User install instructions

Cross-platform macos linux windows

Docker

See our docker installation instructions.

Conda install

You can install NEST with the Conda forge package.

Live media

We have live media (.ova) if you want to run NEST in a virtual machine.

Download the live media here, and follow the instructions to set up the virtual machine .

linux Linux

Ubuntu

Ubuntu users can install NEST via the PPA repository.

  1. Add the PPA repository for NEST and update apt:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nest-simulator/nest
sudo apt-get update

  1. Install NEST:

sudo apt-get install nest

Debian

Debian users can install NEST via the Ubuntu PPA repository.

  1. Create a new apt repository entry in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nest-simulator-ubuntu-nest-XXX.list by:

sudo apt install devscripts build-essential software-properties-common dpkg-dev
sudo add-apt-repository --enable-source ppa:nest-simulator/nest

  1. Disable the binary package in the repository file created under /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ by commenting out the deb line, while keeping the deb-src line. It should look similar to this:

#deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/nest-simulator/nest/ubuntu focal main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/nest-simulator/nest/ubuntu focal main

  1. Import the PPA GPC key and rebuild the package:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 \
                 --recv-keys 0CF7539642ABD23CBCA8D487F0B8B6C5EC02D7DD
sudo apt update
sudo apt source --build nest

  1. Install any missing dependencies, if apt tells you so. In addition, install:

sudo apt install python3-all dh-python

  1. After installing the dependencies, enter sudo apt source --build nest again. When the build finished, look for lines like:

dpkg-deb: building package 'nest-dbgsym' in '../nest-dbgsym_2.20.0-0~202001311135~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.deb'.
dpkg-deb: building package 'nest' in '../nest_2.20.0-0~202001311135~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.deb'.
#dh binary
dpkg-genbuildinfo --build=binary
dpkg-genchanges --build=binary >../nest_2.20.0-0~202001311135~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.changes

and note down the full package name. In the above example this would be nest_2.20.0-0~202001311135~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.deb, where the number 202001311135 and potentially the Ubuntu version number may be different.

  1. Install the ready Debian package after the rebuild:

sudo dpkg --install nest-simulator-x.y.z~NUMBER~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.deb

The package name is taken from the result of the previous step. `NUMBER` and potentially the Ubuntu
version might differ.

  1. Test the package:

python3
import nest

macos macOS

  1. Install Homebrew.

  2. Install NEST via:

brew install nest