> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.neynar.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run Snapchain on AWS

> Step-by-step guide to running a Snapchain node on AWS EC2

<Info>
  If your goal is to get started as quickly as possible, consider a managed service like [Neynar](https://neynar.com/) instead of running your own node.
</Info>

This guide will get you set up with a Snapchain node on an AWS EC2 instance and will cost roughly \$100/month. You can run Snapchain on any server you like and costs may vary depending on provider.

## Launch a new instance

1. In AWS, go to EC2 > Instances > Launch Instances
2. Give it a name and select Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS (HVM), SSD Volume Type and 64-bit (x86). Choose m5.xlarge instance type.
   <img src="https://mintcdn.com/neynar/nPtAZWltm23aJQ6L/snapchain/assets/docs/aws.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nPtAZWltm23aJQ6L&q=85&s=b9c024ed8860d8f22ba87d3aeec4db3f" alt="Architecture" width="1190" height="1490" data-path="snapchain/assets/docs/aws.png" />
3. In Key pair (login), select Create a new key pair, then select RSA and .pem format, and save it
4. In Network settings, select Allow SSH traffic from Anywhere
5. In Configure storage, select 2 TB of gp3 storage.
6. Click Launch Instance on the right-hand side menu.

## Configure network firewall

1. Go to EC2 → Instances and find your instance
2. Click on the Instance ID
3. Click on Security > Security groups > (Security Group ID)
4. Click on Edit inbound rules and Edit outbound rules on the group page and add rules until they match the below.
   <img src="https://mintcdn.com/neynar/nPtAZWltm23aJQ6L/snapchain/assets/docs/aws-1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nPtAZWltm23aJQ6L&q=85&s=ed176757a03fd8c2e57ec82d6cabb3e0" alt="Architecture" width="1208" height="526" data-path="snapchain/assets/docs/aws-1.png" />

## Connect to your instance

1. Find your *.pem* file from earlier and run `chmod 400 key.pem`
2. Go to EC2 → Instances, click on the Instance ID and copy the IPv4 Address
3. Connect with `ssh ubuntu@<ipv4 address> -i key.pem`

## Start syncing a node

```bash theme={"system"}
# Install docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
chmod +x get-docker.sh
./get-docker.sh

# Start Snapchain
mkdir snapchain && cd snapchain
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/farcasterxyz/snapchain/refs/heads/main/scripts/snapchain-bootstrap.sh | bash
```

Follow the remaining steps in [Getting Started](/snapchain/getting-started) to validate and query your node.