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Quick Start

Tessera is designed to be lightweight, but it relies on modern infrastructure and the Circle x402 Gateway. Follow these steps to get your sidecar running.

1. Prerequisites

  • Node.js: Version 22 or higher is required.
  • Git & Docker: Required to clone and deploy the repository in production.
  • Circle Developer Account: You need your CIRCLE_API_KEY and CIRCLE_APP_ID. See the guide if you don't have them yet.
  • A Destination Wallet: A standard EVM-compatible wallet address. Earnings accumulate in the Circle Gateway and you will use this wallet later to cryptographically sign your withdrawals.

2. Installation & Setup

Begin by cloning the official repository to the machine where you intend to run the sidecar.

git clone https://github.com/JaDi03/tessera.git
cd tessera
npm install

Tessera includes an interactive setup wizard that configures the sidecar for your specific platform. Run the setup script:

npm run setup

Tessera Setup Wizard

This wizard will automatically: 1. Ask which platform you want to monetize (e.g., PeerTube, Owncast). 2. Ask for the Upstream URL. This must be the public URL where your platform is currently running (e.g., https://peertube.yourdomain.com). 3. Generate a secure .env file (including webhook secrets if needed).

Configure Environment Variables

For security reasons, the script won't ask for your API keys in the terminal. Open the automatically generated .env file in your code editor:

nano .env

.env configuration

Fill in the required variables to run the engine: - CIRCLE_API_KEY: Circle API Key. - CIRCLE_APP_ID: Circle App ID. - SELLER_ADDRESS: Platform admin wallet address to receive payouts. - SELLER_PRIVATE_KEY: Platform admin private key for withdrawal signatures.

[!NOTE] MASTER_KEY (and PEERTUBE_WEBHOOK_SECRET for PeerTube) are automatically generated and configured in your .env file during the npm run setup wizard. You do not need to configure them manually.

3. Deployment

Do not use npm run start for production environments, as it will block your terminal and shut down when you disconnect your SSH session.

Instead, use the included deployment script which leverages Docker to run Tessera safely in the background:

chmod +x deploy.sh
./deploy.sh

This script will compile the code, mount the data volumes, and restart the sidecar as a background service. You are now ready to install the plugin on your streaming platform!