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288 lines
9.5 KiB
288 lines
9.5 KiB
---
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layout: usenew
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permalink: /:collection/:path.html
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---
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# Use the Blockstack Browser
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{:.no_toc}
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The Blockstack Browser gives users the ability to explore and use the
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decentralized applications (dapps). The decentralized applications are a new way
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to interact with the internet. Dapps give users control of their data. Data
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about them personally, name, birthdate, phone number and data about what they do
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such as visiting a website or buying an item.
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* TOC
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{:toc}
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## Understand the Blockstack Browser
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Through the Blockstack browser application you can create an identity. An identity
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represents you as you interact with others through Dapps. The Blockstack
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Browser is itself, a simple Dapp. It allows you to:
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* create one or more identities
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* send and receive bitcoin
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* manage the storage of your profile and application data
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* find and launch Dapps
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There are editorions of the Blockstack Browser, the web edition is an
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application you access through your web browser by simply [visit the
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applications' address](https://browser.blockstack.org/) in your computer's
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browser. You can also install the browser as a client application on your
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computer.
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If all you want to do is create, manage, and fund an identity and then interact
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with Dapps, you can simply use the web edition. If you have concerns about net
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censorship, hightened security concerns, or develop a Dapp yourself, you may
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want to download and install the browser's client edition.
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## Using the Browser on public computers
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Before you use the web application, it is important to note that once you log
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into the application with the brower, your session does not expire until you
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choose **Settings > RESET BROWSER**. For this reason, you should be careful
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when using the browser on public computers.
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If you are in a library, for example, and log into the browser, simply
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closing the tab or even rebooting the computer does not log you out. Instead,
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you should be sure to choose **Settings > RESET BROWSER** before leaving the web
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application.
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For more informatin about your identity and the browser, see [Get and use a Blockstack IDs](ids-introduction).
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## Install the client edition
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Remember, for most users the Blockstack Browser web application should
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suffice. You only need to install the client if you have additional, advanced
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concerns about Internet or identity. Though not required, some Dapp developrs
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may find it useful to install the client edition.
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The Blockstack Browser installer is a _multiple-context_ installer. If you
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run it as a user, the installation is avalable only for that user. If you
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install as administrator, the installation installs for all users. To find an
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installer for your operating system, visit [the Blockstack install
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page](https://blockstack.org/install).
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### On Mac
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Installation requires that you have macOS High Sierra 10.12 or higher. Do the following to install:
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1. Download the OSX installer from [the browser installation page](https://blockstack.org/install).
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2. Double-click the downloaded DMG file to launch the installer.
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3. Drag the Blockstack.app to the `Applications` folder.
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4. Double-click the Blockstack.app to launch it.
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The system displays a notice about opening the file:
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5. Choose **Open**.
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The system opens your default browser with the Blockstack Browser
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application, running from your machine (localhost). You'll also see the
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Blockstack icon in your machine's
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If you have loaded an identity already via the Blockstack web application,
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you are already logged into the local application:
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### On Windows
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Installation requires that you have Windows 10 or higher. Do the following to
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install:
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1. Download the Windows installer from from [the browser installation page](https://blockstack.org/install).
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2. Double-click the installer package to launch it.
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3. Open the Wiindows **Start** menu and click on the recently added **Blockstack Browser**.
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The system displays a Windows Security Alert.
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4. Choose to **Allow access**.
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The system opens in the Blockstack Browser application.
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### On Linux
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The Blockstack installation on Linux requires Docker. Before installing
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Blockstack, [install the version of Docker appropriate for your operating system](https://docs.docker.com/install/).
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>**Note**: The Blockstack script used in this procedure runs `docker` commands. Depending on how you installed and configure Dockered on your system, it may or may not be necessary to have `root` or `sudo` privileges. For this reason, the commands below show the use of `sudo` when interacting with the script or the `docker` executable. If your installation allows running Docker with lower privileges, you can omit it.
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1. Download the Linux installer from from [the browser installation page](https://blockstack.org/install).
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This downloads a `Blockstack-for-Linux-v0.30.0.sh` script to your local drive.
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2. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory containing the downloaded script.
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When the script downloads, it is not executable.
