0install.net

Developers distribute software with Zero Install by creating one package that works across multiple platforms and publishing it on any static web host. There is no central repository or approval process to go through, so you keep control of the release. The trade-off is that you are responsible for hosting the package files and for signing them, since Zero Install checks digital signatures before running new software.

What a Zero Install package actually is

Zero Install is a decentralised cross-platform software installation system that works on Linux, Windows and macOS. It is fully open source. Instead of downloading an installer that copies files into system locations, Zero Install resolves a package's dependencies and runs the application from a cache, which is why apps can start with a single click without being installed first.

For a publisher, the practical consequence is that your "package" is a set of metadata plus the software itself, described in a way Zero Install can resolve. The site states you can create one package that works on multiple platforms, with dependency handling and automatic updates built in.

Publishing to any static web host

The distribution model is the part most developers care about:

• No central point of control. You publish on any static web host. There is no store to submit to and no gatekeeper deciding whether your software is listed.
• One package, multiple platforms. The same package can serve Linux, Windows and macOS users rather than requiring separate distribution channels per OS.
• Dependency handling and automatic updates are part of the system, so you do not have to build a separate updater.

Because hosting is just a static web host, the requirements on your side are modest: somewhere to serve files over HTTP(S), and a stable URL for the package metadata. The site does not specify a required host, account or paid tier, so treat host choice as your own decision rather than something Zero Install mandates.

Security expectations for publishers

Security is central to how Zero Install operates, and this shapes what you must do as a distributor:

• Installing an app does not grant it administrator access.
• Digital signatures are always checked before new software is run.
• Apps can share libraries without having to trust each other.

The signature requirement is the one that most directly affects publishing: users will not run your software unless the signature checks out, so signing your releases is not optional. The site does not document the specific signing tooling or key formats in the material available here, so check the documentation for the exact procedure before your first release.

What decentralisation means for you as a publisher

The main trade-off is visibility versus autonomy. A central store may bring discovery, but it also brings review and a single point of control. Zero Install gives you the opposite: anyone can distribute software, and you publish wherever you like.

Practical starting points

1. Read the documentation on the Zero Install site to learn the package format and signing requirements.
2. Build one package intended to work across the platforms you support.
3. Sign the release, since signatures are checked before software runs.
4. Publish the package and its files on a static web host you control.
5. Verify by running the app through Zero Install on each target platform, and confirm that updates and dependencies resolve as expected.

If you want a concrete first task: take an application you already ship, describe it as a single Zero Install package, host it on a static site, and confirm a user on a different platform can launch it with one click without an install step.

Zero Install runs applications without granting them administrator access, checks digital signatures before any new software runs, and lets apps share libraries without trusting each other. That combination is the core of its security model: you get the convenience of one-click execution without handing over control of your machine. The details below explain what each guarantee actually means in practice, based on the project's own documentation.

Installing or running an app doesn't grant administrator access

On a conventional system, installation often means writing to system directories, registering services, or modifying shared configuration — operations that require elevated privileges. Zero Install avoids that path. Applications run from a cache rather than being installed into system locations, so launching one doesn't require administrator rights.

The practical consequence: a program you run through Zero Install operates with your normal user permissions. It can't silently rewrite system files or install background services just because you clicked it. If an app genuinely needs elevated access, that becomes a separate, visible decision rather than a side effect of "installing" it.

Digital signatures are always checked before new software runs

Zero Install treats every piece of software as coming from a feed — a signed description of what to download and how to run it. Before new software is executed, its digital signature is verified. If the signature doesn't check out, the software doesn't run.

This matters because it ties execution to a specific, verifiable publisher. You aren't relying on a central repository to have vetted the code; you're relying on cryptography to confirm who produced it. A tampered feed or a substituted binary fails verification rather than quietly executing.

Apps can share libraries without trusting each other

Shared libraries are a common attack surface: if two programs use the same library, a compromise in one could affect the other. Zero Install's design lets applications share libraries while keeping them isolated from one another's trust. Each app's dependencies are resolved and verified independently, so sharing a library doesn't create a trust relationship between the apps using it.

You stay in control of system changes

Zero Install's stated principle is that you don't have to guess what happens during installation. Because apps live in a cache and run under your user account, the changes they can make are visible and bounded. The system also supports mixing stable and experimental versions of apps side by side, so trying a new version doesn't force a system-wide commitment.

