v7.5.2 — 2,164 tests passing

Install in 30 seconds

Pick your OS and install method. The same ~154 KB binary ships on every platform — no dependencies, no runtime, no fuss.

bash — Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, Fedora, …)
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
bash — macOS (Ventura 13+ / Apple Silicon + Intel)
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
PowerShell — enable WSL, then run Linux installer
# In PowerShell (Administrator)
wsl --install          # installs Ubuntu 22.04 LTS; reboot if prompted

# Then in WSL (Ubuntu) terminal:
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
bash — Docker
docker pull absolutedb/absdb:latest
docker run -d -p 5433:5432 -p 8080:8080 --name absdb absdb
1

One-line installer Recommended

The installer detects your OS, installs build dependencies, clones the repo, runs make all (2,164 tests), and optionally sets up a systemd service — in one command.

bash — Linux / macOS / WSL
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash

The script is open source — read it before running. To skip the systemd service: curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-service

What the installer does: detects Ubuntu/Debian or RHEL/CentOS/Fedora/macOS → installs compiler toolchain → downloads Absolute DB source → runs make release → installs absdb and absdb-server to /usr/local/bin → optionally registers a systemd (or LaunchAgent on macOS) service.
2

Build from source

Full control. Pure C11 — no build system magic, just make all. Expand your OS below for the exact commands.

🐧 Ubuntu 20.04+ & Debian 11+ ▶
bash — Ubuntu / Debian
# 1. Install build tools
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git gcc make build-essential

# 2. Clone the repository
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
# Or download the source tarball:
curl -LO https://absolutedb.com/absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz && tar xzf absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz
cd absdb

# 3. Build and run all 2,164 tests (~7 seconds)
make all

# 4. Run the interactive CLI
./build/absdb              # in-memory mode
./build/absdb mydb.db      # file-backed mode

# 5. Start the server (PostgreSQL wire :5433 + REST API :8080)
./build/absdb-server

# 6. Verify
curl http://localhost:8080/health
psql -h localhost -p 5433 -U $(whoami)

To install system-wide: sudo install -m 755 build/absdb build/absdb-server /usr/local/bin/

🎩 RHEL / CentOS / AlmaLinux / Rocky / Fedora ▶
bash — RHEL / CentOS / Fedora (yum or dnf)
# 1. Install build tools (Fedora uses dnf; RHEL/CentOS uses yum)
sudo dnf groupinstall -y "Development Tools"   # or: sudo yum groupinstall ...
sudo dnf install -y git curl

# 2. Clone the repository
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
# Or download the source tarball:
curl -LO https://absolutedb.com/absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz && tar xzf absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz
cd absdb

# 3. Build and run all 2,164 tests
make all

# 4. Run the interactive CLI
./build/absdb

# 5. Start the server
./build/absdb-server

# 6. Install system-wide (optional)
sudo install -m 755 build/absdb build/absdb-server /usr/local/bin/

# 7. Open firewall ports (if firewalld is active)
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=5433/tcp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8080/tcp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
macOS (Ventura 13+ — Apple Silicon & Intel) ▶
bash — macOS
# 1. Install Xcode command-line tools (gcc, make, clang)
xcode-select --install
# A dialog will appear — click Install. Wait for it to finish, then continue.

# 2. Ensure git is available (optional: use Homebrew git)
brew install git        # only needed if Xcode git is too old

# 3. Clone the repository
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
# Or download the source tarball:
curl -LO https://absolutedb.com/absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz && tar xzf absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz
cd absdb

# 4. Build and run all 2,164 tests (~7 seconds)
make all

# 5. Run the interactive CLI
./build/absdb

# 6. Start the server
./build/absdb-server

# 7. Install system-wide (optional)
sudo install -m 755 build/absdb build/absdb-server /usr/local/bin/

macOS service: the one-line installer sets up a LaunchAgent at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.absdb.server.plist for auto-start on login.

