The initiad CLI is a command-line interface for interacting with the Initia L1. This tool provides comprehensive functionality for developers and users to manage accounts, query blockchain data, submit transactions, and perform other operations.

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Overview

With initiad, you can:
  • Account Management: Create, import, and manage blockchain accounts
  • Transaction Operations: Send transactions, delegate tokens, and interact with smart contracts
  • Data Queries: Query blockchain state, account balances, and transaction history
  • Validator Operations: Create validators, delegate stakes, and manage governance proposals
  • Network Interaction: Connect to different networks (mainnet, testnet, local)
initiad is built using the Cosmos SDK and provides a familiar interface for users of other Cosmos-based chains.

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Prerequisites

Before installing initiad, ensure you have the following requirements:
  • Go: Version 1.21 or higher
  • Git: For cloning the repository
  • Make: For building the binary
You can verify your Go installation by running go version in your terminal.

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Installation

1

Clone the Repository

First, clone the initiad repository from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/initia-labs/initia.git
cd initia
2

Get Version and Checkout

Fetch the current network version and checkout the corresponding tag. Choose the network that matches your intended use case:
# Get the current mainnet version and checkout
export VERSION=$(curl -s https://rest.initia.xyz/cosmos/base/tendermint/v1beta1/node_info | jq -r '.application_version.version' | grep -oE 'v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')
echo "Checking out version: $VERSION"
git checkout $VERSION
Always use a specific version tag rather than the main branch for production environments to ensure stability.
Mainnet and testnet may run different versions, so choose the appropriate network endpoint.
3

Build and Install

Compile and install the initiad binary:
make install
This will build the binary and install it to your $GOPATH/bin directory.

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Verification

After installation, verify that initiad is correctly installed and accessible:

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Check CLI Version

initiad version
# Output: v0.5.7

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Verify Installation Path

which initiad
# Output: /Users/username/go/bin/initiad (or your $GOPATH/bin path)

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Check Available Commands

initiad --help

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Network Configuration

By default, initiad connects to the Initia mainnet. You can configure it to connect to different networks: 
initiad config chain-id initia-1
initiad config node https://rpc.initia.xyz:443

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Next Steps

Now that you have initiad installed and configured, you can:

Create Your First Account

Set up accounts for sending transactions and managing assets

Query Blockchain Data

Learn how to query balances, transactions, and network information

Send Transactions

Execute transactions, transfers, and smart contract interactions