Installation

This guide walks you through setting up Node Banana on your local machine.

Prerequisites

Before installing Node Banana, make sure you have:

• Node.js 18.0 or later — Download Node.js (opens in a new tab)
• At least one AI provider API key:
  • Google Gemini — Get API key (opens in a new tab)
  • Replicate — Get API key (opens in a new tab)
  • fal.ai — Get API key (opens in a new tab)
• OpenAI API key (optional) — Only needed for OpenAI text generation

Installation Steps

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/shrimbly/node-banana.git
cd node-banana

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file in the project root:

touch .env.local

Add your API keys (include at least one AI provider):

# AI Providers (at least one required)
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=your_replicate_api_token_here
FAL_KEY=your_fal_api_key_here

# Optional
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

4. Start the Development Server

npm run dev

Node Banana will be available at http://localhost:3000 (opens in a new tab).

Getting Your API Keys

You need at least one AI provider API key. You can configure multiple providers to access different models.

Google Gemini API Key

1. Go to Google AI Studio (opens in a new tab)
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Click "Create API Key"
4. Copy the key and add it to your .env.local file

Replicate API Token

1. Go to Replicate (opens in a new tab)
2. Sign in or create an account
3. Copy your API token
4. Add it to your .env.local file as REPLICATE_API_TOKEN

fal.ai API Key

1. Go to fal.ai Dashboard (opens in a new tab)
2. Sign in or create an account
3. Create a new API key
4. Add it to your .env.local file as FAL_KEY

OpenAI API Key (Optional)

1. Go to OpenAI Platform (opens in a new tab)
2. Sign in or create an account
3. Click "Create new secret key"
4. Copy the key and add it to your .env.local file

Verifying Your Installation

After starting the dev server:

1. Open http://localhost:3000 (opens in a new tab) in Chrome
2. You should see the Node Banana canvas with a floating action bar at the bottom
3. Try adding a Prompt node and a Generate node
4. If you can add nodes and connect them, your installation is working

Troubleshooting

"API key not found" error

Make sure your .env.local file is in the project root (same folder as package.json) and contains valid API keys.

Port 3000 already in use

Either stop the other process using port 3000, or start Node Banana on a different port:

npm run dev -- -p 3001

Nodes not generating images

1. Check that your Gemini API key is valid
2. Verify you have remaining API quota
3. Check the browser console for error messages

Next Steps

Now that Node Banana is running, continue to Your First Workflow to create your first image generation pipeline.