Installation

SoftDB ships as a native desktop app for all three major platforms. Pick your platform below and you’ll be up and running in a few minutes.

Download

Grab the latest release from the GitHub Releases page.

Platform	File	Notes
Windows	SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe	NSIS installer with shortcuts and uninstaller
macOS	SoftDB-darwin-arm64.dmg	Apple Silicon native; Intel Macs via Rosetta 2
Linux	SoftDB-linux-amd64.AppImage	Portable — no install needed
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)	SoftDB-linux-amd64.deb	System package with desktop integration

Platform Instructions

Windows

1. Download SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe from the Releases page.

2. Run the installer. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning for unsigned apps — click More info then Run anyway.

3. Follow the setup wizard. SoftDB installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\SoftDB by default and adds a Start Menu shortcut.

4. Launch SoftDB from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut.

To uninstall, use Add or Remove Programs in Windows Settings.

macOS

1. Download SoftDB-darwin-arm64.dmg from the Releases page.

2. Open the .dmg file and drag SoftDB to your Applications folder.

3. Launch SoftDB from Applications or Spotlight.

Allowing SoftDB on macOS

Because SoftDB is distributed outside the Mac App Store and is not yet notarized by Apple, macOS Gatekeeper will block it on first launch. You’ll see a message like “SoftDB can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software” or “SoftDB is damaged and can’t be opened”.

There are two ways to fix this:

Method 1 — System Settings (recommended)

1. Try to open SoftDB — macOS will block it. Click OK to dismiss the dialog.

2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.

3. Scroll down. You’ll see a message: “SoftDB was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer.”

4. Click Open Anyway and enter your password when prompted.

5. macOS will ask one more time — click Open to confirm. SoftDB will launch normally from now on.

Method 2 — Terminal (if Method 1 doesn’t work)

If you see the “damaged and can’t be opened” error, macOS has quarantined the file. Remove the quarantine flag with:

xattr -cr /Applications/SoftDB.app

Then open SoftDB again — it should launch without issues.

Tip

If you install via Homebrew (below), Gatekeeper is bypassed automatically — no extra steps needed.

Install via Homebrew

The easiest way to install on macOS — no Gatekeeper prompts:

brew tap zane-tv/softdb
brew install --cask softdb

To update later:

brew upgrade --cask softdb

Linux

AppImage (any distro):

1. Download SoftDB-linux-amd64.AppImage.

2. Make it executable:

   chmod +x SoftDB-linux-amd64.AppImage

3. Run it:

   ./SoftDB-linux-amd64.AppImage

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb):

1. Download SoftDB-linux-amd64.deb.

2. Install with dpkg:

   sudo dpkg -i SoftDB-linux-amd64.deb

3. Launch from your application menu or run softdb in a terminal.

Verify Downloads

All release binaries are signed with Sigstore for supply chain security. Each file has a corresponding .bundle signature file on the Releases page.

1. Install cosign:

   # macOS
   brew install cosign
   
   # Go (any platform)
   go install github.com/sigstore/cosign/v2/cmd/cosign@latest

2. Verify the downloaded file:

   cosign verify-blob SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe \
     --bundle SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe.bundle \
     --certificate-identity-regexp "https://github.com/zane-tv/soft-db" \
     --certificate-oidc-issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com

   Replace SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe with the filename you downloaded. The same command works for .dmg, .AppImage, and .deb files.

3. Or use the helper script (if you cloned the repo):

   ./scripts/verify-release.sh SoftDB-amd64-installer.exe

A successful verification prints Verified OK.

Build from Source

If you want to run the latest development version or contribute to SoftDB, you can build it yourself.

Prerequisites:

• Go 1.22+
• Bun (or Node.js 18+)
• Wails CLI v3

1. Install the Wails CLI:

   go install github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/cmd/wails3@latest

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/zane-tv/soft-db.git
   cd soft-db

3. Start development mode (hot-reload for both Go and React):

   wails3 dev

4. Build a production binary:

   wails3 build

   The compiled app lands in the build/bin/ directory.

Note

Development mode starts a local Vite dev server for the frontend and recompiles the Go backend on file changes. You’ll see both the app window and live reload working together.

What’s Next

Once SoftDB is installed, head to the Quick Start guide to create your first database connection and run your first query.