# Command-line

Installing IPFS through the command-line is handy if you plan on building applications and services on top of an IPFS node. This method is also useful if you're setting up a node without a user interface, usually the case with remote servers or virtual machines. Using IPFS through the command-line allows you to do everything that IPFS Desktop can do, but at a more granular level since you can specify which commands to run.

There are several different ways to install IPFS using the command-line. The easiest method is by using a package manager. If you don't have one installed, or would like a more up-to-date version of IPFS, you can use dist.ipfs.io to grab the latest package and install it. Lastly, if your the kind of person that likes to bake a cake themselves rather than buying a premade one, there are manual complilation instructions available.

# Package managers

Most operating systems have a package manager, although they may not come pre-installed. Both Windows and macOS have open-source package managers that must be installed by the user. Ubuntu comes with the Snap package manager pre-installed. Package managers download packages, install applications, and keep everything up-to-date. They're the easiest way to install IPFS from the command-line.

Operating system	Package manager	Install command
Windows	Chocolatey (opens new window)	`choco install ipfs`
macOS	Homebrew (opens new window)	`brew install ipfs`
Ubuntu	Snap (opens new window)	`snap install ipfs`

Although we try our best to keep the package manager releases up to date, they sometimes lag behind the Go-IPFS GitHub releases page by a few days. If you'd like to install a release the very same day it comes out, use the official distributions from dist.ipfs.io.

# Official distributions

The IPFS team manages the dist.ipfs.io website (opens new window) to help users quickly find the latest version of every IPFS package. As soon as a new release of an IPFS package comes out, it is automatically shown on dist.ipfs.io, so you can be sure you're getting the latest software. These steps detail how to download and install Go-IPFS 0.7.0 from dist.ipfs.io using the command-line.

Windows	macOS	Linux

# Windows

Download the Windows binary from dist.ipfs.io (opens new window).

cd ~\
wget https://dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/v0.7.0/go-ipfs_v0.7.0_windows-amd64.zip -Outfile go-ipfs_v0.7.0.zip

Unzip the file and move it somewhere handy.

Expand-Archive -Path go-ipfs_v0.7.0.zip -DestinationPath ~\Apps\go-ipfs_v0.7.0

Move into the go-ipfs_v0.7.0 folder and check that the ipfs.exe works:
```
cd ~\Apps\go-ipfs_v0.7.0\go-ipfs
.\ipfs.exe --version

> ipfs version 0.7.0
```
While you can use IPFS right now, it's better to add ipfs.exe to your PATH by using the following steps.

Print the current working directory and copy it to your clipboard:

pwd

> Path
> ----
> C:\Users\Johnny\Apps\go-ipfs_v0.7.0\go-ipfs

Add the address you just copied to PowerShell's PATH by adding it to the end of the profile.ps1 file stored in Documents\WindowsPowerShell:

Add-Content C:\Users\Johnny\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\profile.ps1 "[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH',`$Env:PATH+';;C:\Users\Johnny\Apps\go-ipfs_v0.7.0\go-ipfs')"

Close and reopen your PowerShell window. Test that your IPFS path is set correctly by going to your home folder and asking IPFS for the version:
```
cd ~
ipfs --version

> ipfs version 0.7.0
```

# macOS

Download the macOS binary from dist.ipfs.io (opens new window).

wget https://dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/v0.7.0/go-ipfs_v0.7.0_darwin-amd64.tar.gz

Unzip the file:

tar -xvzf go-ipfs_v0.7.0_darwin-amd64.tar.gz

> x go-ipfs/install.sh
> x go-ipfs/ipfs
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE-APACHE
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE-MIT
> x go-ipfs/README.md

Move into the go-ipfs folder and run the install script:

cd go-ipfs
bash install.sh

> Moved ./ipfs to /usr/local/bin

Check that IPFS installed properly:
```
ipfs --version

> ipfs version 0.7.0
```

# Linux

Download the Linux binary from dist.ipfs.io (opens new window).

wget https://dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/v0.7.0/go-ipfs_v0.7.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz

Unzip the file:

tar -xvzf go-ipfs_v0.7.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz

> x go-ipfs/install.sh
> x go-ipfs/ipfs
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE-APACHE
> x go-ipfs/LICENSE-MIT
> x go-ipfs/README.md

Move into the go-ipfs folder and run the install script:

cd go-ipfs
sudo bash install.sh

> Moved ./ipfs to /usr/local/bin

Test that IPFS has installed correctly:
```
ipfs --version

> ipfs version 0.7.0
```

# Compile manually

Manually compiling IPFS is a fairly involved process that changes frequently. It can be handy if you'd like to build a specific branch or use the bleeding-edge version of Go-IPFS. See the ipfs/go-ipfs GitHub repository for details → (opens new window)

# Next steps

Now that you've got an IPFS node installed, you can start building applications and services on top of the network! Check out the Command-line- quicks start guide and jump straight to the Initialize the repository section (opens new window).

Was this information helpful?

Edit this page on GitHub or open an issue

Help us improve this site!

Give general feedback