How to Get Started and Make Progress in Bitburner

Updated

To get started in Bitburner, launch the game, complete the introductory tutorial prompts, then write and run your first hacking script from the terminal. Early progress comes from a simple loop: hack servers for money and experience, spend that money on better programs and hardware, and use your growing stats to reach servers with higher rewards. No prior programming experience is required to begin, but you will need to write or paste small scripts to automate progress efficiently.

First Steps After Launching

Bitburner opens with a guided onboarding sequence. Work through it rather than skipping it, because it introduces the core interfaces you will rely on throughout the game:

  • The terminal is your primary control surface. Commands like help, ls, cd, and run are entered here.
  • The city and locations let you buy programs, take courses, and find work.
  • The script editor is where you write JavaScript that runs on game servers.

A practical first sequence is to type help in the terminal to see available commands, then ls to list files in your home directory. The tutorial will point you toward writing a script; follow that prompt before experimenting on your own.

Writing and Running a Basic Script

Scripts in Bitburner are JavaScript files stored on your home machine. A minimal hacking script targets a server, attempts to hack it, and repeats. The general pattern is:

  1. Create a file with a name ending in .js (for example, early-hack.js) using the script editor or the nano command in the terminal.
  2. Write the logic: call the hacking function against a target server name, then loop with a delay so the script does not spin uselessly.
  3. Run it with run early-hack.js <target-server> from the terminal, where <target-server> is a hostname you have scanned and can reach.

The expected result is that the script executes on your home machine, consumes RAM, and produces money and hacking experience when the hack succeeds. If the run command fails, the usual causes are insufficient RAM on the host or a misspelled target name.

Verifying It Works

After running the script, check the terminal output and your stats panel. Money should increase over time and your hacking level should tick upward. If nothing happens, confirm the target server is connected and that your script's RAM cost fits within the host's available memory.

How Hacking and Money Drive Early Progression

The early game is a compounding loop rather than a linear checklist:

Action What it produces What it unlocks
Hacking servers Money and hacking XP Higher hacking level, access to richer targets
Buying programs Automated capabilities (e.g., port openers) Access to servers requiring those programs
Purchasing hardware More RAM on your home machine Running larger or multiple scripts at once
Taking courses or working Stat increases and income Better job performance and hacking speed

Each pass through this loop raises your hacking level, which in turn makes higher-value servers hackable. The key decision early on is where to spend money: more RAM lets you run more scripts simultaneously, while programs open servers that were previously unreachable. Both feed the same loop, so prioritize whichever is currently blocking you.

Common Early Stumbling Points

  • Running out of RAM: scripts fail silently or refuse to start when the host lacks memory. Check available RAM before running larger scripts, and consider buying more for your home machine.
  • Targeting servers you cannot reach: a server must be connected and have its required ports opened before hacking succeeds. Scan the network and confirm prerequisites.
  • Skipping the tutorial: the onboarding explains the terminal and script workflow faster than trial and error.
  • Expecting instant results: hacking gains are incremental; scripts need time and repetition to pay off.

Once the basic hack-and-upgrade loop is running smoothly, the natural next step is automating it further with more capable scripts and expanding to additional servers.