Getting Started (Local Development)

This guide covers setting up BASTION for local development.

Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Notes
Docker	20+	With Docker Compose v2
Node.js	20+	Use nvm — system Node is often too old
Rust toolchain	Latest stable	For smart contract compilation

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/VitalPointAI/Bastion.git
cd Bastion

Environment Setup

Copy the example environment file and configure it:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and set the required values:

• LLM provider keys — at least one of: OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, or GOOGLE_API_KEY for AI agent functionality.
• NEAR testnet — NEAR_NETWORK_ID=testnet (default) and any contract-specific configuration.
• Database credentials — defaults work for local Docker, but can be customized.

Start Services

docker-compose up

This starts:

Service	Port	Description
Frontend	5173	Vite dev server (React)
Backend	3001	Express API server
PostgreSQL	5432	Primary relational database
Neo4j	7474 / 7687	Graph database (RAFT entities)

Seed Data

Once services are running, seed the example scenario:

bash scripts/seed-scenario.sh

This populates the database with the Pacific Strategy AY26 exercise scenario including phases, documents, and initial conditions.

For graph data (RAFT entities and relationships):

bash scripts/seed-graph-data.sh

Access the Application

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend API: http://localhost:3001
• Neo4j Browser: http://localhost:7474

NEAR Testnet Configuration

BASTION connects to NEAR testnet by default. No local NEAR node is required — the backend communicates with the public testnet RPC endpoint.

To use a custom NEAR configuration, update these .env values:

NEAR_NETWORK_ID=testnet
NEAR_NODE_URL=https://rpc.testnet.near.org
NEAR_WALLET_URL=https://testnet.mynearwallet.com

Notes

• Node.js version: If using nvm, activate the correct version before running any scripts: nvm use 20.
• Database migrations: Migration SQL files are committed to the repository but must be executed on the target database after deploy. For local development, the seed scripts handle initial schema setup.
• Production deployment: Production deployment automation (Phase 17) is not yet implemented. This guide covers local development only.