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Install DataStar

DataStar ships as a Windows MSI, a macOS .dmg, and Linux .deb/.rpm packages, each installing the desktop client. On Windows and Linux the bundled DataStar.Tools CLI is installed alongside it. The installers are fully self-contained, with no other dependencies or frameworks required, and install in under a minute.

Supported platforms​

  • Windows 11 (64-bit)
  • macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel
  • Linux desktop (64-bit, x64 or ARM64): Debian/Ubuntu (.deb) and Fedora/RHEL (.rpm)

System requirements​

  • 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
  • 500 MB free disk space
  • Network access to your database server, your version-control host (Git, or TFVC on Windows), and the DataStar licence server
  • (Optional) Network access to your task tracker (Jira or Azure Boards) if you plan to link releases to work items
  • (TFVC only, Windows only) .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later: required for the TFVC version-control integration. TFVC is not available on Linux; Git is supported on all platforms.

Install the MSI​

  1. Download the latest MSI from the Download page.
  2. Double-click the installer. Accept the UAC prompt if it appears.
  3. Follow the wizard. The default install path is C:\Program Files\AbsoluteTechnology\DataStar\.

The installer adds Start menu and desktop shortcuts. DataStar.Tools.exe is placed in the install folder; for CI/CD or scripting use, add that folder to PATH yourself, invoke it with its full path, or use the standalone CLI download below.

Install via Chocolatey​

If your team uses Chocolatey, you can install from an elevated shell:

choco install datastar

Upgrades work the same way:

choco upgrade datastar

Install on Linux​

DataStar is available as .deb (Debian/Ubuntu) and .rpm (Fedora/RHEL) packages, for both x64 and ARM64. Download the package for your architecture from the Download page, then install it with your package manager:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./datastar_<version>_amd64.deb

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install ./datastar-<version>.x86_64.rpm

This installs the desktop client, adds a datastar launcher to your PATH, and registers an applications-menu entry. The packages are self-contained; there is no separate .NET runtime to install.

Each download has a matching .sha256 checksum file. To verify a package before installing:

sha256sum -c datastar_<version>_amd64.deb.sha256

Install on macOS​

DataStar ships as a signed, notarised .dmg for macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel. From the Download page, choose the Apple Silicon build for M-series Macs or the Intel build for older Macs (the Apple menu ▸ About This Mac shows your chip).

Open the .dmg and drag DataStar into your Applications folder, then launch it from Launchpad or Spotlight. Because every build is notarised by Apple, it opens straight away, with no Gatekeeper warning or right-click-to-open workaround.

Each download has a matching .sha256 checksum file. To verify a download before installing:

shasum -a 256 -c <download>.dmg.sha256

DataStar.Tools (standalone CLI)​

DataStar.Tools is the cross-platform CLI used by CI/CD pipelines to package, deploy, and reverse releases against a target database. It runs on both Windows and Linux agents and is fully self-contained.

It is installed alongside the desktop client by the MSI, but for build and deployment agents that don't need the desktop client you can grab it on its own:

  • ZIP for a direct download onto a build agent: DataStar.Tools.<version>.zip
  • NuGet package for Octopus Deploy and other NuGet-based feeds: DataStar.Tools.<version>.nupkg

Both are available from the Download page under Command-line tools. See the CI/CD overview for how to wire the CLI into your pipeline.

Activate your licence​

DataStar requires an active licence key to run. See How licensing works for how to request one.

Once you have a key:

  1. Launch DataStar (from the Start menu on Windows, Launchpad on macOS, or your applications menu on Linux).
  2. From the main menu, choose Help → Licence Key.
  3. Paste in your key and click Activate.

The client validates the key against the licence server. Once activated, the key is remembered for your user account on that machine; you won't need to re-enter it on subsequent launches.

Verify the install​

On Windows, open a terminal and run:

& "C:\Program Files\AbsoluteTechnology\DataStar\DataStar.Tools.exe" --version

On macOS, launch DataStar from Launchpad or Spotlight.

On Linux, launch it from your applications menu, or run datastar from a terminal.

You should see the version you installed (for example, 3.0.14).

Next steps​

  1. Open or create a workspace.
  2. Walk through a release end-to-end.

Uninstall​

On Windows, remove DataStar from Settings → Apps → Installed apps, or run:

choco uninstall datastar

On macOS, drag DataStar from your Applications folder to the Trash.

On Linux, remove it with your package manager:

sudo apt remove datastar    # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf remove datastar    # Fedora / RHEL

Uninstalling removes the application and CLI. Your workspaces, templates, and per-user settings (on Windows, under %APPDATA%\DataStarV3\) are left intact.

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