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---
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title: Interacting with Monero | Monero Documentation
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---
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# Interacting with Monero
You can interact with Monero via desktop GUI, commandline interface, and programming API.
On top of that, Monero nodes interact with each other in a peer-to-peer network.
## Installation directory overview
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[Download Monero ](https://getmonero.org/downloads ). Once unpacked you will see several executable files.
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Monero project nicely decouples node logic `monerod` from wallet logic `monero-wallet-*` .
Wallet logic is offered through three independent user interfaces - the GUI, the CLI, and the HTTP API.
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| Executable | Description
| -------------------------- |:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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| `monerod` | The full node daemon. Does not require a wallet. < br /> [Documentation](/interacting/monerod/overview).
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| `monero-wallet-gui` | Wallet logic and __graphical__ user interface. < br /> Requires `monerod` running.
| `monero-wallet-cli` | Wallet logic and __commandline__ user interface. < br /> Requires `monerod` running.
| `monero-wallet-rpc` | Wallet logic and __HTTP API__ (JSON-RPC protocol). < br /> Requires `monerod` running.
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| `monero-blockchain-export` | Tool to export blockchain to `blockchain.raw` file.
| `monero-blockchain-import` | Tool to import [blockchain.raw ](https://downloads.getmonero.org/blockchain.raw ) - ideally your own trusted copy.
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| `monero-gen-trusted-multisig` | Tool to generate a set of multisig wallets. < br /> See chapter on [multisignatures ](/multisignature ).
| `monero-blockchain-blackball` | Advanced tool to mitigate privacy issues related to Monero forks. < br /> See the [commit ](https://github.com/monero-project/monero/commit/df6fad4c627b99a5c3e2b91b69a0a1cc77c4be14#diff-0410fba131d9a7024ed4dcf9fb4a4e07 ) and [pull request ](https://github.com/monero-project/monero/pull/3322 ).
| `monero-blockchain-usage` | Advanced tool to mitigate privacy issues related to Monero forks. < br /> See the [commit ](https://github.com/monero-project/monero/commit/0590f62ab64cf023d397b995072035986931a6b4 ) and the [pull request ](https://github.com/monero-project/monero/pull/3322 ).
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## Interacting
There are quite a few ways you can interact with Monero software.
Perhaps the most surprising for newcomers is that `monerod` daemon accepts interactive keyboard commands while it is running.
Also, please note that HTTP API is split across `monerod` and `monero-wallet-rpc` . You need to run and call both daemons to explore the full API.
This follows the node-logic vs wallet-logic split mentioned earlier.
All wallet implementations depend on the `monerod` running.
| Executable | p2p network | node commands via keyboard | node HTTP API | wallet commands via keyboard | wallet HTTP API | wallet via GUI
| -------------------------- | ------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------- | --------------
| `monerod` | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | | |
| `monero-wallet-cli` | | | | ✔ | |
| `monero-wallet-rpc` | | | | | ✔ |
| `monero-wallet-gui` | | | | | | ✔
