Installing on macOS

introduction this guide details the installation process for the ir engine on macos devices prerequisites ensure you have the following tools installed on your system before starting the installation homebrew https //brew\ sh/docker desktop https //www docker com/products/docker desktop/nvm (node version manager) https //github com/nvm sh/nvmpython 3 https //www python org/downloads/pip https //pip pypa io/en/stable/installation/ installation instructions follow these steps to set up the ir engine on your macos device step 1 prepare your project first, generate a copy of the project by cloning the repository and navigate to the project directory open your terminal clone the repository by running git clone https //github com/ir engine/ir engine git navigate to the directory of the cloned repository by running cd ir engine step 2 set up environment variables the ir engine requires specific environment settings configure them by running cp env local default env local this command creates a copy of the default environment file, env local default , renaming it to env local for use by the application step 3 install and activate the recommended node js version the ir engine functions with a specific node js version, outlined in the nvmrc file to activate the recommended version, run nvm use command output options if the version is found (✅) the system switches to the recommended node js version if the version is not found (❌) the system returns a message indicating the missing version to resolve, run the following commands install the missing version nvm install \<version> activate the version nvm use step 4 install dependencies install the required dependencies by running npm install upon completion, proceed to initialize and run your development environment run your development environment this section contains the instructions to run your local development environment step 1 start docker and initialize the database open docker desktop initialize the database by running npm run dev reinit step 2 start the development environment launch the ir engine development environment with npm run dev this command opens the application at https //localhost 3000/location/default https //localhost 3000/location/default in your web browser step 3 open your development environment navigate to the application's url https //localhost 3000/location/default in your browser to start working with the ir engine development environment step 4 accept the certificates when accessing the ir engine for the first time, browsers block access due to self signed certificates this prevents you from accessing the admin panel and the editor to bypass this, manually accept the certificates open developer tools chrome/edge click the three dot menu → more tools → developer tools shortcut press ctrl+shift+i or f12 navigate to the console tab identify certificate related errors check for network request errors related to websocket connections ( wss\ // urls) https requests to localhost the following addresses require certificate approval https //localhost 3030 – api server https //localhost 8642 – file server bypass the security warning open these urls directly in your browser https //localhost 3030 https //localhost 3030https //localhost 8642 https //localhost 8642 a "your connection is not private" warning appears click advanced → proceed to localhost (unsafe) reload the engine’s website why bypassing security warnings? browsers block connections to self signed certificates by default to protect users from potentially unsafe sites for local development, it's safe to bypass these warnings, but only if you trust the source—like your own machine or your team's local environment once completed, the ir engine’s admin panel and editor will be fully accessible 🚀 note you will be able to create signed certificates to replace the default ones when you deploy your own ir engine stack