Skip to content

Installation

PyPI version PyPI downloads

The gsb package has minimal dependencies and should run on pretty much any computer or operating system. It does require Python 3.11 or newer, however, so the first step is making sure that requirement is met.

To do so, open a terminal and run:

python -V

If you get a message that no such command or executable exists, or if the version that's returned is before 3.11, you'll first need to install an up-to-date Python runtime.

Recommendation

The easiest and safest option is to install a miniconda distribution (I strongly recommend miniforge). This can be done on almost any computer and requires no admin privileges.

Installing gsb

Using pipx

The easiest way to install GSB if you're using the system Python is via pipx:

pipx install gsb[test]

You may omit the [test] extra if you really want, but it's a good idea for making sure that GSB is fully compatible with your system.

Inside a conda environment

These instructions assume that you've already downloaded and installed miniforge or another conda distribution and that mamba/conda is already registered to your system path.

  1. Open a terminal (miniforge prompt on Windows) and create a new virtual environment via: 

    mamba create -n gsb "python>=3.11" "pip>22"
    (substitute conda for mamba as needed)

  2. Activate your new environment: 

    conda activate gsb

Then continue onto the next section.

Installation via pip

Whether you're using conda or another virtual environment manager (e.g. venv), to actually install GSB within your virtual environment, first make sure that the environment is activated, then:

  1. Install gsb from PyPI using pip: 
    python3 -m pip install --user gsb[test]

Bleeding Edge

If you'd like to test out upcoming features or help with beta testing, you can install from the current development branch via:

python -m pip install --user git+https://github.com/OpenBagTwo/gsb.git@dev#egg=gsb[test]

Be warned that any code on this branch is considered highly experimental. Given that this is a tool for managing backups, make sure that you are not using it on any data that isn't also being backed up in another way.

Verifying Your Installation

The instructions above recommend installing gsb with the optional [test] extra to enable easy running of GSB's included test suite. Doing so will ensure that GSB is able to work with your file system and that all of the dependcies and shared libraries are interacting correctly. Run this test suite by opening a suitable command line and running the command:

gsb test

If all tests pass, then you're good to go!

conda/venv users:

If you get an error that gsb was not found, first make sure to activate its virtual environment, then try again.

If you'd like gsb to be available outside of your virtual environment, you can copy the executable to somewhere within your system path, e.g. for Linux, starting with the virtual environment deactivated: 

$ echo $PATH
/home/openbagtwo/.mambaforge/condabin:/home/openbagtwo/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin
$ conda activate gsb
$ which gsb
/home/openbagtwo/.mambaforge/envs/gsb/bin/gsb
$ cp /home/openbagtwo/.mambaforge/envs/gsb/bin/gsb ~/.local/bin/