Connecting To JetStream
=======================

There are several ways to :doc:`interact with JetStream </using_jetstream/interacting_with_jetstream>`. The simplest way is to use the Client Application, which is available for `download <https://gojetstream.io/download/>`_.

You may need to configure other hardware or software depending on your network setup as outlined below.


Local Machine
-------------

Connecting to the JetStream server from the same machine requires no additional setup. Simply connect to:

* Host/IP: ``localhost``


Local Network
-------------

Connecting to the JetStream server from a machine on the same network as the server requires first finding the IP address of the server. This can be done by running the following from a command prompt on the server machine:

* Linux: ``ip a``
* macOS: ``ifconfig``

These commands may list multiple IP address. To check which one applies, you can run :program:`ping \<ipaddress\>` from a command prompt on the client machine.

Note that the OS on the server machine may have a firewall that prevents connections. If connections are refused, see :doc:`/setup/firewalls`.


External Network
----------------

Connecting to the JetStream server from a machine on an external network requires configuring your firewall to forward port 8886 (see :doc:`/setup/firewalls`). You will also need a static external IP address.
