Installing FTL

FTL can be installed in several ways depending on your operating system and preferences. Choose the method that works best for your environment.

Installation Methods

Via Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

The recommended way to install FTL on macOS and Linux is through Homebrew:

# Add the FTL tap
brew tap yarlson/ftl

# Install FTL
brew install ftl

Direct Download (All Platforms)

Download and install the latest release directly from GitHub:

# Download and extract the binary
curl -L https://github.com/yarlson/ftl/releases/latest/download/ftl_$(uname -s)_$(uname -m).tar.gz | tar xz

# Move the binary to your PATH
sudo mv ftl /usr/local/bin/

Build from Source

For developers who want to build from source or contribute to FTL:

# Install using Go
go install github.com/yarlson/ftl@latest

TIP

Make sure you have Go 1.21 or later installed before building from source.

Verifying the Installation

After installation, verify that FTL is properly installed:

ftl version

You should see output showing the current version of FTL.

System Requirements

Before installing FTL, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Local Development Machine

• Operating System:

  • macOS 10.15 or later
  • Linux (major distributions)
  • Windows 10/11 with WSL2

• Required Software:

  • Git
  • Docker Desktop or Docker Engine
  • SSH client

• Hardware:

  • 4GB RAM (minimum)
  • 2 CPU cores (recommended)
  • 1GB free disk space

Target Deployment Server

• Operating System:

  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer (recommended)
  • Debian 11 or newer
  • Other Linux distributions with Docker support

• Hardware:

  • 1GB RAM (minimum)
  • 1 CPU core (minimum)
  • 20GB disk space (recommended)

• Network:

  • SSH access (port 22)
  • Sudo privileges
  • Ports 80 and 443 available for web traffic

Post-Installation Setup

After installing FTL, you should:

1. Create an SSH key if you haven't already:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

2. Verify Docker is installed and running:

   docker --version
   docker ps

3. Verify FTL installation:

   ftl version

Registry Authentication

If you plan to use a Docker registry, ensure you have:

• Registry URL
• Username/password credentials (token-based auth not supported)
• Network access to the registry from both local machine and servers

Troubleshooting

Common Installation Issues

1. Permission Denied When Running FTL

   sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ftl

2. Binary Not Found in PATH

   echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
   source ~/.bashrc

3. Homebrew Installation Fails

   brew update && brew doctor

For more detailed troubleshooting information, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Next Steps

Once FTL is installed, you can:

1. Move on to Configuration to set up your first project
2. Read the CLI Commands Reference to learn about available commands
3. Check out the Guides section for detailed tutorials

Note

Remember to keep FTL updated to receive the latest features and security updates. If using Homebrew, run brew upgrade ftl periodically.