Installation#

To use Betty, you must first install Betty’s requirements and then install Betty itself.

Installing requirements#

Linux, macOS, or Windows#

You must use one of these desktop operating systems to be able to run Betty.

Python#

Betty requires Python 3.13 or higher.

Node.js#

Some optional parts of Betty use third-party JavaScript packages to help build your site.

If Betty shows you an error telling you you need npm or Node.js, then in order to use that functionality, you must:

  1. install Node.js 20 or higher following the instructions shown there

  2. ensure npm (the Node.js package manager) is in your PATH, e.g. that npm can be run in a terminal from anywhere. When running npm --help in a terminal shows you npm’s usage instructions, then you’re all set.

Poppler#

If your ancestry includes PDF files, then Betty requires Poppler. There several ways to install this, including but not limited to:

Linux: Debian, Ubuntu, etc.#

Run apt install poppler-utils

Linux: CentOS, Fedora, RHEL, etc.#

Run yum install poppler-utils

macOS#

Install with Homebrew: brew install poppler

Windows#

Install with Scoop: scoop install main/poppler

Installing Betty itself#

Use one of the following methods:

pip#

Run pip install betty to install the latest stable release.

pipx#

Run pipx install betty to install the latest stable release.

poetry#

Run poetry add betty to install the latest stable release.

From source#

Run the following to install the latest unstable version:

  1. git clone https://github.com/bartfeenstra/betty.git

  2. cd betty

  3. ./bin/build-dev.py