# Install the Cloider CLI on macOS, Linux and Windows

> Install the cloider CLI with the install script or from a release archive, verify its SHA-256 checksum, pin a version, install it in CI or Docker, and uninstall it.

The Cloider CLI is a single, self-contained binary called `cloider` (`cloider.exe` on Windows). You install it with a one-line script, `install.sh` on macOS and Linux or `install.ps1` in PowerShell on Windows, or by unpacking a release archive on any platform. This page covers every way to install it, how to check the download, how to pin a version, and how to remove it again.

If you only want the short version, see [Install the CLI](/get-started/install-the-cli) in Get started.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Platforms** | macOS, Linux and Windows, each on `amd64` (x86-64) and `arm64` |
| **Install script** | `curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh \| sh` (macOS and Linux) |
| **Install script, Windows** | `irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 \| iex` (PowerShell) |
| **Release archives** | `https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/<version>/` |
| **Latest version number** | `https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/latest.txt` |
| **Integrity** | Every release has a `checksums.txt` with SHA-256 sums. The script checks it for you |
| **Dependencies** | None. The binary is statically built and needs no runtime |
| **Updates** | Automatic, checked once a day. See [Updating the CLI](/cli/updating) |

## Which platforms are supported?

Cloider publishes a build of the CLI for six platforms with every release:

| Operating system | Architecture | Archive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| macOS | Apple silicon (`arm64`) | `cloider_<version>_darwin_arm64.tar.gz` |
| macOS | Intel (`amd64`) | `cloider_<version>_darwin_amd64.tar.gz` |
| Linux | x86-64 (`amd64`) | `cloider_<version>_linux_amd64.tar.gz` |
| Linux | ARM 64-bit (`arm64`, `aarch64`) | `cloider_<version>_linux_arm64.tar.gz` |
| Windows | x86-64 (`amd64`) | `cloider_<version>_windows_amd64.zip` |
| Windows | ARM 64-bit (`arm64`) | `cloider_<version>_windows_arm64.zip` |

Each archive holds one folder named like the archive (for example `cloider_0.6.0_linux_amd64/`) with the `cloider` binary (`cloider.exe` on Windows) and a `README.md`.

## Install with the install script

The install script is the fastest way to install the CLI. On macOS, Linux and WSL it is a shell script you pipe to `sh`, on Windows a PowerShell script you pipe to `iex`.

**macOS**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | sh
```

```text title="Output"
Downloading cloider 0.6.0 for darwin/arm64
Installed cloider 0.6.0 to /usr/local/bin/cloider
Get started with: cloider login
```

macOS ships with `curl` and `shasum`, so nothing else is needed.

**Linux**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | sh
```

```text title="Output"
Downloading cloider 0.6.0 for linux/amd64
Installed cloider 0.6.0 to /home/jane/.local/bin/cloider
Add /home/jane/.local/bin to your PATH to run it: export PATH="/home/jane/.local/bin:$PATH"
Get started with: cloider login
```

If your system has `wget` but no `curl`, run the script with `wget` instead:

```bash
wget -qO- https://cloider.com/install.sh | sh
```

**Windows**

Run this in PowerShell (no administrator rights needed):

```powershell
irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 | iex
```

```text title="Output"
Downloading cloider 0.6.0 for windows/amd64
Installed cloider 0.6.0 to C:\Users\jane\AppData\Local\cloider\cloider.exe
Added C:\Users\jane\AppData\Local\cloider to your Path
Get started with: cloider login
```

See [Install on Windows](#install-on-windows) for what it does there. Inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), use the Linux tab.

