lbry.tech/documents/build.md

---
title: Development
---

Want to build something on top of LBRY? This is the place to get you started.

# THIS IS NOT DONE AT ALL AND IF YOU CONTINUE TO READ IT YOU MENTALLY ASSENT TO COMMITTING AT LEAST ONE CHANGE THAT MAKES IT BETTER

At least, it's the place to get started so long as you have some idea of what LBRY _is_. If you don't, you should read the
[Overview](/overview) first.

## When to Use LBRY

- You want to build an application that contributes to the world's knowledge, or benefits from global, shared discovery (flesh this out).
- You want to replace an existing centralized service related to digital content distribution with a decentralized/community-controlled one.

## When Not to Use LBRY

- You want to privately distribute data/information.
- You want to do illegal things.

## How (Ways?) to Build on LBRY

### Web, Desktop, and Mobile Applications (Daemon-based Applications)

Almost all web, desktop, and mobile applications will use the [lbry-sdk](https://github.com/lbryio/lbry) as a way of accessing and communicating with the LBRY network.

#### Web Applications

1. Set up a web server.
1. Install lbry. (Docker images? Other convenient ways of doing this?)
1. Bridging basics.

#### Desktop Applications

1. Desktop applications will typically use the [lbry-sdk](https://github.com/lbryio/lbry).
1. lbry-desktop as example

#### Android Applications

1. (Whatever magic you have to do to get a daemon running on Android.)

#### iOS Applications

It is not currently possible to use LBRY on iOS.

### Blockchain and Wallet Level (Full Node Applications)

Not all applications will want to use the full LBRY protocol, or some applications may be specifically designed with full blockchain interactions in mind.

1. How to install lbrycrd.
1. lbrycrd documentation

## Desired Applications

TBD