theme={null}
obsidianlog.exe init --non-interactive
```
You'll see:
```text theme={null}
obsidianlog initialized.
config: C:\Users\you\.config\obsidianlog\config.toml
credentials: the OS keychain
```
**2. Start the server.**
```powershell theme={null}
obsidianlog.exe serve
```
The terminal won't return to a prompt after this, it keeps running
until you stop it. Leave it running and use your second terminal for
the rest.
**3. In the second terminal, send a log.**
Assign the JSON to a variable first, PowerShell's quoting breaks on a
curl command written the Unix way:
```powershell theme={null}
$json = '[{"timestamp":"2026-07-06T10:00:00Z","service":"api","level":"info","msg":"hello"}]'
curl.exe -s -X POST http://localhost:7080/ingest -H "content-type: application/json" -d $json -w "%{http_code}\n"
```
A successful ingest has an empty body, so the `200` printed on its own
line (from `-w`) is the actual confirmation, not the absence of output.
**4. Query it back.**
```powershell theme={null}
obsidianlog.exe query --service api --level info --from 24h --format human
```
```text theme={null}
2026-07-06T10:00:00Z api info - hello
```
**5. Verify the hash chain.**
```powershell theme={null}
obsidianlog.exe verify
```
```text theme={null}
OK api: 1 chunk(s) verified, chain intact
```
See the full [CLI reference](/cli/overview) for every command's flags.
On macOS, `init` will prompt at most once for your login-keychain password.
This is the OS asking permission for `obsidianlog` to store the credentials
it just generated, not an ObsidianLog password. Click **Always Allow**
rather than just Allow, so later `serve`/`query`/`verify` runs read them
without prompting again.
## What's next
* [Your First Test Run](/tutorials/local-backend): the same loop again,
with more detail on what to expect at each step.
* [Choosing a Backend](/storage-backends/choosing-a-backend): local disk,
hosted Sia Storage, or bring your own indexer.
* [Docker Compose Quickstart](/deployment/docker-compose-quickstart): the
same loop, containerized.