If you use Mac or Linux and just want to jump in, you can download Port and install it to run Urbit for you and get going right away. You can also set up Urbit using the command line.
If you run Windows, or just want to give it a shot without worrying about the gritty bits, you may want to consider a hosting provider, though Windows instructions are provided for power users.
Get Port
Port is a desktop GUI application that allows you to spin up, access, and manage your Urbit ships without any knowledge of the command line or Urbit binary.
To install Port on MacOS simply download and open the .dmg file.
We use snap so that Port can stay updated automatically. If you already have snap installed, simply run:
sudo snap install portOr to install snap for your distribution, snapcraft provides installation instructions.
If you'd like to have more direct control over the Urbit virtual machine, or are setting up Urbit on a cloud droplet, try installation using the command line.