This guide will walk you through the process of building Bitsquare from source.
> _**NOTE:** For most users, building from source is not necessary. See the [releases page](https://github.com/bitsquare/bitsquare/releases), where you'll find installers for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X._
What follows is explained in detail in the sections below, but for those who know their way around Java, git and Maven, here are the instructions in a nutshell:
To check the version of Java you currently have installed:
$ javac -version
javac 1.8.0_20
If `javac` is not found, or your version is anything less than `1.8.0_20`, then you'll need to [download and install the latest JDK]( http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8-downloads-2133151.html) for your platform.
> _**TIP:** Here are [instructions](http://www.webupd8.org/2014/03/how-to-install-oracle-java-8-in-debian.html) for installing the JDK via `apt` on Debian/Ubuntu systems._
Steps
-----
### 1. Get the source
The preferred approach is to clone the Bitsquare repository using [git](http://www.git-scm.com/):
However, if you're not familiar with git or it is otherwise inconvenient to use, you can also download and extract a zip file of the latest sources at https://github.com/bitsquare/bitsquare/archive/master.zip.
Please note that testnet is the default bitcoin network. Mainnet is disabled at that stage of development and will be activated as soon there is more testing done.
### 6. Enable unlimited Strength for cryptographic keys
Bitsquare uses 256 bit length keys which are still not permitted by default.
Get around that ridiculous fact by adding the missing [jars from Oracle](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jce8-download-2133166.html).