# Quickstart

Three ways in, a few minutes each. Run a model on your own Mac, read the live network, or put a Mac to work.

## Run a model on your Mac

:::steps
### Install mlx-lm
On a Mac with Apple silicon: `pip install mlx-lm`.

### Start a model
`mlx_lm.server --model mlx-community/Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3-4bit` downloads the model the first time and serves it on port 8080 of localhost. [mlx.app/compare](https://mlx.app/compare) shows which models fit your Mac's memory.

### Call it
POST OpenAI-style chat JSON to `http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1/chat/completions`. The fields and options are in [Local AI quickstart](/local/quickstart).
:::

## Read the network

The network API is public JSON. No key, no sign-up.

```endpoint try
GET /api/stats
```

```bash tab=curl
curl https://mlx.app/api/stats
```

```js tab=JavaScript
const res = await fetch("https://mlx.app/api/stats");
const stats = await res.json();
console.log(stats.head.height, stats.stats.nodes);
```

```python tab=Python
import requests

stats = requests.get("https://mlx.app/api/stats").json()
print(stats["head"]["height"], stats["stats"]["nodes"])
```

```swift tab=Swift
let url = URL(string: "https://mlx.app/api/stats")!
let (data, _) = try await URLSession.shared.data(from: url)
let stats = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data) as! [String: Any]
print(stats["head"] ?? "")
```

From here, [blocks](/network/blocks), [transactions](/network/transactions), [wallets](/network/accounts) and the [compute rewards ledger](/network/compute) work the same way. Amounts are strings of base units with 6 decimals.

## Put a Mac to work

:::steps
### Install MLX Node
Download it from [mlx.app/download](https://mlx.app/download) and open it: it installs itself and appears in the menu bar.

### Link it to a wallet
MLX Node opens MLX Wallet and asks you to create or sign in to a wallet; the link is a transaction signed by your wallet and by the Mac's Secure Enclave key. A wallet can link up to 32 devices.

### Start it
New installs run when you press Start. Set an idle time in Settings to have MLX Node work only while you're away. A Mac on a free seat mines up to 1 MLX a day; [dedicated seats](/protocol/seats) mine more.
:::

> [!TIP]
> What a Mac earned, hour by hour, is public: [GET /api/compute](/network/compute) lists every reward the network has paid.