### What does the install script do?

The script at `https://cloider.com/install.sh` is a short POSIX shell script. You can read it before running it:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | less
```

Step by step, it:

1. Detects your operating system with `uname -s` (`Darwin` or `Linux`) and your architecture with `uname -m` (`x86_64` and `amd64` become `amd64`, `arm64` and `aarch64` become `arm64`). Anything else stops the script with an error.
2. Reads the latest stable version from `latest.txt`, unless you set `CLOIDER_VERSION`.
3. Chooses the install directory: `CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR` if you set it, otherwise `/usr/local/bin` if you can write to it, otherwise `~/.local/bin`. It creates the directory if needed.
4. Downloads `cloider_<version>_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz` and the release's `checksums.txt` into a temporary directory.
5. Computes the archive's SHA-256 with `sha256sum` (or `shasum -a 256` on macOS) and stops with `checksum mismatch` if it differs from `checksums.txt`.
6. Unpacks the archive, moves `cloider` into the install directory and makes it executable.
7. Prints the `export PATH=...` line to add if the install directory isn't on your `PATH`, then removes the temporary directory.

The script never uses `sudo`, never edits your shell profile and doesn't log you in. The Windows script, `install.ps1`, is described in [Install on Windows](#install-on-windows).

### Install script options

You change what the script does with environment variables. Put them after the pipe, on the `sh` side, so the script sees them:

| Variable | Effect | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `CLOIDER_VERSION` | Install this version instead of the latest. A leading `v` is accepted (`v0.6.0`) | The version in `latest.txt` |
| `CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR` | Install into this directory | `/usr/local/bin` if writable, otherwise `~/.local/bin` |

```bash
# Install into ~/bin
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/bin" sh

# Install a specific version
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | CLOIDER_VERSION=0.6.0 sh

# Install system wide when /usr/local/bin needs root
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | sudo sh
```

On Windows, set them in PowerShell before running the script:

```powershell title="PowerShell"
$env:CLOIDER_VERSION = "0.6.0"
irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 | iex
```

:::note[Installing with sudo]
If you install into a directory only root can write to, the CLI can't replace itself when a new version comes out. It then tells you a new version is out and asks you to run `sudo cloider update`. Installing into a directory you own, like `~/.local/bin`, keeps automatic updates working. See [Updating the CLI](/cli/updating).
:::

### Add the install directory to your PATH

If the script printed `Add ... to your PATH`, your shell can't find `cloider` yet. Add the line it printed to your shell's startup file, then open a new terminal:

```bash
# bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc

# zsh (the default shell on macOS)
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc

# fish
fish_add_path ~/.local/bin
```

## Install on Windows

Run the install script in PowerShell (no administrator rights needed):

```powershell
irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 | iex
```

```text title="Output"
Downloading cloider 0.6.0 for windows/amd64
Installed cloider 0.6.0 to C:\Users\jane\AppData\Local\cloider\cloider.exe
Added C:\Users\jane\AppData\Local\cloider to your Path
Get started with: cloider login
```

The script:

1. Picks the build for your architecture from `$env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE` (`AMD64` or `ARM64`). Most PCs are `amd64`; Windows on ARM devices (for example Surface Pro X or Snapdragon laptops) are `arm64`.
2. Reads the latest stable version from `latest.txt`, unless you set `CLOIDER_VERSION`.
3. Downloads `cloider_<version>_windows_<arch>.zip` and `checksums.txt`, and stops with `checksum mismatch` if the zip's SHA-256 differs.
4. Unpacks `cloider.exe` into `%LOCALAPPDATA%\cloider`, or the folder in `CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR`. A `cloider.exe` already there, even a running one, is renamed to `cloider.exe.old` first.
5. Adds that folder to your user `Path` if it isn't on it yet, and to the current PowerShell window, so `cloider` runs right away.

`CLOIDER_VERSION` and `CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR` work as in [Install script options](#install-script-options). From the Windows command prompt, run it through PowerShell:

```text title="Command prompt"
powershell -c "irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 | iex"
```

To install by hand instead:

1. Open `https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/latest.txt` in your browser to see the latest version number, for example `0.6.0`.
2. Download `https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/0.6.0/cloider_0.6.0_windows_amd64.zip` (replace both version numbers, and `amd64` with `arm64` on an ARM device).
3. Right-click the zip, choose **Extract All**, and move `cloider.exe` from the extracted `cloider_0.6.0_windows_amd64` folder into a folder of your choice, for example `C:\Tools\cloider`.
4. Open **Settings**, search for **Edit environment variables for your account**, select **Path**, click **Edit**, then **New**, and add `C:\Tools\cloider`.
5. Open a new PowerShell or Command Prompt window and run `cloider version`.

## Install manually from a release archive

You can always download a release archive yourself, for example on a machine that can't run the install script, to install into a custom image, or to audit exactly what you install. Releases are served from:

