BoxLang Quick Installer
The BoxLang Quick Installer is the fastest way to get started with BoxLang.

The BoxLang Quick Installer provides convenient installation scripts for Mac, Linux, and Windows systems to get BoxLang up and running in minutes. Choose between a single-version installer for simplicity or BVM (BoxLang Version Manager) for advanced version management.
🚀 Quick Start
Mac and Linux:
# Single version (simple)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://install.boxlang.io)"
# Version manager (advanced)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://install-bvm.boxlang.io)"
Windows:
# Single version (simple)
powershell -NoExit -Command "iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://install-windows.boxlang.io'))"
Verify Installation
# Check BoxLang version
boxlang --version
# Start BoxLang REPL
boxlang
# Start MiniServer
boxlang-miniserver --port 8080
📋Requirements
You should be able to grab the Java 21 JRE for your OS and CPU arch here: Download Java 21 JRE
We recommend using homebrew to get started on a Mac with the BoxLang requirements. If not, you must download the requirements separately from the link above.
brew install openjdk@21
Once the requirements are installed, move down to the quick installer.
📦 Installation Options
Option 1: Single-Version Installer (Recommended for Most Users)
Choose this if you:
📌 Need one BoxLang version system-wide
🎯 Want the simplest possible installation
🏢 Are setting up production servers
⚡ Want the fastest installation with minimal overhead
Features:
✅ Installs latest stable BoxLang version
✅ Sets up BoxLang runtime and MiniServer
✅ Includes all helper scripts
✅ Automatic PATH configuration
✅ User or system-wide installation options
Option 2: BVM (BoxLang Version Manager)
Choose this if you:
🔄 Work on multiple projects needing different BoxLang versions
🧪 Want to test code against different BoxLang releases
🚀 Need to switch between stable and snapshot versions
📦 Want centralized management of BoxLang installations
🛠️ Are a BoxLang developer or advanced user
Features:
✅ Install and manage multiple BoxLang versions
✅ Switch between versions with one command
✅ List local and remote versions
✅ Clean uninstall capabilities
✅ Health check and diagnostics
⚙️ Command Options
Here are the available options for the install command.
--help
-h
Show this help message
--uninstall
Remove BoxLang from the system
--check-update
Check if a newer version is available
--system
Force system-wide installation (requires sudo)
--force
Force reinstallation even if already installed
--with-commandbox
Install CommandBox without prompting
--without-commandbox
Skip CommandBox installation
--yes
-y
Use defaults for all prompts (installs CommandBox)
Notes
Use
--system
when you want to install BoxLang for all users on the systemThe
--force
option is useful when you need to reinstall or update an existing installation--yes
automatically accepts all defaults, including installing CommandBox--with-commandbox
and--without-commandbox
give you explicit control over CommandBox installation
🛠️ What Gets Installed
Core Components
BoxLang Runtime (
boxlang
,bx
) - The main BoxLang Runtime EngineBoxLang MiniServer (
boxlang-miniserver
,bx-miniserver
) - Lightweight web application server
Helper Scripts
install-bx-module - Install modules from ForgeBox
install-jre (Windows) - Install Java Runtime Environment
Directory Structure
~/.boxlang/ # BoxLang home directory
├── bin/ # Executable binaries
├── lib/ # Core libraries
├── scripts/ # Installed scripts
# System installation locations:
System Wide: /usr/local/bin/ # Binaries (Linux/Mac)
Local User: ~/.local/bin/ # Binaries (Linux/Mac)
C:\BoxLang\ # Installation directory (Windows)
📖 Help Command
Always make sure to run the --help
command to get the latest and greatest command usage.
📦 BoxLang® Quick Installer [email protected]@
This script installs the BoxLang® runtime, MiniServer and tools on your system.
