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Installation

Nextflow can be used on any POSIX-compatible system (Linux, macOS, etc), and on Windows through WSL. This page describes how to install Nextflow.

note

New versions of Nextflow are released regularly. See Updating Nextflow for more information about Nextflow release cadence, how to update Nextflow, and how select your version of Nextflow.

Requirements​

Nextflow requires Bash 3.2 (or later) and Java 17 (or later, up to 26) to be installed. To see which version of Java you have, run the following command:

java -version

If you don't have a compatible version of Java, it is recommended that you install the latest Long-Term Support (LTS) version of Temurin through SDKMAN!. Alternatively, install Nextflow without Java.

To install Java with SDKMAN:

  1. Install SDKMAN:

    curl -s https://get.sdkman.io | bash

  2. Open a new terminal.

  3. Install Java:

    sdk install java

  4. Confirm that Java is installed correctly:

    java -version

Install Nextflow​

Nextflow is distributed as a self-installing package. It is also distributed via Conda and as a standalone distribution.

Self-install​

To install Nextflow with the self-installing package:

  1. Download Nextflow:

    curl -s https://get.nextflow.io | bash
    warning

    Nextflow updates its executable during the self-install process. An update can fail if the executable is placed in a directory with restricted permissions.

  2. Make Nextflow executable:

    chmod +x nextflow

  3. Move Nextflow into an executable path. For example:

    mkdir -p $HOME/.local/bin/
    mv nextflow $HOME/.local/bin/

    Ensure the directory $HOME/.local/bin/ is included in your PATH variable. Add the directory to PATH by adding export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin" to your shell configuration file, such as ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc. Alternatively, move the nextflow executable to a directory already in your PATH.

  4. Confirm Nextflow is installed correctly:

    nextflow info

Install without Java​

Added in version 27.04

You can install Nextflow with its own Java runtime for Linux and macOS.

To install Nextflow without Java, follow the self-install steps, but download Nextflow with:

curl -s https://get.nextflow.io | NXF_JAVA_BUNDLE=true bash

Nextflow downloads a bundle for each version the first time that version runs, unless NXF_OFFLINE=true is set. The bundle contains the Java runtime and a startup cache. If the download fails, Nextflow uses the system Java and retries at the next launch. nextflow self-update keeps this setting. Set NXF_JAVA_BUNDLE=false to use the system Java instead, or set NXF_JAVA_HOME to use another Java installation.

The bundled Java runtime trusts the operating system's certificates on macOS and on Linux distributions with a Java trust store. On other systems, it uses its own certificates.

Behind a proxy that inspects TLS traffic, do one of the following:

  • Set NXF_JAVA_HOME to a Java installation that trusts the proxy.
  • Specify a trust store in NXF_OPTS, for example -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStore=/path/to/cacerts.

Conda​

To install Nextflow with Conda:

  1. Create an environment with Nextflow:

    conda create --name nf-env bioconda::nextflow

  2. Activate the environment:

    source activate nf-env

  3. Confirm Nextflow is installed correctly:

    nextflow info
warning

Installing Nextflow via Conda may lead to outdated versions, dependency conflicts, and Java compatibility issues. Using the self-installing package is recommended for a more reliable and up-to-date installation.

Standalone distribution (legacy)​

Deprecated in version 27.04

To run Nextflow offline, use the Java bundle instead.

The Nextflow standalone distribution (i.e., the dist release) is a self-contained nextflow executable that can run without needing to download core dependencies at runtime. This distribution is useful for offline environments as well as building and testing Nextflow locally. The standalone distribution will still download core and third-party plugins at runtime.

To use the standalone distribution:

  1. Download the standalone distribution from Assets section of the GitHub releases page.

  2. Grant execution permissions to the downloaded file. For example:

    chmod +x nextflow-26.10.5-dist

  3. Use it as a drop-in replacement for nextflow command. For example:

    ./nextflow-26.10.5-dist run info

Seqera Platform​

You can launch workflows directly from Seqera Platform without installing Nextflow locally.

Launching from Seqera provides you with:

  • User-friendly launch interfaces.
  • Automated cloud infrastructure creation.
  • Organizational user management.
  • Advanced analytics with resource optimization.

Seqera Cloud Basic is free for small teams. Researchers at qualifying academic institutions can apply for free access to Seqera Cloud Pro. See Seqera Platform Cloud to get started.

If you have installed Nextflow locally, you can use the nextflow auth command to authenticate with Seqera and automatically configure workflow monitoring.

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