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Installation

Bowrain runs as a server your team connects to. Use the hosted service at bowrain.cloud, or run your own (see For developers: self-hosting).

Most routes into a workspace need nothing installed: content in a content platform, a design tool, or a repository connects server-side; see Connectors. This page covers the pieces you do install: the desktop app, and the kapi CLI for the developer route.

Beta channel

The beta channel carries prereleases ahead of stable. The beta and stable packages install the same binary on different update tracks. Pick one; they are mutually exclusive.

The web app​

The web app is served by your Bowrain server; there is nothing to install. Open app.bowrain.cloud (or your own server's URL) in a browser and sign in.

Bowrain Desktop​

A native cross-platform client that connects to the same server, with offline support.

Homebrew (macOS)​

brew install --cask neokapi/tap/bowrain        # stable
brew install --cask neokapi/tap/bowrain@beta   # beta channel

Direct downloads​

The links below always point at the release named in them; they are regenerated on every release from the assets actually attached to it.

Direct downloads for Bowrain Desktop 1.2.0:

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Windows (Authenticode-signed, portable zip)

Linux

Verify a download against checksums.txt.

The kapi CLI (the developer route)​

To connect a local codebase, install the bowrain plugin for the kapi CLI; there is no separate bowrain binary. Once installed, run every bowrain command as kapi <command> (for example kapi init, kapi push, kapi up). This is the kapi connector, one of several ways content reaches Bowrain.

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)​

Installs the kapi CLI together with the bowrain plugin:

brew install neokapi/tap/bowrain-cli        # stable
brew install neokapi/tap/bowrain-cli-beta   # beta channel

WinGet (Windows)​

Install the kapi CLI, then add the bowrain plugin:

winget install Neokapi.KapiCli
kapi plugin install bowrain

With kapi already installed​

kapi plugin install bowrain

Plugin builds are attached to the same GitHub release and indexed in the plugin registry; kapi verifies their signatures on install. To pin a specific plugin version, in CI or to hold a project on a known build, install by version or pin it in the recipe's plugins: map (see plugins):

kapi plugin install bowrain@<version>

Verify​

kapi version
kapi plugin list

Self-hosting​

Prefer to run Bowrain yourself instead of using the hosted service? Installing the server, the Docker images (ghcr.io/neokapi/bowrain-server, -worker, -web), building from source, and configuration all live under For developers: self-hosting. Keep the server, worker, and web images on the same version tag.

Next steps​