```text
https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/latest.txt
https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/<version>/cloider_<version>_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz
https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/<version>/cloider_<version>_windows_<arch>.zip
https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/<version>/checksums.txt
```

`latest.txt` holds the newest stable version number on one line. Prereleases (versions with a suffix like `1.2.0-rc1`) are published under their own version folder but never become `latest.txt`, so you only get one when you ask for it by version.

**macOS**

```bash
VERSION=$(curl -fsSL https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/latest.txt)
NAME="cloider_${VERSION}_darwin_arm64"   # darwin_amd64 on an Intel Mac
BASE="https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/${VERSION}"

curl -fsSLO "${BASE}/${NAME}.tar.gz"
curl -fsSLO "${BASE}/checksums.txt"

# Verify the SHA-256 checksum
grep " ${NAME}.tar.gz$" checksums.txt | shasum -a 256 -c -

tar -xzf "${NAME}.tar.gz"
sudo mv "${NAME}/cloider" /usr/local/bin/cloider
```

```text title="Output of the checksum step"
cloider_0.6.0_darwin_arm64.tar.gz: OK
```

**Linux**

```bash
VERSION=$(curl -fsSL https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/latest.txt)
NAME="cloider_${VERSION}_linux_amd64"    # linux_arm64 on ARM
BASE="https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/${VERSION}"

curl -fsSLO "${BASE}/${NAME}.tar.gz"
curl -fsSLO "${BASE}/checksums.txt"

# Verify the SHA-256 checksum
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c checksums.txt

tar -xzf "${NAME}.tar.gz"
install -m 0755 "${NAME}/cloider" "$HOME/.local/bin/cloider"
```

```text title="Output of the checksum step"
cloider_0.6.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz: OK
```

**Windows**

```powershell title="PowerShell"
$version = "0.6.0"
$name = "cloider_${version}_windows_amd64"
$base = "https://cloider-cli.s3.eu-central-2.cloider.com/$version"

Invoke-WebRequest "$base/$name.zip" -OutFile "$name.zip"
Invoke-WebRequest "$base/checksums.txt" -OutFile "checksums.txt"

# Compare the two values, they must be identical
(Get-FileHash "$name.zip" -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
(Select-String -Path checksums.txt -Pattern " $name.zip$").Line.Split(" ")[0]

Expand-Archive "$name.zip" -DestinationPath .
# cloider.exe is now in .\cloider_0.6.0_windows_amd64\
```

### What is in checksums.txt?

`checksums.txt` lists the SHA-256 of every archive in the release, one per line, in the format `sha256sum` writes and reads (`<hash>  <file name>`):

```text title="checksums.txt (hashes shortened)"
3f1c...e9a2  cloider_0.6.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
8b07...41dd  cloider_0.6.0_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
c5e2...0b17  cloider_0.6.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
1a9d...77c4  cloider_0.6.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz
6e40...d3f8  cloider_0.6.0_windows_amd64.zip
92bb...a615  cloider_0.6.0_windows_arm64.zip
```

The install script and the CLI's own updater both refuse to install an archive whose checksum doesn't match.

## Install in CI and Docker

In a CI job or a container image you install the CLI the same way, then authenticate with the `CLOIDER_TOKEN` environment variable instead of `cloider login`. Pin a version so every run uses the same CLI.

