# Getting Started

This guide walks you through planning, installing, and bringing an Arweave miner online for the first time.

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For any questions and support queries regarding mining on Arweave, we strongly recommend that you join our [**Discord server**](https://discord.gg/GHB4fxVv8B) and visit our [Discussions Board](https://github.com/ArweaveTeam/arweave/discussions) as these are the hubs of our mining and developer communities. There you will find plenty of community members and Arweave team members available to help you out 🤖
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Miners are responsible for their own compliance with data protection laws (such as GDPR) and other applicable laws in their jurisdiction. Data storage laws vary country to country. Failure to adhere to these laws may entail substantial legal risks for the miner. Please only participate in mining Arweave data if you have understood the legal implications of doing so and consider seeking legal advice.
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## 1. [Choose Your Node Type](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/overview/node-types)

Decide whether you are running a solo miner, coordinated miner, pool miner, VDF server, or validator.

## 2. [Plan Your Hardware](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/hardware)

Size CPU, memory, storage, and network based on your chosen role.

## 3. [Configure the Operating System](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/os)

Configure your operating system for Arweave workloads.

## 4. [Install the Arweave Node](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/install)

Install the node software either from pre-built binaries or by building from source, and verify the installation.

## 5. [Setup Your Directory Structure](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/directory-structure)

Create the directories and links for your `data_dir` and storage modules.

## 6. [Create Your Node Wallet](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/wallet)

All nodes need a configured wallet (aka mining key), if you don't specify one it will be created for you. If you're not mining, this default wallet is probably fine. For miners:

## 7. [Configure and Run Your Node](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/configuration)

Depending on your node type, operating phase, and different elements of your hardware and system configuration you will want to run your node with a different set of configuration options. We've provided a few examples in the [Node Configuration Guide](https://docs.arweave.org/developers/mining/getting-started/configuration) to get you started.

## 8. Learn, Iterate, and Optimize

After you get your node running, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the rest of the Mining Guide, joining the [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/GHB4fxVv8B), and reviewing the [Discussions Board](https://github.com/ArweaveTeam/arweave/discussions). There is a lot to learn and you will likely hit issues as you ramp up and tune your Arweave node - hopefully these resources will help you through it.

Thank you for supporting the Permaweb!