bigchaindb/docs/source/introduction.md
2016-06-27 15:10:19 +02:00

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# Introduction
BigchainDB is a scalable blockchain database. That is, it's a "big data" database with some blockchain characteristics, including [decentralization](topic-guides/decentralized.html), [immutability](topic-guides/immutable.html) and [native support for assets](topic-guides/assets.html).
You can read about the motivations, goals and high-level architecture in the [BigchainDB whitepaper](https://www.bigchaindb.com/whitepaper/).
## Setup Instructions for Various Cases
* [Set up a stand-alone BigchainDB node for learning and experimenting: Quickstart](quickstart.html)
* [Set up and run a federation](clusters-feds/set-up-a-federation.html) (i.a. an organization with a BigchainDB cluster)
* To set up a stand-alone node so you can help contribute to the development of BigchainDB Server, see [the CONTRIBUTING.md file](https://github.com/bigchaindb/bigchaindb/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
* [Deploy a cluster on AWS](clusters-feds/deploy-on-aws.html)
(Instructions for setting up a client will be provided once there's a public testnet.)
## Is BigchainDB Production-Ready?
No, BigchainDB is not production-ready. You can use it to build a prototype or proof-of-concept (POC); many people are already doing that.
BigchainDB is currently in version 0.X. ([The Releases page on GitHub](https://github.com/bigchaindb/bigchaindb/releases) has the exact version number.) Once we believe that BigchainDB is production-ready, we'll release version 1.0.
[The BigchainDB Roadmap](https://github.com/bigchaindb/org/blob/master/ROADMAP.md) will give you a sense of the things we intend to do with BigchainDB in the near term and the long term.
## Can I Help?
Yes! BigchainDB is an open-source project; we welcome contributions of all kinds. If you want to request a feature, file a bug report, make a pull request, or help in some other way, please see [the CONTRIBUTING.md file](https://github.com/bigchaindb/bigchaindb/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md).