2.3. Installation on macOS

2.3.1. Installation using the Apache CouchDB native application

The easiest way to run CouchDB on macOS is through the native macOS application. Just follow the below instructions:

  1. Download Apache CouchDB for macOS. Old releases are available at archive.
  2. Double click on the Zip file
  3. Drag and drop the Apache CouchDB.app into Applications folder

That’s all, now CouchDB is installed on your Mac:

  1. Run Apache CouchDB application
  2. Open up Fauxton, the CouchDB admin interface
  3. Verify the install by clicking on Verify, then Verify Installation.
  4. Be sure to complete the First-time Setup steps for a single node or clustered installation.
  5. Time to Relax!

2.3.2. Installation with Homebrew

The Homebrew build of CouchDB 2.x is still in development. Check back often for updates.

2.3.3. Installation from source

Installation on macOS is possible from source. Download the source tarball, extract it, and follow the instructions in the INSTALL.Unix.md file.

Running as a Daemon

CouchDB itself no longer ships with any daemonization scripts.

The CouchDB team recommends runit to run CouchDB persistently and reliably. Configuration of runit is straightforward; if you have questions, reach out to the CouchDB user mailing list.

Naturally, you can configure launchd or other init daemons to launch CouchDB and keep it running using standard configuration files.

Consult your system documentation for more information.