How to Install OpenSRE on Linux or macOS: 3 Official Methods

You can install OpenSRE on Linux or macOS using the official install script, Homebrew, or by installing the Python package from source.

OpenSRE is an open-source Site Reliability Engineering CLI tool maintained in the Tracer-Cloud/opensre repository. Whether you need a quick binary installation for production use or a development environment for contributing, this guide covers the exact steps to install OpenSRE on Linux or macOS using the official methods documented in the source code.

Install OpenSRE Using the Official Script (Linux and macOS)

The fastest way to install OpenSRE on Linux or macOS is using the official install.sh script located in the repository root. This script automatically detects your operating system and architecture, downloads the correct pre-built binary, verifies its integrity, and installs it to your local bin directory.

Run the one-liner installation command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.sh | bash

What the Install Script Does

According to the source code in install.sh, the installer performs the following steps:

1. OS/Architecture Detection: Detects Linux or Darwin (macOS) and CPU type (x64 or arm64).
2. Release Query: Fetches the latest GitHub release tag (or uses the version specified in the OPENSRE_VERSION environment variable).
3. Download: Retrieves the appropriate archive opensre_<VERSION>_<OS>-<ARCH>.tar.gz and its corresponding .sha256 checksum file.
4. Verification: Validates the SHA-256 checksum using sha256sum, shasum, or openssl depending on system availability.
5. Installation: Extracts the archive and copies the opensre binary to ~/.local/bin by default, or to the directory specified by OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR.
6. Path Warning: Displays a warning if the installation directory is not detected in the user's $PATH.

Customizing the Installation Directory

To install OpenSRE to a custom location, export the OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR variable before running the script:

export OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR=$HOME/.local/sre/bin
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.sh | bash

Install OpenSRE Using Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

If you already use Homebrew (or Linuxbrew) to manage packages, you can install OpenSRE using the official tap. The Homebrew formula points to the same pre-built binaries that the install.sh script downloads, ensuring consistency across installation methods.

Install OpenSRE via Homebrew:

brew install Tracer-Cloud/opensre/opensre

After installation, verify that the binary is correctly linked and accessible:

opensre --version

If you need a specific version that differs from the latest release, you can manually download the desired binary from the GitHub releases page and place it in a directory included in your $PATH.

Install OpenSRE from Source as a Python Package

For development work, debugging, or if you need to modify the source code, install OpenSRE as an editable Python package. This method uses the configuration defined in pyproject.toml and installs the opensre CLI as a console script entry point.

Clone and Setup Development Environment

First, clone the repository and navigate into the project directory:

git clone https://github.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre.git
cd opensre

Create and activate a virtual environment to isolate dependencies:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Install the package in editable mode with development dependencies:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

This command reads the pyproject.toml file, installs the opensre package in editable mode (so changes to the source code reflect immediately without reinstallation), and pulls in all optional development dependencies including linters and testing tools.

Verify the installation by running the CLI:

opensre --help
opensre onboard

Key Files and References

The installation methods are implemented and documented in the following source files:

• install.sh: The official bash installer that handles OS detection, binary downloads, checksum verification, and installation to ~/.local/bin. Located at the repository root.
• README.md: Contains the quick-install one-liner and Homebrew instructions in the Install section.
• SETUP.md: Detailed development environment setup guide covering virtual environment creation and editable Python package installation.
• pyproject.toml: Defines the Python package metadata, console script entry point for the opensre CLI, and optional development dependencies ([dev] extra).
• Makefile: Provides convenience targets such as make install, make test-cov, and make lint for development workflows.

Summary

• Official Install Script: Use curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.sh | bash for the fastest binary installation on Linux or macOS. The script detects your architecture, verifies SHA-256 checksums, and installs to ~/.local/bin by default.
• Homebrew: Run brew install Tracer-Cloud/opensre/opensre if you prefer package manager-based installation.
• Python Package: Clone the repository and run pip install -e ".[dev]" for an editable development installation that lets you modify the source code.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the quickest way to install OpenSRE on macOS?

The quickest method is running the official install script with curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.sh | bash. This one-liner automatically detects your Mac's architecture (Intel or Apple Silicon), downloads the correct pre-built binary, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, and places the executable in ~/.local/bin.

Can I install OpenSRE without Python?

Yes. The official install script and Homebrew method both install a standalone pre-built binary that does not require a Python environment. The install.sh script downloads the compiled opensre executable directly from GitHub releases, making it suitable for production systems where you want to avoid Python dependency management.

How do I verify my OpenSRE installation?

After installation, run opensre --version in your terminal to confirm the binary is in your $PATH and executing correctly. If you installed via the official script, you can also check that the binary exists in ~/.local/bin/opensre (or your custom OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR) and that the directory is included in your shell's $PATH environment variable.

Where does the install script place the OpenSRE binary by default?

By default, the install.sh script copies the opensre binary to ~/.local/bin. You can override this location by setting the OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR environment variable before running the script. For example, export OPENSRE_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin will install the binary system-wide (assuming you have write permissions).

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    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
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}