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Pick Your Path

Last updated: 2026-06-28

Choose the path that matches how you want to use Cortensor. Each path has a different trust boundary and different setup work.

Portal API Customer

Use this path when you want hosted inference without running a router.

flowchart LR
  App["Your app"] --> Gateway["Cortensor API Gateway"]
  Gateway --> Keys["API key check"]
  Gateway --> Model["Model alias mapping"]
  Model --> RouterPool["Managed router pool"]
  RouterPool --> Network["Cortensor network"]
  Gateway --> Usage["Usage / billing records"]

You need:

  • Portal account or issued API key.
  • base URL for the hosted gateway.
  • model alias, such as a public alias mapped by the gateway.
  • request timeout appropriate for decentralized inference.

Start with Web2 API Reference.

Self-Hosted Router Operator

Use this path if you operate a router and expose API surfaces directly.

Start command:

cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env routerv1

You need:

  • public REST hostname or reverse-proxy hostname.
  • router REST bind IP and port.
  • miner-facing WebSocket host and port.
  • node wallet registered for the router role.
  • default sessions for completion/delegate/validate/factcheck where enabled.
  • auth policy for bearer keys, trial routes, x402, MCP, and A2A.
  • off-chain storage and privacy policy if v2/v3 private payload flows are enabled.

Start with Router Node Setup.

Miner Or Node Operator

Use this path if you contribute compute or run network roles.

Common role starts:

cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env minerv4
cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env oraclev3
cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env validatorv1
cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env validatorv2
cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env validatorv3

You need:

  • role-specific node wallet.
  • funded gas on the target network.
  • registration approval where the deployment requires it.
  • model/runtime capability for miner nodes.
  • monitoring for logs, restarts, and task activity.

Start with Miner Node Setup.

Agent Or Product Builder

Use this path if you are building around Corgent, Bardiel, PyClaw, or another agent product.

You need:

  • router endpoint or hosted gateway endpoint.
  • API key or route-specific auth mode.
  • target primitive: completion, delegate, validate, factcheck, MCP, or A2A.
  • quality/validation policy for the agent workflow.

Start with Products, then use Web2 API Reference.

Web3 Developer

Use this path if you interact with protocol contracts directly.

You need:

  • RPC URL and chain ID.
  • contract address table.
  • ABIs for the modules you call.
  • signer for write operations.
  • session and queue lifecycle knowledge.

Start with Web3 SDK Reference.