> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/meteor/meteor/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing Meteor

> Install Meteor on your system and set up your development environment. Support for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

## System Requirements

Meteor supports the following platforms:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Linux" icon="linux">
    64-bit and ARM64 architectures
  </Card>

  <Card title="macOS" icon="apple">
    Intel (x86\_64) and Apple Silicon (ARM64)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Windows" icon="windows">
    Via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Meteor currently supports **64-bit** and **ARM64** processors. 32-bit systems are not supported.
</Note>

## Quick Installation

The easiest way to install and run Meteor is using `npx`:

```bash theme={null}
npx meteor
```

This command will automatically download and run the latest version of Meteor without requiring a global installation.

## Installation Methods

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS/Linux">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install Meteor">
        Open your terminal and run:

        ```bash theme={null}
        npx meteor
        ```

        The first time you run this command, it will download and install Meteor. Subsequent runs will use the cached version.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify Installation">
        Check that Meteor is installed correctly:

        ```bash theme={null}
        meteor --version
        ```

        You should see output similar to:

        ```
        Meteor 3.2.2
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check Node.js Version">
        Meteor includes a specific Node.js version. Verify it:

        ```bash theme={null}
        meteor node --version
        ```

        <Info>
          Meteor 3.x uses Node.js 20.x. You don't need to install Node.js separately for Meteor development.
        </Info>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows (WSL)">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set Up WSL">
        Windows users should use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Install WSL 2:

        ```powershell theme={null}
        wsl --install
        ```

        This will install Ubuntu by default. Restart your computer when prompted.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open WSL Terminal">
        Launch your WSL distribution (e.g., Ubuntu) from the Start menu or by running:

        ```powershell theme={null}
        wsl
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install Meteor in WSL">
        Inside the WSL terminal, run:

        ```bash theme={null}
        npx meteor
        ```

        Meteor will download and install within your WSL environment.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify Installation">
        Confirm Meteor is working:

        ```bash theme={null}
        meteor --version
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Warning>
      Do not install Meteor directly on Windows. Always use WSL for the best development experience.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Development from Source">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Clone the Repository">
        If you want to run Meteor from source or contribute to development:

        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone --recursive https://github.com/meteor/meteor.git
        cd meteor
        ```

        <Note>
          The `--recursive` flag is important as Meteor uses Git submodules.
        </Note>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Update Submodules (if needed)">
        If you cloned without `--recursive` or need to update submodules:

        ```bash theme={null}
        git submodule update --init --recursive
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run Meteor from Checkout">
        Download dependencies and run Meteor:

        ```bash theme={null}
        ./meteor --help
        ```

        The first run will download the dev bundle automatically.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create an Alias (Optional)">
        For easier access, create an alias:

        ```bash theme={null}
        echo 'alias mymeteor="/path/to/meteor-checkout/meteor"' >> ~/.bashrc
        source ~/.bashrc
        ```

        Now you can use `mymeteor` instead of the full path.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Tip>
      When running Meteor from a checkout, you cannot pin apps to specific releases using `--release`.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Prerequisites

Meteor bundles everything you need to get started:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Node.js" icon="node-js">
    **Included**: Meteor ships with Node.js 20.x. No separate installation needed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="npm" icon="npm">
    **Included**: npm package manager is bundled with Meteor's Node.js.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MongoDB" icon="database">
    **Included**: Embedded MongoDB for local development. No manual setup required.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build Tools" icon="hammer">
    **Included**: Rspack bundler, Babel, TypeScript compiler all work out of the box.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  Meteor is a complete development platform. Once installed, you can immediately start building applications without configuring additional tools.
</Info>

## Optional Dependencies

While Meteor includes everything you need, some features benefit from additional packages:

### bcrypt (Recommended)

If you're using password authentication, install bcrypt for better security:

```bash theme={null}
meteor npm install --save bcrypt
```

<Warning>
  Without bcrypt, Meteor uses a pure-JavaScript implementation which is slower and less secure.
</Warning>

### Development Tools

For debugging the Meteor tool itself:

```bash theme={null}
TOOL_NODE_FLAGS="--inspect-brk" meteor
```

Then open `chrome://inspect` in Chrome to debug.

## Troubleshooting

### Architecture Detection

Meteor automatically detects your system architecture:

```bash theme={null}
# Check your architecture
uname -m
```

Supported architectures:

* `x86_64` - Intel/AMD 64-bit
* `arm64` - ARM 64-bit (Apple Silicon, ARM servers)

<Tip>
  On multi-arch systems, you can manually set the architecture:

  ```bash theme={null}
  ARCH=arm64 meteor create my-app
  ```
</Tip>

### Dev Bundle Cache

Meteor caches the dev bundle to speed up subsequent runs. To enable caching:

```bash theme={null}
SAVE_DEV_BUNDLE_TARBALL=1 meteor
```

Cached bundles are stored in the Meteor installation directory.

### Submodule Issues

If you see "Depending on unknown package" errors when running from source:

```bash theme={null}
git submodule update --init --recursive
```

### Windows-Specific Issues

For Windows users experiencing issues with WSL:

1. Ensure WSL 2 is installed (not WSL 1)
2. Keep your project files inside the WSL filesystem (not `/mnt/c/`)
3. Use the WSL terminal, not Windows Command Prompt

## Version Management

### Check Current Version

```bash theme={null}
meteor --version
```

### Update Meteor

To update to the latest version:

```bash theme={null}
meteor update
```

### Update a Specific Project

Inside a Meteor project:

```bash theme={null}
meteor update --release 3.2.2
```

<Note>
  Meteor uses a `.meteor/release` file in each project to track the version. This ensures consistent builds across team members.
</Note>

## Next Steps

Now that Meteor is installed, you're ready to create your first application:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick Start Guide" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Create and run your first Meteor app in minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Complete Tutorial" icon="graduation-cap" href="/tutorial">
    Build a full-featured To-Do application step by step.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Additional Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Development Guide" icon="code" href="https://github.com/meteor/meteor/blob/master/DEVELOPMENT.md">
    Contributing to Meteor core and running from source.
  </Card>

  <Card title="System Requirements" icon="server">
    Minimum: 64-bit or ARM64 processor, 2GB RAM, 1GB disk space
  </Card>
</CardGroup>