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Prerequisites

Before deploying blockchain nodes with AWS Blockchain Node Runners, ensure you have the following tools installed and your environment configured.

Node.js (v20 or later)​

AWS CDK v2 requires an actively supported Node.js LTS version.

Verify your version:

node --version
# Expected: v20.x.x or later

Install via nodejs.org or a version manager like nvm:

# Using nvm
nvm install 20
nvm use 20

AWS CLI​

The AWS CLI is needed for CDK bootstrap and credential management.

Install following the official guide, or:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install awscli

# Verify
aws --version

AWS Account and Credentials​

You need an AWS account with permissions to create the following resources:

  • EC2 instances and security groups
  • VPC networking
  • IAM roles and policies
  • EBS volumes
  • CloudWatch logs and metrics
  • Auto Scaling groups and Application Load Balancers (for HA deployments)

Configure Credentials​

Set up AWS credentials using one of these methods:

Option A: Environment variables

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=<your-access-key>
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<your-secret-key>
export AWS_REGION=<your-preferred-region>

Option B: AWS CLI named profiles

# Configure a profile
aws configure --profile my-blockchain-profile

# Tell CDK which profile to use
export AWS_PROFILE=my-blockchain-profile

Verify your credentials are working:

aws sts get-caller-identity

For more details, see AWS CDK prerequisites.

Quick Verification​

Run these commands to confirm everything is ready:

node --version    # v20.x.x or later
npm --version     # 10.x.x or later
aws --version     # aws-cli/2.x.x
aws sts get-caller-identity  # Should return your account info

Kiro CLI​

Kiro CLI enables AI-driven deployment, healthcheck, and troubleshooting workflows.

# Install
curl -fsSL https://cli.kiro.dev/install | bash

# Authenticate
kiro-cli auth login

Optional​

AWS CloudShell​

AWS CloudShell is a browser-based shell that comes pre-configured with AWS CLI, Node.js, and all necessary tools at no cost. Open it from the AWS Console to get started without any local installation.

Next Steps​

With your environment ready, continue to the Quickstart to clone the repository, bootstrap CDK, and deploy your first node. For the full manual deployment walkthrough, see the Deployment Guide, and if you hit any issues, the Troubleshooting Guide.