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Installation

There are multiple ways to install Agave depending on your preferred workflow:
  • Use the Solana Install Tool (simplest option)
  • Download prebuilt binaries
  • Build from source
  • Use Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

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Quick Install with Solana Install Tool

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macOS & Linux

The fastest way to get started is using the Anza release installer: 
sh -c "$(curl -sSfL https://release.anza.xyz/stable/install)"
You can replace stable with a specific release version or use one of the symbolic channel names: stable, beta, or edge. Expected output: 
downloading stable installer
Configuration: /home/solana/.config/solana/install/config.yml
Active release directory: /home/solana/.local/share/solana/install/active_release
* Release version: stable
* Release URL: https://github.com/anza-xyz/agave/releases/download/...
Update successful
Update your PATH: If prompted, add the Solana programs to your PATH: 
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/solana/install/active_release/bin:$PATH"
Verify installation: 
solana --version
After installation, use agave-install update to easily update to newer versions.

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Windows

1

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Search for Command Prompt in the Windows search bar, right-click, and select “Open as Administrator”.
2

Download the installer

cmd /c "curl https://release.anza.xyz/stable/agave-install-init-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe --output C:\agave-install-tmp\agave-install-init.exe --create-dirs"
3

Run the installer

C:\agave-install-tmp\agave-install-init.exe stable
If you see a security popup, allow the program to run.
4

Verify installation

Close the admin command prompt, open a new command prompt as a normal user, and verify:
solana --version

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Download Prebuilt Binaries

If you prefer not to use agave-install, you can manually download and install prebuilt binaries.
Prebuilt binaries require AVX2 instruction support. If your CPU doesn’t support AVX2, you’ll need to build from source.

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Linux

Download the latest release from GitHub releases: 
wget https://github.com/anza-xyz/agave/releases/latest/download/solana-release-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.bz2
tar jxf solana-release-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.bz2
cd solana-release/
export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH

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macOS

curl -LO https://github.com/anza-xyz/agave/releases/latest/download/solana-release-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.bz2
tar jxf solana-release-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.bz2
cd solana-release/
export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH

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Windows

Download solana-release-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.tar.bz2 from GitHub releases and extract using WinZip or similar. Then in Command Prompt: 
cd solana-release/
set PATH=%cd%/bin;%PATH%

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Build From Source

Building from source gives you the most flexibility and is required if:
  • Your platform doesn’t have prebuilt binaries
  • Your CPU doesn’t support AVX2
  • You want to build a release version for production use
  • You’re contributing to Agave development
1

Install Rust toolchain

Install Rust, Cargo, and rustfmt:
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env
rustup component add rustfmt
The rust-toolchain.toml file in the repository pins a specific Rust version. Cargo will automatically install the correct version if needed.
2

Install system dependencies

System dependencies are required for building Agave. Choose the commands for your operating system.
Ubuntu / Debian:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libssl-dev libudev-dev pkg-config zlib1g-dev llvm clang cmake make libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler libclang-dev
Fedora / RHEL:
sudo dnf install openssl-devel systemd-devel pkg-config zlib-devel llvm clang cmake make protobuf-devel protobuf-compiler perl-core libclang-devel
macOS:First install Homebrew, then:
brew install pkg-config libudev protobuf llvm coreutils
Follow the instructions about PATH configuration at the end of the brew install command.Windows:
Windows 10/11 users may need Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to build from source successfully.
3

Download the source code

Clone the Agave repository:
git clone https://github.com/anza-xyz/agave.git
cd agave
4

Build Agave

For development (debug build):
./cargo build
Debug builds are not suitable for running testnet or mainnet validators. Use the release build for production.
For production use (release build):
./scripts/cargo-install-all.sh .
export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH
This builds optimized binaries and installs them to the bin directory.
5

Verify installation

Confirm the binaries are working:
solana --version
agave-validator --version

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Use Homebrew

For macOS and Linux users with Homebrew installed: 
brew install solana
Verify installation: 
solana --version
The Homebrew formula is updated after each Solana release, but may occasionally lag behind the latest version. See the Homebrew formula for details.

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Platform Notes

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Supported Platforms

  • Ubuntu 24.04 (recommended for production)
  • Ubuntu 20.04 (prebuilt binaries available, support ending May 2025)
  • Fedora / RHEL
  • macOS (build from source required)
  • Windows (build from source required)

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AVX2 Requirement

Prebuilt binaries require CPUs with AVX2 instruction support. To check if your CPU supports AVX2: Linux: 
lscpu | grep avx2
macOS: 
sysctl -a | grep machdep.cpu.features | grep AVX2
If AVX2 is not supported, build from source without the AVX2 requirement.

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Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Start a local test validator and verify your installation

CLI Introduction

Learn about CLI conventions and basic commands