Every release on the Releases page has packages for
Windows, macOS and Linux, the command-line tool on its own, and a Python package. Each is listed in the release’s
SHA256SUMS.txt: sha256sum --check SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missing in the download folder checks the ones you took
(Get-FileHash <file> in PowerShell shows a file’s hash to compare by eye).
You need no GPU: FloraStack stacks on the graphics card when it has one that passes a self-test, and on the CPU otherwise. Stacks of hundreds of 24-megapixel frames work on a machine with 8 GB of memory, since stacking keeps one frame in memory at a time and moves its work to disk beyond a memory budget.
Windows
Windows 10 and 11, on x64 or Arm (windows-x64 or windows-arm64 in the file names).
- The installer,
FloraStack-<version>-windows-x64.msi, puts the desktop app and the command-line tool inC:\Program Files\FloraStack, adds FloraStack to the Start menu and, if you leave that option on, the folder toPATH, so thatflorastack-cliworks in any terminal. Installing a newer version replaces the older one; Settings > Apps uninstalls it. - The portable .zip holds the same files. Unpack it anywhere and run
florastack.exe; nothing is installed.
The packages aren’t signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may warn that the publisher is unknown: choose More info > Run anyway.
The desktop app is a windowed program. Started from a terminal it returns at once and prints nothing, unless its
output is redirected (florastack.exe --version | more); the command-line tool, florastack-cli.exe, is the one for
terminals and scripts.
macOS
macOS 11 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel alike: FloraStack-<version>-macos-universal.dmg holds one app for
both. Open the .dmg and drag FloraStack to Applications. The command-line tool is inside the app:
/Applications/FloraStack.app/Contents/MacOS/florastack-cli, which you can link onto your PATH:
sudo ln -s /Applications/FloraStack.app/Contents/MacOS/florastack-cli /usr/local/bin/florastack-cli
A release whose app was signed with a Developer ID and notarized opens like any other app. A build without that signature opens the first time with right-click (or Control-click) > Open, or System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway.
The app includes libgphoto2 for camera control.
Linux
x86_64 and aarch64, on distributions with glibc 2.35 or newer (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 36 and later). Pick the format your system prefers:
| Package | Install | Notes |
|---|---|---|
.deb | sudo apt install ./florastack_<version>_amd64.deb | Debian, Ubuntu and their derivatives; brings libgphoto2 for camera control |
.rpm | sudo dnf install ./florastack-<version>-1.x86_64.rpm | Fedora, openSUSE and others; brings libgphoto2 |
.flatpak | flatpak install --user FloraStack-<version>-linux-x86_64.flatpak | Any distribution with Flatpak; carries its own libgphoto2; runs on the freedesktop.org runtime from Flathub |
.AppImage | chmod +x FloraStack-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage, then run it | One file, nothing installed; uses the system’s libgphoto2 if there is one |
.tar.gz | Unpack, then run bin/florastack | The binaries with the desktop entry and icons, to install by hand |
The Flatpak may read and write your home folder, use the GPU and USB devices, and nothing else: no network. For a
camera to be usable, the host needs libgphoto2’s device rules, which your distribution’s libgphoto2 package
installs.
On a Wayland desktop the app runs through XWayland when an X server is available, because dropping files on a native
Wayland window doesn’t work yet; set FLORASTACK_WAYLAND=1 to use Wayland itself.
The command-line tool alone
florastack-cli-<version>-<platform>.zip (Windows) or .tar.gz (macOS, Linux) holds the command-line tool and the
license files, for servers and scripts. The command-line tool describes it.
Python
The Python package needs Python 3.9 or newer; one wheel per platform serves every version:
python -m pip install florastack-<version>-cp39-abi3-<platform>.whl
python -c "import florastack"
Automation, MCP and Python shows how to use it.
Building from source
Install rustup and, on Windows, the Visual Studio C++ build tools (“Desktop development with C++”). In a clone of the repository:
cargo run -p florastack --release # the desktop app
cargo run -p florastack-cli --release -- --help
The toolchain is pinned in rust-toolchain.toml, and rustup installs it on the first build, which also downloads the
LightCraft image crates FloraStack uses. On Linux and macOS, --features gphoto adds built-in camera control, with
libgphoto2 installed by your package manager (sudo apt install libgphoto2-6, brew install libgphoto2).
Packaging and releasing describes how the packages above are built.