Installation requirements
Check the required tools and install optional media tools when you need them.
For a first installation, follow Set up a local development environment. This page is the dependency checklist for a native build. The container setup supplies its own dependencies.
Required for this guide
| Tool | Purpose and check |
|---|---|
| Erlang/OTP 28 | Recommended runtime and compiler. Use the check below; erl -version reports a different version number. |
| GNU Make and a C/C++ toolchain | Build Zotonic and native dependencies. Check make --version and c++ --version. |
| Git | Fetch Zotonic and dependencies; check git --version. |
| PostgreSQL | Store CMS content. Use a supported release; the native walkthrough uses 16. Check psql --version, then test an actual connection. |
| ImageMagick | Process images. Check that convert and identify are available on Zotonic's command path. |
| gettext | Translation tooling; check msgfmt --version. |
fswatch on macOS or inotifywait on Linux | Detect source edits during development. |
erl -noshell -eval 'io:format("~s~n", [erlang:system_info(otp_release)]), halt().'
Expect 28. The guide's recommendation is distinct from the minimum accepted by a particular checkout. Use the requirements of that checkout when maintaining older releases.
A PostgreSQL client version does not prove a server is running. Prepare local PostgreSQL checks the connection, role, and database. Password authentication is not PostgreSQL's trust method; do not replace authentication rules with trust to fix a failed password.
Add tools when a feature needs them
Install FFmpeg for video processing, Ghostscript for applicable PDF/image conversion, and any additional tools required by the modules you enable. You do not need every optional service before making a first template edit.
Platforms
Use the macOS/Linux installation walkthrough, Nix shell, or Docker/Podman. On Windows, use a Linux environment such as WSL or the container route. FreeBSD users need GNU Make (gmake); adapt package and service commands to that platform rather than copying the Linux commands.
After checking the tools and database, continue with Build and start Zotonic.