Monero CLI wallet Linux installation guide

Overview: Step by step guide to verifying, running and updating the official Monero CLI wallet (v0.18.5.1) on Linux.

Motivation

• Why Linux/CLI

Linux is the most empowering OS for users. The CLI is the most empowering wallet for users. Transitioning from GUIs to the command line doesn't have to be complicated.

• Why Verify/Update

Most users skip software verification. Blindly installing software is not secure and can lead to loss of funds and privacy. Running up-to-date verified software means less bugs, new features and more peace of mind.

Assumptions

• you want to run (install) / update the official Monero CLI wallet
• you are on a Linux machine (ie. Debian)

Step 1: Verify software (important)

Before downloading and running the latest Monero CLI binaries from Github¹ or Getmonero.org², we need to first determine if the software is safe to use.

Open up a terminal.

Step 1.1: Verify and import signing key

Fetch binaryFate's signing key³ from Github:

wget -O binaryfate.asc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/monero-project/monero/master/utils/gpg_keys/binaryfate.asc

Display the key's fingerprint:

gpg --keyid-format long --with-fingerprint binaryfate.asc

The output should look like this:

pub   rsa4096/F0AF4D462A0BDF92 2019-12-12 [SCEA]
Key fingerprint = 81AC 591F E9C4 B65C 5806  AFC3 F0AF 4D46 2A0B DF92
uid   binaryFate <binaryfate@getmonero.org>

Proceed to the next step only if the key fingerprint matches exactly with the above (81AC 591F E9C4 B65C 5806 AFC3 F0AF 4D46 2A0B DF92).

Do not proceed if the key fingerprint does not match exactly with the above. Delete the file and try downloading it again.

Import the key:

gpg --import binaryfate.asc

Output should contain the following if this is the first time you have imported this key:

gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg:               imported: 1

Step 1.2: Download and verify hashes file

Download the signed hashes file from Getmonero.org:

wget -O hashes.txt https://www.getmonero.org/downloads/hashes.txt

Verify the signature of the file:

gpg --verify hashes.txt

If the file is authentic (file is signed with binaryFate's key), output should be:

gpg: using RSA key 81AC591FE9C4B65C5806AFC3F0AF4D462A0BDF92
gpg: Good signature from "binaryFate <binaryfate@getmonero.org>" [unknown]
gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!
gpg: There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.
Primary key fingerprint: 81AC 591F E9C4 B65C 5806  AFC3 F0AF 4D46 2A0B DF92

Only proceed if you see Good signature in your output.

If you see BAD signature, delete the hashes.txt file and download it again.

Step 1.3: Download and verify binaries

Download the CLI binary. Do not extract the archive yet.

wget -O monero-linux-x64-v0.18.5.1.tar.bz2 http://dlmonerotqz47bjuthtko2k7ik2ths4w2rmboddyxw4tz4adebsmijid.onion/cli/linux64

Display the SHA256 hash of your download:

shasum -a 256 monero-linux-x64-v0.18.5.1.tar.bz2

The output should match the hash for your binary in the hashes.txt⁴ file:

22a7dda7b0cb699fdd6b7674c3b4a4465b337cc98a54983523b759e1e7cc9958  monero-linux-x64-v0.18.5.1.tar.bz2

Notes

• If the latest version is not v0.18.5.1, substitute that above.

• If you have downloaded a different binary, substitute that above.

• If wget fails, check if the onionsite is up; try using the clearnet site⁵ instead.

If hashes match, proceed.

If hashes do not match, stop. Delete the binary and try downloading it again.

Step 2: Extract binaries

Extract the binaries to a new directory of your liking:

tar -xvf monero-linux-x64-v0.18.5.1.tar.bz2 -C /home/user/monero

Notes

• Substitute the directory /home/user/monero to your preferred destination folder.

• Substitute monero-linux-x64-v0.18.5.1.tar.bz2 with your own binary.

Step 3: Updating wallets

To update to the latest version (ie. from v0.18.5.0 to v0.18.5.1), just copy over the wallet files (ie. mywallet and mywallet.keys) from the old folder (containing v0.18.5.0) to the new folder (containing v0.18.5.1).

Start the wallet. A blockchain resync is not needed.

U260715: updated for version 0.18.5.1; added clearnet fallback for download; fixed latest release link.