Install overview¶

The Salt install guide

Welcome to the Salt install guide! This guide provides instructions for installing Salt on Salt supported operating systems. It also explains how to configure Salt, start Salt services, and verify your installation.

Note that the Salt Project has phased out classic package builds for supported operating systems for 3006 and later. Update your Salt infrastructure to the new onedir packages as soon as possible. See Upgrade to onedir for instructions.

Standard installation overview¶

Using the standard installation method is recommended for most organizations, especially if you are just starting out with Salt. The standard installation will make using Salt easier and provides functionality that isn’t available in masterless/agentless Salt configurations.

	Process	For more information
1	Before you start the installation, check the system requirements to ensure your platform is supported in the latest version of Salt and open the required network ports. Ensure you also have the correct permissions to install packages on the targeted nodes.	Check system requirements Check your network ports Check your permissions Salt supported operating systems Salt version support lifecycle Support for Python versions
2	Install the `salt-master` service on the node that will manage your other nodes, meaning it will send commands to other nodes. Then, install the `salt-minion` service on the nodes that will be managed by the Salt master. For Linux-based operating systems, the recommended installation method is to use the bootstrap script or you can manually install Salt using the instructions for each operating system. For Windows or macOS operating systems, you need to download and run the installer file for that system.	For Linux-based systems: Bootstrap installation Manual install directions by operating system For macOS or Windows: macOS Windows For all operating systems: Manual install directions by operating system
3	Configure the Salt minions to add the DNS/hostname or IP address of the Salt master they will connect to. You can add additional configurations to the master and minions as needed.	Configure the Salt master and minions Configuring the minion
4	Start the service on the master, then the minions.	Start the master and minion services
5	Accept the minion keys after the minion connects.	Accept the minion keys
6	Verify that the installation was successful by sending a test ping.	Verify a Salt install
7	Install third-party Python dependencies needed for specific modules.	Install dependencies

Alternative installations and configurations¶

In general, you should only use alternative installation and configuration options if you are an intermediate or advanced Salt user.

Although the standard Salt configuration model is the master/minion (master/client) model, minions do not necessarily have to have a master to be managed. Salt also gives additional options for managing minions:

Type	Description	For more information
Masterless	Running a masterless salt-minion lets you use Salt’s configuration management for a single machine without calling out to a Salt master on another machine.	Salt masterless quickstart
Salt cloud	Provisions and manages systems on cloud hosts or hypervisors. It uses the Saltify drive to install Salt on existing machines (virtual or bare metal).	Salt cloud Getting started with Saltify
Proxy minions	Send and receive commands from minions that, for whatever reason, can’t run the standard `salt-minion` service.	Proxy minions
Agentless	Use SSH to run Salt commands on a minion without installing an agent.	Salt SSH
Install Salt for development	If you plan to contribute to the Salt codebase, use this installation method.	Installing Salt for development