Usage:
install-boxlang [version] [options]
install-boxlang --help
Arguments:
[version] (Optional) Specify which version to install
- 'latest' (default): Install the latest stable release
- 'snapshot': Install the latest development snapshot
- '1.2.0': Install a specific version number
Options:
--help, -h Show this help message
--uninstall Remove BoxLang from the system
--check-update Check if a newer version is available
--system Force system-wide installation (requires sudo)
--force Force reinstallation even if already installed
--with-commandbox Install CommandBox without prompting
--without-commandbox Skip CommandBox installation
--yes, -y Use defaults for all prompts (installs CommandBox)
Examples:
install-boxlang
install-boxlang latest
install-boxlang snapshot
install-boxlang 1.2.0
install-boxlang --force
install-boxlang --with-commandbox
install-boxlang --without-commandbox
install-boxlang --yes
install-boxlang --uninstall
install-boxlang --check-update
sudo install-boxlang --system
Non-Interactive Usage:
🌐 Install with CommandBox: curl -fsSL https://boxlang.io/install.sh | bash -s -- --with-commandbox
🌐 Install without CommandBox: curl -fsSL https://boxlang.io/install.sh | bash -s -- --without-commandbox
🌐 Install with defaults: curl -fsSL https://boxlang.io/install.sh | bash -s -- --yes
🎯 Detailed Usage
Single-Version Installer Commands
# Install latest stable version
install-boxlang
# Install specific version
install-boxlang --version 1.2.0
# Install snapshot version
install-boxlang --snapshot
# System-wide installation (requires sudo)
sudo install-boxlang --system
# Uninstall BoxLang
install-boxlang --uninstall
# Get help
install-boxlang --help
Module Management
# Install a module globally
install-bx-module bx-orm
# Install multiple modules
install-bx-module bx-orm,bx-mail,bx-db
# Install to specific directory
install-bx-module bx-orm --directory ./modules
# Install specific version
install-bx-module [email protected]
# Get help
install-bx-module --help
🌐 Running Applications
BoxLang Runtime
# Start REPL
boxlang
# Run a class
boxlang Task.bx
# Run a script
boxlang myscript.bxs
# Execute inline code
boxlang -c "println('Hello BoxLang!')"
# Compile to bytecode
boxlang compile myscript.bx
# Show version
boxlang --version
BoxLang MiniServer
# Start with default settings
boxlang-miniserver
# Specify port
boxlang-miniserver --port 8080
# Set web root
boxlang-miniserver --webroot ./public
# Enable development mode
boxlang-miniserver --dev
# Show all options
boxlang-miniserver --help
🔧 Configuration
Environment Variables
# BoxLang home directory
export BOXLANG_HOME=~/.boxlang
# Java options for BoxLang
export BOXLANG_OPTS="-Xmx2g -Xms512m"
# Module search paths
export BOXLANG_MODULES_PATH="./modules:~/.boxlang/modules"
🐛 Troubleshooting
Common Issues
BoxLang not found after installation:
# Restart terminal or reload profile
source ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc
# Check PATH
echo $PATH | grep boxlang
Java not found:
# Check Java installation
java -version
# Install Java 21 (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install default-jdk
# Install Java 21 (macOS)
brew install openjdk@21
Permission denied errors:
# Fix permissions for user installation
chmod +x ~/.boxlang/bin/*
# Or use system installation
sudo install-boxlang --system
Module installation fails:
# Check network connectivity
curl -I https://forgebox.io
# Clear module cache
rm -rf ~/.boxlang/modules/.cache
# Install with verbose output
install-bx-module bx-orm --verbose
Getting Help
# Command-specific help
install-boxlang --help
install-bx-module --help
bvm help
# Health check (BVM only)
bvm doctor
# Verbose output for debugging
install-boxlang --verbose
install-bx-module --verbose
📚 Resources
Documentation
Community
Examples
🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:
Reporting Issues
Check existing issues
Create a detailed bug report with:
Operating system and version
BoxLang version
Steps to reproduce
Expected vs actual behavior
Contributing Code
Fork the repository
Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
Make your changes
Add tests if applicable
Update documentation
Submit a pull request
Testing
Help test new features and releases:
# Install snapshot for testing
bvm install snapshot
bvm use snapshot
# Report any issues found
📄 License
This project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
🆘 Support
Community Support (Free)
🌐 Website: https://boxlang.io
📖 Documentation: https://boxlang.ortusbooks.com
💾 GitHub: https://github.com/ortus-boxlang/boxlang
💬 Community: https://community.ortussolutions.com/
🧑💻 Try: https://try.boxlang.io
📧 Mailing List: https://newsletter.boxlang.io
Professional Support
🫶 Enterprise Support: https://boxlang.io/plans
🎓 Training: https://learn.boxlang.io
🔧 Consulting: https://www.ortussolutions.com/services/development
📞 Priority Support: Available with enterprise plans
Made with ♥️ in USA 🇺🇸, El Salvador 🇸🇻 and Spain 🇪🇸
Last updated
Was this helpful?