# Installation

> [!NOTE]+
>
> Developer Version This is the developer version of Plakar and it can only be
> installed from source. Only stable versions have distributed assets that can
> be installed using other OS specific methods

To build Plakar from source. You will need:

- [Go (Golang)](https://go.dev/doc/install)
- `make` (available by default on most Linux distributions; on macOS, install
  the Xcode command line tools with `xcode-select --install`; on Windows, use
  [WSL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install) or a tool like
  [GnuWin32 Make](https://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/make.htm))

Clone the repository and run `make`:

```bash
$ git clone https://github.com/PlakarKorp/plakar.git
$ cd plakar
$ make
```

This produces a `plakar` binary in the current directory. To build a specific
release version, check out the corresponding tag before running `make`:

```bash
$ git fetch --tags
$ git checkout tags/v1.1.3
$ make
```

## Verifying the Installation

Verify the installation by running:

```bash
$ plakar version
```

This should return the expected version number, for example `plakar/v1.1.3`.

## Downloading Specific Versions

All release versions of **Plakar** are available directly from GitHub on the
project's [release page](/download).

For each release, check under the "Assets" section for a list of pre-built
packages. They follow the naming convention
`plakar_<version>_<os>_<arch>.<format>`.

## Installation Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during installation:

- Ensure you are following the instructions for the correct version of plakar.
- Open an issue on the
  [GitHub issue tracker](https://github.com/PlakarKorp/plakar/issues).
- Ask for help on the [Discord server](https://discord.gg/uuegtnF2Q5).

## Next Steps: Getting Started

Now that you have plakar installed, we recommend proceeding to the
[Quickstart guide](../first-backup) to set up your first backup.