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JoeGruffins edited this page Mar 10, 2026 · 7 revisions

Last updated for Bison Wallet v1.0.6.

Contents

Download

The latest version of Bison Wallet can be downloaded from https://dex.decred.org.

Note

We recommend you also verify that your download hash matches the hash in the DCRDEX releases manifest. For detailed instructions, read about Verifying Binaries in the Decred Documentation.

You will need to visit the releases page to download the manifest and manifest signature:

bisonw-<version>-manifest.txt
bisonw-<version>-manifest.txt.asc

Bison Wallet Desktop

bisonw-desktop is the Desktop version of Bison Wallet. This version is a self-contained application, making it the preferred option for new users.

Windows

  1. Download the Windows installer (bisonw-desktop-windows-amd64-<version>.msi) from the releases page.

  2. Double click the installer and follow the instructions.

  3. The installer adds a shortcut to Bison Wallet on your Start Menu.

macOS

  1. Download the macOS disk image (bisonw-desktop-darwin-amd64-<version>.dmg) from the releases page.

  2. Double click the .dmg file to mount the disk image.

  3. Drag the bisonw-desktop.app file into the link to your Applications folder within the disk image.

OR

Install via Homebrew:

brew install bison-wallet
Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)

  1. Download the Debian package (bisonw-desktop-linux-amd64-<version>.deb) from the releases page.

  2. Open a terminal in the download folder and run the command sudo dpkg -i ./bisonw-desktop-linux-amd64-<version>.deb.

  3. Bison Wallet can then be launched from the applications menu.

Once the installation has completed, Bison Wallet Desktop can be launched from the shortcut added to the Start/Application menu. A new window will appear once the application starts.

The Quick Configuration section of this wiki will guide you through the Bison Wallet setup.

Bison Wallet CLI

bisonw is the command line version of Bison Wallet. This version provides access to several optional parameters for more advanced users, a web browser is required to access the graphical user interface (GUI).

Windows

  1. Download the Windows archive (bisonw-windows-amd64-<version>.zip) from the releases page.

  2. Navigate to the download location and extract the .zip file.

  3. The extracted files include an executable named bisonw.

macOS

  1. Download the macOS archive (bisonw-darwin-amd64-<version>.tar.gz) from the releases page.

  2. Navigate to the download location and extract the .tar.gz file.

  3. The extracted files include an executable named bisonw.

  4. Open a terminal in the extracted folder and run the command chmod u+x bisonw.

  5. Bison Wallet can then be launched from the terminal using the command ./bisonw.

Linux

  1. Download the Linux archive (bisonw-linux-amd64-<version>.tar.gz) from the releases page.

  2. Navigate to the download location and extract the .tar.gz file.

  3. The extracted files include an executable named bisonw.

  4. Open a terminal in the extracted folder and run the command chmod u+x bisonw.

  5. Bison Wallet can then be launched from the terminal using the command ./bisonw.

Once the installation has completed, Bison Wallet CLI can be launched from a terminal using the command ./bisonw from within the folder where it was extracted. Once initial configuration has completed, the following message will appear in the terminal:

2024-10-15 10:38:04.710 [INF] WEB: Web server listening on 127.0.0.1:5758 (https = false)

        ****  OPEN IN YOUR BROWSER TO LOGIN AND TRADE  --->  http://127.0.0.1:5758  ****

Open any web browser to the link shown by the application. The Quick Configuration section of this wiki will guide you through the Bison Wallet setup.

Building from Source

Dependencies

  1. Go 1.24+
  2. (optional) Node 20+ is used to bundle resources for the browser interface. It's important to note that Bison Wallet has no external JavaScript dependencies. The client doesn't import any Node packages. We only use Node to lint and compile our own JavaScript and CSS resources. This build step is not required if building from a release branch.
  3. At least 2 GB of available system memory.

Building

  1. Build the web assets from client/webserver/site/. If building from the master branch, bundle the CSS and JavaScript with Webpack:

    npm clean-install && npm run build

  2. Build and run the client from client/cmd/bisonw.

    go build
./bisonw

  3. Once initial configuration has completed, the following message will appear in the terminal:

    2024-10-15 10:38:04.710 [INF] WEB: Web server listening on 127.0.0.1:5758 (https = false)

        ****  OPEN IN YOUR BROWSER TO LOGIN AND TRADE  --->  http://127.0.0.1:5758  ****

  4. Open any web browser to the link shown in the terminal. The Quick Configuration section of this wiki will guide you through the Bison Wallet setup.

Docker

Build the docker image

docker build -t user/dcrdex -f client/Dockerfile .

Create docker volume

docker volume create --name=dcrdex_data

Run image

docker run -d --rm -p 127.0.0.1:5758:5758 -v dcrdex_data:/root/.bisonw user/dcrdex

Open 127.0.0.1:5758 in any browser, note that if the mapped address/port is different than above, this address may change. The Quick Configuration section of this wiki will guide you through the Bison Wallet setup.

Next Section: Quick Configuration

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