Installation Center

BioGrids provides a streamlined installation process for individuals and institutions. Follow the steps below to get your environment set up.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have your consortium credentials ready.

Join the Consortium Installation Keys

If you previously requested keys, please check your email for your existing credentials before requesting new ones. If you have lost your keys, you can use the Lost Keys form to have them resent.

System Check: Verify your machine meets the System Requirements.

Step 2: Choose Your Installation Type

Personal Installation

Best for: Individual researchers installing specific software on workstations or laptops. - Select only the applications you need. - Control your own update schedule. - Smallest disk footprint.

Site Installation

Best for: Institutions or labs providing BioGrids to many users via shared storage (NFS). - Complete software collection (800+ apps). - Automated monthly updates. - Centralized management for research groups.

View Site Installation Details

Step 3: Download & Activate

Select your preferred interface below to see the download links and activation steps.

Graphical Interface (GUI) Command Line (CLI)

Best for: Desktop users who prefer an intuitive visual catalog.

Linux

Download .AppImage
macOS

Download .DMG

Activation

Simply launch the app and enter your site name, username, and key in the startup wizard.

macOS Users

A system reboot is required after the first activation to enable the /programs symlink.

Best for: Advanced users, server deployments, and automated pipelines.

Linux binary

Download .tar.gz
macOS (Intel)

Download .zip
macOS (ARM)

Download .zip

Activation

Run the tool in your terminal:

./biogrids-cli activate <site> <username> <key>

Step 4: Install Software

Once activated, you can begin adding software to your collection. Installation will proceed in the background and may take a significant amount of time depending on the number of packages selected.

GUI InterfaceCLI Commands

Open the Programs pane.
Search for software and click Install.
Go to the Tasks pane and click Execute.

# Search for software
biogrids-cli search samtools

# Install specific packages
biogrids-cli install samtools blast+ python

Step 5: Verification

After installation, initialize your shell to verify everything is working.

Example (samtools):

source /programs/biogrids.shrc
samtools --version

Example (sbinfo):

source /programs/biogrids.shrc
sbinfo

How was your experience?

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Step 6: User Manual

Now that BioGrids is installed and verified, consult the User Manual to learn how to manage software versions, set up your shell environment, and start running applications.

Go to User Manual

Support

If you encounter errors during installation, please consult our Troubleshooting Guide or contact our technical team:

help@biogrids.org