Setting up¶
The goal of setting up is a stack executable file on the PATH. When Stack is
used, it sets other things up as needed.
How do I know if Stack is on the PATH?
Command stack. If Stack is available, that should output information about
how to use it.
How do I find where Stack is located?
Command which -a stack.
Command where.exe stack.
How do I find what version of Stack is available?
Command stack --version or stack --numeric-version.
If I don't use GHCup, is there a preferred location for Stack?
You can put the stack executable file anywhere on your PATH. However, a
good location is the directory where Stack itself will install executables.
That location depends on the operating system:
Stack installs executables to:
If you don't have that directory in your PATH, you may need to update
your PATH. That can be done by editing the ~/.bashrc file.
Stack installs executables to:
For example: C:\Users\<user-name>\AppData\Roaming\local\bin.
If you don't have that directory in your PATH, you may need to update your PATH. That can be done by searching for 'Edit Environment variables for your account' under Start.
Note
If you used GHCup to install Stack, GHCup puts executable files in the
bin directory in the GHCup root directory.
To get and use Stack, some other things need to be in place first:
-
A computer
Stack will need at least about 5 GB of disk space1. It will help to know what platform your computer provides.
-
Access to the Internet
Stack will need to fetch files from remote locations.
-
Terminal software
Stack is used at the command line. Your operating system likely provides terminal software and alternatives may be available.
-
A code editor
You can use any editor program that can edit text files but code editors with extensions for Haskell code files are recommended.
Install Stack¶
Stack can be installed on most Linux distributions, macOS and Windows.
What about other operating systems?
Stack is open to supporting more operating systems. To request support for an operating system, please submit an issue at Stack's GitHub repository.
Stack can be installed directly or by using the GHCup tool.
Stack can be installed on various operating systems.
Where can binary distributions for Stack be found?
Stack executables are available on the releases page of Stack's GitHub repository.
URLs with the format
https://get.haskellstack.org/stable/<PLATFORM>.<EXTENSION> point to
the latest stable release. The manual download links use those URLs.
Does the sh installation script have flags and options?
The sh installation script recognises the following optional flags and
options: -q suppresses output and specifies non-intervention (likely a
prerequisite for the use of the script in CI environments); -f forces
installation, even if an existing Stack executable is detected; and
-d <directory> specifies a destination directory for the Stack
executable.
For most Linux distributions, on x86_64 or AArch64 machine architectures, the easiest way to install Stack is to command either:
or:
These commands download a script file and run it using sh.
Will the installation script need root access?
The script at get.haskellstack.org
will ask for root access using sudo. It needs such access in order
to use your platform's package manager to install dependencies and
to install to /usr/local/bin. If you prefer more control, follow
the manual installation instructions for your platform below.
Can I download Stack manually?
Yes. Manual download for Linux distributions depends on your machine architecture, x86_64 or AArch64/ARM64.
-
Extract the archive and place the
stackexecutable file somewhere on your PATH. -
Ensure you have the required system dependencies installed. These include GCC, GNU Make, xz, perl, libgmp, libffi, and zlib. We also recommend Git and GPG.
The installation of system dependencies will depend on the package manager for your Linux distribution. Notes are provided for Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo and Ubuntu.
Ensure you have the ncurses package with USE=tinfo. Without
it, Stack will not be able to install GHC.
-
Extract the archive and place the
stackexecutable file somewhere on your PATH. -
Ensure you have the required system dependencies installed. These include GCC, GNU Make, xz, perl, libgmp, libffi, and zlib. We also recommend Git and GPG.
The installation of system dependencies will depend on the package manager for your Linux distribution. Notes are provided for Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo and Ubuntu.
Ensure you have the ncurses package with USE=tinfo. Without it,
Stack will not be able to install GHC.
Can I use a Linux package to get Stack?
Some Linux distributions have official or unofficial packages for Stack, including Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, NixOS, openSUSE/SUSE Linux Enterprise, and Ubuntu. However, the Stack version available as a Linux package may lag behind Stack's current version and, in some cases, the lag may be significant.
Linux packages that lag behind Stack's current version
If Stack version available as a Linux package lags behind
Stack's current version, using stack upgrade --binary-only is
recommended after installing it.
The Arch extra package repository provides an official x86_64 package. You can install it with the command:
The Arch User Repository (AUR) also provides:
-
a
stack-binpackage; and
There are Debian packages for Buster and up. However, the distribution's Stack version lags behind.
Fedora includes Stack, but its Stack version may lag behind.
Users who follow the nixos-unstable channel or the Nixpkgs
master branch can install the latest Stack release into their
profile with the command:
Alternatively, the package can be built from source as follows.
-
Clone the git repo, with the command:
-
Create a
shell.nixfile with the command:Note that the tests fail on NixOS, so disable them with
--no-check. Also, Haddock currently doesn't work for Stack, so--no-haddockdisables it. -
Install Stack to your user profile with the command:
For more information on using Stack together with Nix, please see the NixOS manual section on Stack.
