The installer takes care of the dependencies and the product: Docker when you do not have it, the kernel image, PostgreSQL, your administrator, and the application catalog. It ends with the sign-in address and your password.
On Linux, Docker Engine is installed through Docker’s own install script when it is missing, and one AppArmor profile is added so each application runs in its own sandbox; both ask for your password through sudo. On a Mac, Docker Desktop is installed with Homebrew when present, otherwise from Docker’s disk image, and started.
Exercised end to end on Linux from an empty directory: install, sign-in with the generated password, the staged catalog, stop, start, a second run, uninstall. Not yet exercised on macOS hardware.
Paste this in PowerShell (press the Windows key, type Terminal).
PowerShell
irm https://oswarm.ai/install.ps1 | iex
If WSL is not enabled yet, the installer enables it and asks you to restart; run the same command again afterwards. Docker Desktop is installed with winget and started; accept its terms in the window it opens. Then the product installs exactly as on Linux.
Exercised with PowerShell on Linux against Docker Engine; a Windows hardware run is still open.
Docker. Finds Docker, or installs it: Docker Engine with Compose on Linux, Docker Desktop on macOS and Windows.
The sandbox policy. On Linux hosts with AppArmor, one profile named oshal-bwrap that lets each application run in its own namespaces.
The product. Creates ~/oswarm (%USERPROFILE%\oswarm on Windows) with the Compose file and two generated secret files readable only by you; downloads the kernel image and PostgreSQL; starts the database; sets the administrator’s first password; starts the kernel and waits for it.
The catalog. Downloads one reviewed commit of the public application catalog and stages it. Nothing is activated until you choose applications in the App Loader.
Hands over. Prints the sign-in address, the administrator name and the generated password (shown once, stored nowhere), and opens the browser.
Running it again on the same machine starts the existing installation; it never resets a password and never deletes data.
Settings and everyday commands
Set these before the command when the defaults do not fit: OSWARM_DIR (installation directory), OSWARM_ADMIN (administrator name, default admin), OSWARM_PORT (default 38788), OSWARM_ADMIN_PASSWORD (your own password instead of a generated one), OSWARM_NO_BROWSER=1.
bash
~/oswarm/oswarm.sh status
~/oswarm/oswarm.sh stop
~/oswarm/oswarm.sh start
~/oswarm/oswarm.sh upgrade
~/oswarm/oswarm.sh uninstall --purge # removes all data
On Windows the copy is oswarm.ps1 in the installation directory, with the same actions.
What you need
A computer with 2 CPUs and 4 GB of memory free for the two containers; raise the ceilings in .env when you add applications. Linux with systemd (Ubuntu 22.04 or later, Debian 12, Fedora), macOS 12 or later, or Windows 10/11 with virtualization enabled.
An AI provider key or a local model endpoint: OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Ollama, vLLM, LiteLLM, or your own compatible endpoint. You add it after signing in.
Access to the kernel image. It is published on GitHub Container Registry; until the first public release, the maintainers grant access on request at oss@oswarm.ai.
After you sign in
Add an AI provider. The installed default answers nothing and costs nothing. Open Connections and add the provider you use; the kernel seals the credential in its vault.
Choose applications. The public catalog is already staged. Open the App Loader, preview the applications you want with their dependencies, install them, and assign access.
Invite your people. Local accounts, invitations, roles, and per-application assignment. Sign-in with Google or Microsoft when you configure an identity provider.
Open distribution.The installers (install/install.sh, install/install.ps1), the Kubernetes templates, and the public documentation live at github.com/emeraldcoastsystemsgroup/oswarm under the Apache License 2.0. The published image and the binaries inside it carry their own licence. The kernel keeps its internal identifiers (OSHAL_*, oshald, oshal-app.yaml); the product is Open Swarm.