> ## 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.
# Quickstart
> Install a release binary and run your first init → serve → ingest → query → verify loop.
## Installing a release binary
Download the archive for your system from the
[Releases page](https://github.com/emmaglorypraise/ObsidianLog/releases)
(under **Assets**, on the latest release). Not sure which file you need?
See the [FAQ](/get-started/faq). Each archive contains two binaries
directly: `obsidianlog` (the CLI) and `obsidianlog-ingest` (the standalone
ingest server). There's no installer and no dependencies to install
separately.
Whether extracting it lands those two files in their own folder depends
on how you extract it. Double-clicking the archive (or Extract All on
Windows) creates a new folder named after it automatically. Extracting
from a raw `tar` command doesn't, it dumps the files into whatever
directory you're already in. The commands below account for both, so you
end up in a tidy folder either way.
Double-click the downloaded `.tar.gz` file in Finder. It extracts into
a new folder named after the archive. Open that folder, open a
terminal there, and run:
```sh theme={null}
chmod +x obsidianlog obsidianlog-ingest
./obsidianlog init
```
Prefer to do the extraction from a terminal too?
```sh theme={null}
cd ~/Downloads
mkdir obsidianlog--
tar -xzf obsidianlog--.tar.gz -C obsidianlog--
cd obsidianlog--
chmod +x obsidianlog obsidianlog-ingest
./obsidianlog init
```
Right-click the downloaded `.zip` file in File Explorer and choose
**Extract All**. It suggests a new folder named after the archive,
accept the default. Open that folder, open PowerShell there
(Shift + right-click → **Open PowerShell window here**, or right-click
→ **Open in Terminal**), and run:
```powershell theme={null}
.\obsidianlog.exe init
```
No `chmod` step needed, `.exe` files are already executable. Prefer
PowerShell for the extraction too?
```powershell theme={null}
cd ~\Downloads
mkdir obsidianlog--x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
Expand-Archive obsidianlog--x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip -DestinationPath obsidianlog--x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
cd obsidianlog--x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
.\obsidianlog.exe init
```
Extracting via your file manager (double-click, or right-click →
Extract) typically creates a new folder named after the archive. Open
that folder, open a terminal there, and run:
```sh theme={null}
chmod +x obsidianlog obsidianlog-ingest
./obsidianlog init
```
Prefer to do the extraction from a terminal too?
```sh theme={null}
cd ~/Downloads
mkdir obsidianlog--
tar -xzf obsidianlog--.tar.gz -C obsidianlog--
cd obsidianlog--
chmod +x obsidianlog obsidianlog-ingest
./obsidianlog init
```
The exact filename depends on which release and target you downloaded,
matching what you got from the Releases page. The `chmod` step on
macOS/Linux is needed because the executable bit isn't always preserved
inside the archive.
`obsidianlog` is a command-line tool, not a GUI app. The commands above need
an actual terminal (Terminal on macOS, PowerShell or Windows Terminal on
Windows, your terminal app on Linux). Double-clicking the binary itself
does **not** start setup: it has no command to run, so it prints the help
screen and exits. Open a terminal, change into the extracted folder, then
run `./obsidianlog init` (or `.\obsidianlog.exe init` on Windows).
On macOS, the quickest way to open the right folder in Terminal is to open
Terminal, type `cd ` (including the space), then drag the extracted folder
from Finder into the Terminal window and press Enter. Then run:
```sh theme={null}
./obsidianlog init
```
`obsidianlog` (the CLI) ships **with** the `sia` Cargo feature built in. The
Sia backend works out of the box, no source build needed. `obsidianlog init`
still defaults to the local backend regardless. Sia only gets used if you
choose it. `obsidianlog-ingest` (the standalone, minimal ingest-only binary)
stays local-only by design.
The first time you run it, your OS may flag it as unsigned, since these
binaries aren't code-signed today:
Gatekeeper blocks it. Right-click `obsidianlog` in Finder and choose
**Open** once, or run `xattr -d com.apple.quarantine obsidianlog` in a
terminal.
SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC." Click **More info**,
then **Run anyway**.
There's no equivalent prompt. As long as `chmod +x` was run, it just
works.
## The init → serve → query → verify loop
The CLI wraps setup, ingestion, retrieval, and integrity checking:
The commands below assume you are still in the folder you extracted and use
`./obsidianlog` on macOS/Linux. On Windows, use `./obsidianlog` as
`.\obsidianlog.exe` instead. Leave `serve` running, then open a second
terminal in that same folder for the `curl`, `query`, and `verify` commands.
```sh theme={null}
# One-time setup: generates the encryption key (OS keychain, or a 0600
# secrets file if the keychain isn't available) and writes config.toml.
./obsidianlog init
# Run the ingest server using that config.
./obsidianlog serve
# In another terminal: send it a log batch.
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"}]'
# Query archived logs. Filters compose, and results are decrypted
# index-first (only matching chunks are fetched).
./obsidianlog query --service api --level info --from 24h --format human
# Walk every service's hash chain from genesis and confirm it's intact.
# Exits non-zero on any break, so CI/cron can gate on it.
./obsidianlog verify
```
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.
Re-running `obsidianlog init` is idempotent: it detects an existing
config/key and reuses them. Pass `--force` to rotate the key (this makes
previously archived data undecryptable with the new key, so it asks for
confirmation unless you're also non-interactive).
## What's next
* [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.
* **No local install at all**: fork the repo and run the
[GitHub Actions demo](https://github.com/emmaglorypraise/ObsidianLog/actions/workflows/demo.yml)
to watch the whole pipeline run in your browser.