There is also an unofficial package for openSUSE or SUSE Linux Enterprise. Its Stack version may lag behind. To install it:
There are Ubuntu packages for Ubuntu 20.04 and up.
Can I set up auto-completion of Stack commands?
Yes. For further information, see the shell auto-completion documentation.
Most users of Stack on macOS will also have up to date tools for software development.
What if I am not sure that I have those tools?
macOS does not come with all the tools required for software development but a collection of useful tools, known as the Xcode Command Line Tools, is readily available. A version of that collection is provided with each version of Xcode (Apple’s integrated development environment) and can also be obtained from Apple separately from Xcode. The collection also includes the macOS SDK (software development kit). The macOS SDK provides header files for macOS APIs.
If you use a command that refers to a common Xcode Command Line Tool and the Xcode Command Line Tools are not installed, macOS may prompt you to install the tools.
macOS also comes with a command line tool, xcode-select, that can
be used to obtain the Xcode Command Line Tools. Command
xcode-select --print-path to print the path to the currently
selected (active) developer directory. If the directory does not
exist, or is empty, then the Xcode Command Line Tools are not
installed.
If the Xcode Command Line Tools are not installed, command
xcode-select --install to open a user interface dialog to request
automatic installation of the tools.
An upgrade of macOS may sometimes require the existing Xcode Command
Line Tools to be uninstalled and an updated version of the tools to
be installed. The existing tools can be uninstalled by deleting the
directory reported by xcode-select --print-path.
If, after the installation of Stack, running stack setup fails
with:
that indicates that the Xcode Command Line Tools are not installed.
If building fails with messages that *.h files are not found, that
may also indicate that Xcode Command Line Tools are not up to date.
Xcode 10 provided an SDK for macOS 10.14 (Mojave) and
changed the location
of the macOS system headers. As a workaround, an extra package was
provided by Apple which installed the headers to the base system
under /usr/include.
What versions of the LLVM compiler and toolchain are supported?
The documentation for each version of GHC identifies the versions of LLVM that are supported. That is summarised in the table below for recent versions of GHC:
| GHC version | LLVM versions |
|---|---|
| 9.8.2 | 11 to 15 |
| 9.6.6 | 11 to 15 |
| 9.4.8 | 10 to 14 |
| 9.2.8 | 9 to 12 |
| 9.0.2 | 9, 10 or 12 |
| 8.10.7 | 9 to 12 |
| 8.8.4 | 7 |
| 8.6.5 | 6 |
| 8.4.4 | 5 |
From late 2020, Apple began a transition from Mac computers with Intel processors (Intel-based Mac) to Mac computers with Apple silicon.
Intel-based Mac computers have processors with x86_64 architectures. For most Intel-based Mac computers, the easiest way to install Stack is to command either:
or:
These commands download a script file and run it using sh.
Will the installation script need root access?
The script at
get.haskellstack.org
will ask for root access using sudo. It needs such access in
order to use your platform's package manager to install
dependencies and to install to /usr/local/bin. If you prefer
more control, follow the manual installation instructions below.
Mac computers with Apple silicon have an M series chip. These chips use an architecture known as ARM64 or AArch64.
For Mac computers with Apple silicon, the easiest way to install Stack is to command either:
or:
These commands download a script file and run it using sh.
Will the installation script need root access?
The script at
get.haskellstack.org
will ask for root access using sudo. It needs such access in
order to use your platform's package manager to install
dependencies and to install to /usr/local/bin. If you prefer
more control, follow the manual installation instructions below.
What if I get error C compiler cannot build executables?
The installation of Stack or some packages (e.g. network)
requiring C source compilation might fail with:
In that case you should pass -arch arm64 as part of the
CFLAGS environment variable. This setting will be picked up by
the C compiler of your choice.
# Assuming BASH below
# passing CFLAGS in-line with the command giving rise to the error
CFLAGS="-arch arm64 ${CFLAGS:-}" some_command_to_install_stack
CFLAGS="-arch arm64 ${CFLAGS:-}" stack [build|install]
# -- OR --
# ~/.bash_profile
# NOTE: only do this if you do not have to cross-compile, or remember to unset
# CFLAGS when needed
export CFLAGS="-arch arm64 ${CFLAGS:-}"
The setting instructs the C compiler to compile objects for ARM64. These can then be linked with libraries built for ARM64. Without the instruction, the C compiler, invoked by Cabal running in x86-64, would compile x86-64 objects and attempt to link them with existing ARM64 libraries, resulting in the error above.
Can I use the Homebrew package manager to get Stack?
Homebrew is a popular package manager for macOS.
If you have its brew tool installed, you can just command:
-
The Homebrew formula and bottles are unofficial and lag slightly behind new Stack releases, but tend to be updated within a day or two.
-
Normally, Homebrew will install from a pre-built binary (aka "pour from a bottle"), but if it starts trying to build everything from source (which will take hours), see their FAQ on the topic.
