If you want to take a look at a running Ergo instance or test some client code, feel free to play with [testnet.ergo.chat](https://testnet.ergo.chat/) (TLS on port 6697 or plaintext on port 6667).
**Note:** See the [productionizing guide in our manual](https://github.com/ergochat/ergo/blob/master/docs/MANUAL.md#productionizing-with-systemd) for recommendations on how to run a production network, including obtaining valid TLS certificates.
The `master` branch _should_ usually be stable, but may contain database changes that either have not been finalised or not had database upgrade code written yet. Don't run `master` on a live production network.
You'll need an [up-to-date distribution of the Go language for your OS and architecture](https://golang.org/dl/). Once you have that, just clone the repository and run `make build`. If everything goes well, you should now have an executable named `ergo` in the base directory of the project.
You can use the `--conf` parameter when launching Ergo to control where it looks for the config file. For instance: `ergo run --conf /path/to/ircd.yaml`. The configuration file also stores where the log, database, certificate, and other files are opened. Normally, all these files use relative paths, but you can change them to be absolute (such as `/var/log/ircd.log`) when running Ergo as a service.
By default, logs go to stderr only. They can be configured to go to a file, or you can use systemd to direct the stderr to the system journal (see the manual for details). The configuration format of logs is designed to be easily pluggable, and is inspired by the logging config provided by InspIRCd.
Passwords (for both `PASS` and oper logins) are stored using bcrypt. To generate encrypted strings for use in the config, use the `genpasswd` subcommand as such:
Ergo relies heavily on user accounts to enable its distinctive features (such as allowing multiple clients per nickname). As a user, you can register your current nickname as an account using `/msg NickServ register <password>`. Once you have done so, you should [enable SASL in your clients](https://freenode.net/kb/answer/sasl), ensuring that you will be automatically logged into your account on each connection. This will prevent [problems claiming your registered nickname](https://github.com/ergochat/ergo/blob/master/docs/MANUAL.md#nick-equals-account).
