The XML file describing the program’s requirements can also be included in a source-code repository, allowing full dependency handling for unreleased developer versions. Installation is always side-effect-free (each package is unpacked to its own directory and will not touch shared directories), making it ideal for use with sandboxing technologies and virtualization. For example, while it will share libraries whenever possible, it can always install multiple versions of a package in parallel when there are conflicting requirements. Zero Install also has some interesting features not often found in traditional package managers. 0install packages never interfere with those provided by the distribution.

It is intended to complement, rather than replace, the operating system’s package management. It allows software developers to publish programs directly from their own web-sites, while supporting features familiar from centralized distribution repositories such as shared libraries, automatic updates and digital signatures. Zero Install is a decentralized cross-platform software-installation system available under the LGPL.

Download Zero Install 2.24.8