What this means for you

If your priority is running software without ceding control of your machine, these properties are the reason to consider Zero Install. If you need an app to install system-wide services or drivers, that falls outside what this model provides, and you'd handle it through your operating system's normal mechanisms instead.

Zero Install runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS, and it explicitly supports mixing stable and experimental applications on a single system. It is fully open source, and you can control it either from a command line or a graphical interface. If you want to try experimental builds of an app without disturbing the stable version you rely on, this is a supported scenario rather than a workaround.

Platform support

Zero Install is described as a decentralised cross-platform software installation system, and the supported platforms are stated directly:

• Linux
• Windows
• macOS

Because it is cross-platform, a single package can be created to work on multiple platforms. That matters if you distribute software yourself: you publish one package rather than maintaining separate installers per operating system.

The Windows side has its own release cadence, with recent versions tracked in the project news. For example, Zero Install for Windows 2.29.0 replaced a fallback to an external solver with a built-in SAT solver and added support for arm64ec, while 2.28.2 raised the minimum .NET Framework version to 4.8. If you are on Windows, check the current release notes before assuming a specific framework version is sufficient.

Mixing stable and experimental apps

The site states that you can "mix and match stable and experimental apps on a single system." In practice this means the version you select for one application does not force the same choice on another. You can keep a stable release for daily work and point a different app — or a separate selection of the same app — at an experimental build.

This is possible because Zero Install does not perform a traditional system-wide installation. Applications run without being installed first, and each app's dependencies are handled separately. That separation is what allows different stability levels to coexist.

Why the isolation holds

Two mechanisms support this:

• Dependency handling. Zero Install resolves and manages dependencies for each app, so two apps are not forced to share one global set of libraries.
• Library sharing without mutual trust. Apps can share libraries without having to trust each other, so sharing a dependency does not mean one app gains authority over another.

What "no install" means for control

Running an app without installing it first is the core behaviour, and it changes what you can inspect and undo:

• You do not have to guess what happens during installation, because there is no conventional installation step modifying your system.
• Installing an app does not grant it administrator access.
• Digital signatures are always checked before new software is run.

The signature check is the gate before execution, so an app whose signature does not verify is not run. Combined with the lack of administrator access, this limits what a newly added app can do to your machine.

Choosing between CLI and GUI

Both control paths are offered, and the choice is mostly about workflow:

The site advertises running apps with a single click, which is the graphical path. If you prefer to script or automate, the command-line interface exposes the same control.

Distribution and updates

If you are evaluating Zero Install as a way to ship software rather than just consume it:

• You create one package that works on multiple platforms.
• You can publish on any static web host, with no central point of control.
• Dependency handling and automatic updates are built in.

The decentralised model means there is no single registry you must go through, which is also why the security model leans on signature verification rather than a central authority.

Practical checklist before you commit

1. Confirm your OS is Linux, Windows, or macOS.
2. On Windows, check the current release notes for framework requirements and architecture support (for example, arm64ec support arrived in 2.29.0).
3. Decide whether you want the command line, the graphical interface, or both.
4. If you plan to mix stable and experimental apps, verify the specific app's available versions rather than assuming every app publishes both.
5. If you distribute software, confirm your hosting is a static web host you control.

The main caveat is version-specific: platform support is broad, but Windows requirements have shifted across releases, so treat the release notes as the source of truth for your machine rather than any general statement about Windows support.

Zero Install is a decentralised, cross-platform software installation system. It lets you run applications without installing them first, works on Linux, Windows and macOS, and is fully open source. It is a good fit if you want to run software from multiple sources without a central store deciding what you can install, or if you publish software and want to distribute it yourself.

How it differs from app stores and package managers

Traditional installation means downloading a package, running an installer, and trusting that installer with whatever it does to your system. Zero Install takes a different route: software is described by a feed, and the program is run directly from that description.

Core ideas

Run without installing

Zero Install is built around running applications directly. You can control everything from a command-line or graphical interface, and the project describes the experience as running apps with a single click. Because the app is not installed in the usual sense, you do not have to guess what happens during installation.

You control your own computer

There is no requirement to accept a single version of a library or application. You can mix and match stable and experimental apps on a single system, which is useful when you want to test a newer build without disturbing everything else.

