nimbus-site/source/docs/t0.md

---
id: t0
title: Joining Nimbus Testnet0
---

This document is a very short guide on how to join our testnet. For a full explanation of what's going on behind the scenes, please see the official [announcement post](https://our.status.im/the-nimbus-mvp-testnet-is-here/).

## Joining Nimbus Testnet 0

_Note: in the below commands, the command `make` is universal to *nix systems like Linux / OS X. On Windows, it becomes available with [Git Bash](https://git-scm.com/download/win) if you install Git for Windows, but you can also install [MinGW64](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus#windows) (recommended)._

Here is the full process if you're starting from scratch, without even Nim installed (you still need RocksDB though, so [install that first](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus#rocksdb)), unless you're on Windows, in which case the "WINDOWS ONLY" part below will handle the problem for you:

```bash
# Ensure you have rocksdb installed before running this!
git clone https://github.com/status-im/nim-beacon-chain
cd nim-beacon-chain
make update # this might take a few minutes

# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<
make fetch-dlls # WINDOWS ONLY
# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<

make testnet0
./build/testnet0_node # this launches the testnet0-specific node you just built
```

Here is the full process if you've already run testnet0 before but might be stuck with old source code or old, incompatible cache.

```bash
cd nim-beacon-chain
make update # update dependencies

# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<
make fetch-dlls # WINDOWS ONLY
# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<

cd vendor/nim-beacon-chain
make clean-testnet0 testnet0 # clean cache and rebuild binary
./build/testnet0_node # this launches the testnet0-specific node you just built
```

Congratulations, you should now be joining us - your node will start syncing with the current state of our beacon chain. Once you're in sync, you should also start proposing your own blocks and providing attestations - exciting! You are now among [Ethereum 2.0 Nimbus pioneers](https://gitcoin.co/kudos/1160/nimbus_pilot)!

[![](https://our.status.im/content/images/2019/03/Annotation-2019-03-29-202131-1.png)](https://our.status.im/content/images/2019/03/Annotation-2019-03-29-202131-1.png)