Can I set up auto-completion of Stack commands?
Yes. For further information, see the shell auto-completion documentation.
Most computers using Windows have a x86_64 machine architecture. More recently, Microsoft has provided Windows on Arm that runs on other processors.
On 64-bit Windows, the easiest way to install Stack is to download and use the Windows installer.
Stack root
By default, the Windows installer will set the
Stack root by setting the STACK_ROOT
environment variable to C:\sr.
Anti-virus software
Systems with antivirus software may need to add Stack to the list of 'trusted' applications.
You may see a "Windows Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting" warning when you try to run the installer. If so, click on More info, and then click on the Run anyway button that appears.
I have a Windows username with a space in it
GHC 9.4.1 and later have a bug which means they do not work if
the path to the ghc executable has a space character in it.
The default location for Stack's 'programs' directory will have
a space in the path if the value of the USERNAME environment
variable includes a space.
A solution is to configure Stack to use a different location for
its 'programs' directory. For further information, see the
local-programs-path
non-project specific configuration option documentation.
Stack 2.9.1, 2.9.3 and 2.11.1: Long user PATH environment variable
The Windows installer for Stack 2.9.1, 2.9.3 and 2.11.1 (only)
will replace the user PATH environment variable (rather than
append to it) if a 1024 character limit is exceeded. If the
content of your existing user PATH is long, preserve it before
running the installer.
We recommend installing to the default location with the installer,
as that will make stack install and stack upgrade work correctly
out of the box.
The GHC project does not yet provide a version of GHC that runs on Windows on Arm.
China-based users: download
As of 24 February 2020, the download link has limited connectivity from within mainland China. If you experience this, please proceed by manually downloading (ideally via a VPN) and installing Stack following the instructions on this page that apply to your operating system.
The separate GHCup project provides a tool that can be used to install Stack and other Haskell-related tools, including GHC and Haskell Language Server (HLS). HLS is a program that is used by Haskell extensions for popular code editors.
GHCup provides Stack for some combinations of machine architecture and operating system not provided elsewhere.
By default, the script to install GHCup (which can be run more than once) also configures Stack so that if Stack needs a version of GHC, GHCup takes over obtaining and installing that version.
China-based users: configuration
After installation, Stack will need to be configured before it can download
large files consistently from within China (without reliance on a VPN).
Please add the following to the bottom of the
global configuration file (config.yaml):
What if I am using an HTTP proxy?
To use Stack behind a HTTP proxy with IP address IP and port PORT, first
set up an environment variable http_proxy and then run the Stack command.
For example:
On most operating systems, it is not mandatory for programs to follow the 'system-wide' HTTP proxy. Some programs, such as browsers, do honor this 'system-wide' HTTP proxy setting, while other programs, including Bash, do not. That means configuring 'http proxy setting' in your System Preferences (macOS) would not result in Stack traffic going through the proxy.
It is not mandatory for programs to follow the 'system-wide' HTTP proxy. Some programs, such as browsers, do honor this 'system-wide' HTTP proxy setting, while other programs do not. That means configuring 'http proxy setting' in your Control Panel would not result in Stack traffic going through the proxy.
It is not mandatory for programs to follow the 'system-wide' HTTP proxy. Some programs, such as browsers, do honor this 'system-wide' HTTP proxy setting, while other programs do not. That means configuring 'http proxy setting' in your Control Panel would not result in Stack traffic going through the proxy.
Upgrade Stack¶
The Stack project recommends the use of the latest released version of Stack.
If Stack is already installed, upgrading it depends on whether you are using Stack or GHCup to manage versions of Stack.
If you use GHCup to manage versions of Stack, use it consistently
If you used GHCup to install Stack, you should also use GHCup to upgrade Stack.
GHCup uses an executable named stack to manage versions of Stack,
through a file stack.shim. Stack will likely overwrite the executable
on upgrade.
There are different approaches to upgrading Stack, which vary as between Unix-like operating systems (including macOS) and Windows.
There are essentially four different approaches:
-
Use the
stack upgradecommand
For further information, see the
stack upgradedocumentation. -
Manual download
Follow the steps above to download manually the newest executable and replace the old executable.
-
Use the
shinstallation script
Use the
get.haskellstack.orgscript with its-fflag to overwrite the current Stack executable. For example, command either:or:
-
Use a package manager
Follow your normal package manager approach to upgrading. For example:
Be aware that officially released binaries from the distribution may lag behind the latest version of Stack significantly.
There are essentially two different approaches:
-
Use the
stack upgradecommand
For further information, see the
stack upgradedocumentation. -
Manual download
Follow the steps above to download manually the newest executable and replace the old executable.
The separate GHCup project provides guidance about how to use GHCup to manage versions of tools such as Stack.
-
About 3 GB for a single version of GHC and about 2 GB for a local copy of the Hackage package index. ↩