These installation instructions should work for most users, who do not need custom configurations for their systems. If you want to compile NEST from source, see section :ref:`advanced_install`.
.. tabs::
.. tab:: Debian/Ubuntu PPA
Install NEST via the PPA repository.
1. Add the PPA repository for NEST and update apt:
.. code-block:: bash
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nest-simulator/nest
sudo apt-get update
2. Install NEST:
.. code-block:: bash
sudo apt-get install nest
.. tab:: NeuroFedora
The NeuroFedora team has generously provided the latest
versions of NEST on their platform. As that is available in the
standard Fedora platform repositories, it can simply be
installed using ``dnf``:
.. code-block:: bash
sudo dnf install python3-nest
Find out more on the NeuroFedora site: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/neurofedora/nest/.
.. tab:: Conda (Linux/macOS)
1. Create your conda environment and install NEST. We recommend
that you **create a dedicated environment for NEST**, which
should ensure there are no conflicts with previously
installed packages.
.. pull-quote::
We strongly recommend that you **install all programs**
you'll need, (such as ``ipython`` or ``jupyter-lab``) in
the environment (ENVNAME) **at the same time**, by
**appending them to the command below**.
Installing packages later may override previously
installed dependencies and potentially break packages!
See `managing environments in the Conda documentation
<https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html#creating-an-environment-with-commands>`_
for more information.
Without OpenMPI:
.. code-block:: sh
conda create --name ENVNAME -c conda-forge nest-simulator
With OpenMPI:
.. code-block:: sh
conda create --name ENVNAME -c conda-forge nest-simulator=*=mpi_openmpi*
The syntax for this install follows the pattern: ``nest-simulator=<version>=<build_string>``
2. Activate your environment:
.. code-block:: sh
conda activate ENVNAME
In addition to native installations from ready-made packages, we provide containerized versions of NEST in several formats:
.. tabs::
.. tab:: Docker (Linux/macOS)
Docker provides an isolated container to run applications. The
NEST Docker container includes a complete install of NEST and
is set up so you can create, modify, and run Juptyer Notebooks
and save them on your host machine. (See the Note below for
alternative ways to use the Docker container.)
1. If you do not have Docker installed, follow the Docker
installation instructions for your system here:
https://docs.docker.com/install/.
If you are using **Linux**, we **strongly recommend** you
also create a Docker group to manage Docker as a non-root
user. See instructions on the Docker website:
https://docs.docker.com/install/linux/linux-postinstall/
2. Create a directory or change into a directory that you want
to use for your Jupyter Notebooks.
.. code-block:: bash
mkdir my_nest_scripts
cd my_nest_scripts
3. Run the Docker container. Replace the ``<version>`` with one
of the latest NEST versions (e.g., ``2.20.0``) or use
``latest`` for the most recent build from the source code.
.. code-block:: bash
docker run --rm -e LOCAL_USER_ID=`id -u $USER` -v $(pwd):/opt/data -p 8080:8080 nestsim/nest:<version> notebook
4. Once completed, a link to a Jupyter Notebook will be
generated, as shown below. You can then copy and paste the
link into your browser.
.. image:: ../_static/img/docker_link.png
:align: center
:width: 1000px
5. You can now use the Jupyter Notebook as you normally
would. Anything saved in the Notebook will be placed in the
directory you started the Notebook from.
6. You can shutdown the Notebook in the terminal by typing
:kbd:`Ctrl-c` twice. Once the Notebook is shutdown the
container running NEST is removed.
.. note::
You can check for updates to the Docker build by typing:
.. code-block:: bash
docker pull nestsim/nest:<version>
.. note::
You can also create an instance of a terminal within the container itself and, for example, run Python scripts.
.. code-block::
docker run --rm -it -e LOCAL_USER_ID=`id -u $USER` -v $(pwd):/opt/data -p 8080:8080 nestsim/nest:<version> /bin/bash
See the `README <https://github.com/nest/nest-docker>`_ to find out more, but note some functionality, such as DISPLAY, will not be available.
.. tab:: Live Media (cross-platform)
We have live media (.ova) if you want to run NEST in a virtual machine. This option is suitable for Windows users, since we don't support
NEST natively on Windows,
:ref:`Download the live media here <download_livemedia>`, and follow the :doc:`instructions to set up the virutal machine <livemedia>` .
Once NEST is installed, you can run it in Python, IPython, or Jupyter Notebook
For example, in the terminal type:
python
Once in Python you can type:
import nest
Note
If you get ImportError: No module named nest after running python. Try to run python3 instead.
or as a stand alone application:
nest
If installation was successful, you should see the NEST splash screen in the terminal:
Installation is now complete!
If installation didn't work, see the :doc:`troubleshooting section <../troubleshooting>`.
.. seealso::
* :doc:`PyNEST tutorials <../tutorials/index>`
* :doc:`Example networks <../examples/index>`
If you need special configuration options or want to compile NEST yourself, follow these instructions.
.. tabs::
.. tab:: Ubuntu/Debian
Download the source code for the `current release <https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/archive/v2.20.0.tar.gz>`_.
Follow instructions for :doc:`linux_install` and take a look at our :doc:`install_options`.
.. tab:: GitHub
Get the latest developer version on `GitHub <https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator>`_. Fork NEST into your GitHub repository (see details on `GitHub workflows here <https://nest.github.io/nest-simulator/>`_).
.. tab:: macOS
For further options on installing NEST on macOS, see :doc:`mac_install` for Macs.
.. tab:: HPC systems
:doc:`Instructions for high performance computers <hpc_install>` provides some instructions for certain machines.
Please :doc:`contact us <../community>` if you need help with your system.
.. toctree:: :hidden: linux_install mac_install hpc_install livemedia install_options oldvers_install
Note
Installation instructions for NEST 2.10 and earlier are provided :doc:`here <oldvers_install>`, but we strongly encourage all our users to stay up-to-date with most recent version of NEST. We cannot support out-dated versions.