🪟 Windows 10/11 via WSL 2 ▶
PowerShell (Administrator) — enable WSL 2 with Ubuntu
# Run in PowerShell as Administrator:
wsl --install
# This installs WSL 2 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
# Reboot if prompted, then open the Ubuntu app from the Start menu.
bash — inside the Ubuntu WSL terminal
# 1. Install build tools
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git gcc make build-essential

# 2. Clone and build
curl -fsSL https://absolutedb.com/install.sh | bash
# Or download the source tarball:
curl -LO https://absolutedb.com/absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz && tar xzf absdb-7.5.2.tar.gz
cd absdb
make all

# 3. Run
./build/absdb              # interactive CLI
./build/absdb-server       # server mode

# 4. Connect from Windows (psql, DBeaver, pgAdmin):
#    Host: localhost   Port: 5433   User: admin
Tip: WSL 2 ports are automatically forwarded to Windows. Connect with any PostgreSQL client at localhost:5433 or use the REST API at http://localhost:8080/health.
3

Docker

Pull the official image or build from the source package. Zero additional configuration needed.

bash — Docker
# Build (pulls source, compiles, runs 2,164 tests inside the container)
docker pull absolutedb/absdb:latest

# Run — PostgreSQL wire on :5433, REST API on :8080
docker run -d \
  --name absdb \
  -p 5433:5432 \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v absdb-data:/var/lib/absdb \
  absdb
bash — useful Docker commands
# Verify it's running
docker ps
curl http://localhost:8080/health

# Connect with psql
psql -h localhost -p 5433 -U $(whoami)

# Interactive CLI inside the container
docker exec -it absdb absdb

# View logs
docker logs -f absdb

# Stop / start
docker stop absdb
docker start absdb
bash — Docker with licence key (Professional / Enterprise)
docker run -d \
  --name absdb \
  -p 5433:5432 \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v absdb-data:/var/lib/absdb \
  -e ADB_LICENSE_KEY=PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX \
  absdb
Direct downloads

Platform-specific installer scripts

Download a ready-made shell script for your platform. Each script installs build tools, clones the repo, compiles, and (optionally) sets up a system service.

🐧
Ubuntu / Debian
20.04 LTS+ / Debian 11+
↓ install-ubuntu.sh bash View source
🎩
RHEL / CentOS / Fedora
RHEL 8+ · AlmaLinux · Rocky · Fedora 38+
↓ install-rhel.sh bash View source
macOS
Ventura 13+ — Apple Silicon & Intel
↓ install-macos.sh bash View source
🪟
Windows WSL 2
Windows 10 21H2+ / Windows 11
↓ install-ubuntu.sh run inside WSL Enable WSL first: wsl --install
🐳
Docker
Linux · macOS · Windows (any arch)
Request Dockerfile → email docker pull absolutedb/absdb:latest
📦
Source Code
Any POSIX platform with gcc or clang
↓ v7.5.2.tar.gz source ↓ v7.5.2.zip source
After install

Verify your installation

Run these checks to confirm Absolute DB is installed correctly and the server is accepting connections.

HTTP health endpoint

bash
curl http://localhost:8080/health

Expected response:

json
{"status":"ok","version":"7.5.2","uptime_s":4,"connections":0}

Connect with psql

bash
psql -h localhost -p 5433 -U $(whoami)

Expected prompt:

psql output
psql (14.x, server 7.5.2)
Type "help" for help.

admin=#

CLI version check

bash
absdb --version

Expected output:

output
Absolute DB v7.5.2 (C11, zero deps, ~154 KB)

REST API

Health check
curl http://localhost:8080/health

Returns: {"healthy":true,"version":"7.5.2","status":"running"}. Use POST /sql to execute SQL via HTTP.

Professional & Enterprise

Activating your licence key

The same binary ships for all editions. Your licence key unlocks Professional or Enterprise features at runtime — no recompile needed.

Key format: PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (Professional) or ENT-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (Enterprise). Keys are emailed after purchase at sales@absolutedb.com.

CLI flag Method 1

bash
absdb-server --license PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Use for quick testing or one-off server starts. Not recommended for production (key appears in process list).

Environment variable Method 2

bash
export ADB_LICENSE_KEY=PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
absdb-server

Best for shell sessions and CI/CD pipelines. Store in your secrets manager, not in plain .env files.

systemd service Method 3

/etc/systemd/system/absdb.service
[Service]
Environment="ADB_LICENSE_KEY=PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/absdb-server -d /var/lib/absdb/data.db
bash — apply changes
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart absdb

Docker Method 4

bash
docker run -d \
  -e ADB_LICENSE_KEY=PRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX \
  -p 5433:5432 -p 8080:8080 \
  --name absdb absdb

Use Docker secrets or a --env-file for production deployments to keep the key out of shell history.

Verify licence activation

bash
curl http://localhost:8080/health

A licensed server includes the active edition in the JSON response:

json — Professional edition
{"status":"ok","version":"7.5.2","status":"running","uptime_s":12}

Without a key the edition is "community". Contact sales@absolutedb.com to purchase.

Questions about installation?

Check the docs, or reach out — we answer fast.

Read the Docs → Email Support