```dockerfile title="Dockerfile"
FROM debian:bookworm-slim
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends curl ca-certificates \
 && curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | CLOIDER_VERSION=0.6.0 CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin sh \
 && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
```

```yaml title=".github/workflows/deploy.yml (excerpt)"
- name: Install the Cloider CLI
  run: |
    curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin" sh
    echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
```

Automatic updates are off by default when the `CI` environment variable is set, which GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and most other CI systems do. Complete CI examples are in [Output and scripting](/cli/output-and-scripting).

## Verify the installation

Check that your shell finds the CLI and which version it is:

```bash
cloider version
```

```text title="Output"
cloider 0.6.0
```

`cloider --version` (or `-v`) prints the same line. To see where the binary is:

```bash
command -v cloider      # macOS and Linux
```

```powershell
Get-Command cloider     # Windows PowerShell
```

Then log in and check who you are:

```bash
cloider login
cloider whoami
```

See [Authentication](/cli/authentication) for every way to log in.

## Upgrade or downgrade

The CLI updates itself once a day, so you rarely need to do anything. To update right away, run `cloider update`. Running the install script again also installs the latest version over the old one.

To install an older version, run the install script with `CLOIDER_VERSION`, then turn off automatic updates so the CLI doesn't move to the latest again the next day:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cloider.com/install.sh | CLOIDER_VERSION=0.5.0 sh
cloider update disable
```

Details are in [Updating the CLI](/cli/updating).

## Uninstall the CLI

Uninstalling has two parts: revoking and removing your tokens, and deleting the binary.

1. Revoke the API tokens the CLI created, so they stop working on Cloider. This logs out every profile:

   ```bash
   cloider logout --all
   ```

2. Delete the binary. On macOS and Linux:

   ```bash
   rm "$(command -v cloider)"
   ```

   Use `sudo rm` if it is in a directory owned by root, such as `/usr/local/bin`. On Windows, in PowerShell:

   ```powershell
   Remove-Item (Get-Command cloider).Source
   ```

   Then remove its folder from your user `Path`. A `cloider.exe.old` file left next to it by an earlier update can be deleted too.

3. Delete the configuration directory, which holds your profiles, settings and any token files the CLI wrote. It is `~/.cloider` (`%USERPROFILE%\.cloider` on Windows), or the directory in `CLOIDER_CONFIG_DIR` if you set it:

   ```bash
   rm -rf ~/.cloider
   ```

4. If you set up [shell completion](/cli/shell-completion), remove the completion file or the line you added to your shell profile.

Tokens you created yourself in the dashboard and passed with `CLOIDER_TOKEN` or a token file aren't removed by these steps. Delete them under **Access Control**, **API Tokens**. See [API tokens](/account/api-tokens).

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Cause and fix |
| --- | --- |
| `cloider: command not found` | The install directory isn't on your `PATH`. Add the `export PATH=...` line the script printed to your shell profile and open a new terminal. |
| `cloider install: MINGW64_NT-10.0 isn't supported by this script; on Windows run this in PowerShell: ...` | You ran `install.sh` in Git Bash. On Windows, run `irm https://cloider.com/install.ps1 \| iex` in PowerShell, see [Install on Windows](#install-on-windows). |
| `cloider install: <arch> isn't a supported architecture` | Only `amd64` and `arm64` builds exist. 32-bit systems aren't supported. |
| `cloider install: needs curl or wget` | Install one of them, for example `apt-get install curl`. |
| `cloider install: checksum mismatch for cloider_..._.tar.gz` | The download was corrupted or altered on the way. Run the script again. If it keeps failing, check for a proxy that rewrites downloads. |
| `cloider install: couldn't download cloider_..._.tar.gz` | The version doesn't exist, or the network blocks the download. Check the value of `CLOIDER_VERSION`. |
| `cloider install: bad version '...'` | `CLOIDER_VERSION` may only contain letters, digits, dots and hyphens, like `0.6.0`. |
| Permission denied when the script moves the binary | Set `CLOIDER_INSTALL_DIR` to a directory you own, or run the script with `sudo sh`. |
| Windows says the app can't run on your PC | You downloaded the wrong architecture. Use `arm64` on ARM devices and `amd64` otherwise. |

## Next steps

- [Log in](/cli/authentication) through the browser or with an API token.
- Take the [CLI tour](/cli/overview) and run your first commands.
- Turn on [shell completion](/cli/shell-completion).
- Learn how [automatic updates](/cli/updating) work.