macOS Install

SeqDesk installs on macOS the same way as on Linux — with the npm launcher, backed by a local Homebrew PostgreSQL database.

Requirements

Install Node.js and PostgreSQL with Homebrew, then start PostgreSQL:

brew install node postgresql@16
brew services start postgresql@16

SeqDesk supports Node.js 18 or newer; Node.js 20 LTS is recommended for long-running installs.

Install

npm i -g seqdesk && seqdesk

The launcher downloads and runs the installer. The default target is ./seqdesk relative to the current directory; pass --dir for an explicit location, for example seqdesk -y --dir ~/seqdesk.

PostgreSQL must be running before you install. If you have not created a database yet, SeqDesk can prepare a local seqdesk role and database during setup; you can also point it at an existing database with a connection string. See Prerequisites for the PostgreSQL options and Quickstart for the full flow.

Verify

After the installer finishes, check the app:

seqdesk doctor --dir ~/seqdesk

Then open the configured URL (port 8000 by default) and sign in with the seeded bootstrap accounts:

Change these credentials before using the instance for anything beyond local testing. See First Login & Setup.