Skip to main content

Choose a channel: stable vs edge

Protostar ships on two tracks. Pick based on whether you want proven releases or the very latest changes.

ChannelWhat you getVersion looks likeBest for
stable (default)The latest tagged release0.1.0Everyday use
edgeA rolling prerelease rebuilt from the tip of main on every change0.2.0-alpha.0.7Trying unreleased fixes early

If you do nothing, you are on stable — that is what the install one-liner gives you.

Install or switch to edge

Linux / macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.sh | sh -s -- --channel edge
Windows (PowerShell)

The piped one-liner cannot take parameters, so fetch the script first, then invoke it with -Channel:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.ps1))) -Channel edge

Switch back to stable

Re-run the default installer (no --channel/-Channel). It installs the latest tagged release over your edge build:

Linux / macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

How do I tell which channel I'm on?

Check the version. A plain MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH is a stable release; a -alpha.0.N suffix is an edge build:

$ protostar --version
0.2.0-alpha.0.7 # edge

Why the two channels never collide

The edge build is published under a moving edge tag that does not start with v, so MinVer ignores it when stamping versions. Stable releases are vX.Y.Z tags. The two tracks are versioned independently and never step on each other. The full mechanics are in Releasing.

Updating

To update within your channel, just re-run the matching install command above. For more on keeping current and cleaning up, see Manage your installation.