Anyone can distribute software

A publisher creates one package that works on multiple platforms, then hosts it on any static web host. There is no central point of control, and dependency handling and automatic updates are part of the system. This lowers the barrier for small projects that do not want to go through a store review process.

Security is central

Three properties matter here:

• Installing an app does not grant it administrator access.
• Digital signatures are always checked before new software is run.
• Apps can share libraries without having to trust each other.

The signature check is the key mechanism: before a new piece of software executes, Zero Install verifies who signed it, so a shared library cannot silently impersonate another publisher.

When to use it

Zero Install suits you if:

• You want to try or run software without a full installation.
• You need several versions of the same app or library side by side.
• You distribute software and want one package for Linux, Windows and macOS without a central store.
• You care about running software without granting it administrator rights.

It is less obviously a fit if you only ever install software from one vendor's store and never need multiple versions or self-hosting.

A concrete example

Suppose you maintain a small tool and want users on all three platforms to run it. Instead of building separate installers, you publish a feed on a static web host. A user points Zero Install at that feed, and the tool runs; dependencies are resolved automatically, and updates are picked up from the same feed. If the user also wants an experimental build, they can run it alongside the stable one without the two interfering.

Current state

The project is actively maintained. Recent Windows releases include 2.29.0 (May 2026), which replaced the fallback to an external solver with a built-in SAT solver and added support for arm64ec, and 2.28.7, which fixed http_proxy support and improved translations. Earlier 2026 releases raised the minimum .NET Framework version to 4.8 and added support for a source parameter. To get started, the site offers a download and documentation.

Zero Install runs an app by fetching its files on demand and caching them locally, rather than writing the program into system-wide locations the way a traditional installer does. You get a runnable app without a global install step, and the same mechanism lets anyone publish software from an ordinary static web host. It works on Linux, Windows and macOS, and the whole system is open source.

What "run without installing" actually means

A normal installer copies files into shared system directories, registers the app with the OS, and often needs administrator rights. Zero Install takes a different route:

• The app's files are fetched when needed and kept in a cache instead of being placed in global system locations.
• You launch the app directly — the site describes this as running apps "with a single click."
• Because nothing is written into shared system state, installing an app does not grant it administrator access.

The practical consequence is that you can run an application without first committing your machine to a system-wide installation, and you can keep different versions side by side.

Decentralised distribution: who hosts the software

Zero Install is described as a decentralised system, which changes where apps come from:

• A publisher can create one package that works on multiple platforms.
• That package can be published on any static web host — there is "no central point of control."
• Distribution therefore doesn't depend on a single store or repository that could gatekeep or disappear.

For you as a user, this means the source of an app is a URL you (or a feed you trust) point at, not a mandatory central catalogue.

Dependencies and updates

The run-and-cache model is paired with two features that make it usable day to day:

• Dependency handling — the system resolves what an app needs so it can run without you manually assembling libraries.
• Automatic updates — apps can be kept current without a separate manual reinstall cycle.

The site also notes that apps can share libraries without having to trust each other, which matters when several cached apps rely on common components.

Security model

Security is described as central to the design, with two concrete properties:

• Digital signatures are always checked before new software is run.
• Installing an app doesn't grant it administrator access, so a newly run app doesn't automatically gain elevated rights.

These two points are the ones to weigh if you're deciding whether the no-install model fits your risk tolerance: trust is anchored in signature checks and in the absence of automatic privilege escalation, not in a central authority vetting every package.

How you stay in control

Zero Install gives you control over the process rather than hiding it:

• You can drive everything from a command-line or a graphical interface.
• You don't have to guess what happens during installation — the model is meant to be transparent about what gets fetched and run.
• You can mix and match stable and experimental apps on a single system, since versions don't overwrite each other in global locations.

When this approach fits

Zero Install is a reasonable choice if you want to:

• Try or run software without a system-wide install.
• Keep multiple versions (stable and experimental) side by side.
• Consume software from decentralised sources rather than a single store.
• Run apps without granting them administrator access.

It's less about replacing every installer and more about a specific trade-off: on-demand fetching and caching in exchange for a different trust and distribution model. To go further, the project points to its documentation ("Read the docs") and a download entry point ("Get Zero Install") on the site.