The easiest way to get etcd is to use one of the pre-built release binaries which are available for OSX, Linux, Windows, appc, and Docker. Instructions for using these binaries are on the GitHub releases page.

For those wanting to try the very latest version, build etcd from the branch. version 1.9+ is required to build the latest version of etcd. To ensure etcd is built against well-tested libraries, etcd vendors its dependencies for official release binaries. However, etcd’s vendoring is also optional to avoid potential import conflicts when embedding the etcd server or using the etcd client.

To build a vendored etcd from the master branch via go get:

Check the etcd binary is built correctly by starting etcd and setting a key.

If etcd is built using go get, run the following:

Setting a key

Run the following:

If OK is printed, then etcd is working!