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3. Set the executable bit on the file.
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```bash
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$ chmod u+x Blockstack-for-Linux-v0.309.0.0.sh
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```
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4. Enter the command without any arguments to see the available subcommands.
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-v0.309.0.0.sh
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blockstack docker launcher commands:
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Install-protocol-handler -> install a protocol handler for blockstack:// links
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...
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```
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5. Use the script to `pull` the Blockstack Docker images you need.
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-v0.309.0.0.sh pull
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```
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Depending on your network speed, this can take some time.
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7. Use the `docker image ls` command to confirm you have the image.
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```bash
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$ sudo docker image Is
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REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED
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quay.io/blockstack/blockstack-browser v0.30.0 ad05fd844f59 2 days ago
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```
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8. Install the protocol handler
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh install-protocol-handler
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Registering protocol handler
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```
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9. Start the Blockstack containers.
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh start
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c3092592e59abe3559fdb49d070a7aa5e99165c7d9f2flla20ecaf4e0dfc2f46
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cd92f61ae473d54398da987f5023f5462b29c03f08584ebb3c9fIbb4cd790c69
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Registering protocol handler
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```
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The system launches the Blockstack Browser application for you.
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Until you stop the Blockstack containers, the application will continue to run
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on your system. To display the status of the Blockstack containers, you can use
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the `docker container ls` command.
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{% raw %}
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```bash
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$ sudo docker container ls --format '{{.ID}}\t{{.Image}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}\t{{.Names}}'
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```
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{% endraw %}
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Use `./Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh stop` to stop the Blockstack Browser and its containers.
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## Uninstall the browser
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If you installed the browser using an installer, follow the instructions for
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your operating system.
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### On Mac
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1. Quit the Blockstack application if it is running.
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2. Check if you have a Blockstack device and eject it if you do.
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3. Use the Finder to open the **Applications** folder.
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4. Locate the Blockstack application.
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5. Open your `Applications` folder and locate the **Blockstack.app**.
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6. Drag the appliation to the trash.
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7. Delete the `/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Blockstack` folder.
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From the command line:
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```bash
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$ rm -r /Users/moxiegirl/Library/Application\ Support/Blockstack
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```
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### On Windows
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1. Open the **Start** menu.
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2. Click **Settings > System**.
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3. Open for the **Apps & features** item.
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4. Locate the **Blockstack Browser** and choose **Uninstall**.
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### On Linux
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Your Blockstack instalaltion relies on Docker containers and their associated
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images. It also includes a supporting protocol handler you must remove. If you
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installed Docker so that you can run Blockstack, you can uninstall Docker as well,
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but that is not explained here.
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Do the following to uninstall Blockstack:
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1. Stop and remove the Docker containers if they are running.
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh stop
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stopping the running blockstack-browser containers
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69a686799d4f
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56fc6189ff97
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69a686799d4f
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56fc6189ff97
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```
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2. Remove the associated Blockstack images.
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```bash
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$ sudo docker image ls
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REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED
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quay.io/blockstack/blockstack-browser v0.30.0 ad05fd844f59 3 days ago
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$ sudo docker image rm ad05fd844f59
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Untagged : quay.io/blockstack/blockstack- browser :vO.30.0
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Untagged: quay.io/blockstack/blockstack-browser@sha256:b20c9514c56b99398fd4946af39e7537b807e85694943ac3b8807dlb3625833b
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Deleted: Sha256:ad05fd844f5948blee06a0a09228df946478393c0a7588cbc65dlb8817f5b34e
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Deleted: Sha256:7c3d0043f2ba01cf285f3fe09701b086c349b6380c2e42f25b31ac65c6626ec8
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Deleted: sha256:54ea2aa7d7d000e7483f299eeca9e5466fa86231f4cd4cld3c3096d97e61c5df
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Deleted: sha256:38e61054355adefc3c2de031462114a9946cfc0e44444a38a27d0f115aba0da2
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....
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```
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3. Use the script to remove the protocol handler
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```bash
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$ sudo ./Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh remove-protocol-handler
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```
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4. Delete the script.
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```bash
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$ rm Blockstack-for-Linux-vO.30.0.sh
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```
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