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KDB-X Installation Guide

This page describes how to install and configure KDB-X Community Edition on different platforms.

Prerequisites

Supported platforms

The following platforms are supported:

  • Linux (x86_64)
  • Linux ARM (aarch64)
  • macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
  • Windows 10/11 using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

Note

Native Windows installation is not currently supported.

Required tools

Ensure the following tools are available:

  • bash
  • curl
  • unzip
  • pip (optional, for KDB-X Python)

Install dependencies

Note

Ensure you have access to a terminal. For example, Command Prompt, Terminal app or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl unzip

RHEL/CentOS:

sudo yum install curl unzip

macOS:

  • curl is preinstalled
  • unzip is preinstalled

Note

For macOS, we recommend you install HomeBrew before installing KDB-X.

License requirements

You must have:

  • Signed up at the Developer Center
  • Received your onboarding email to finish logging in to KX
  • Obtained and copied your base64-encoded license key on the Developer Center

The license key must be pasted exactly as provided:

  • Do not add quotes
  • Do not add spaces
  • Do not modify formatting

This method downloads and installs the latest version automatically.

The installation steps and commands are also available after logging into the Developer Center.

Note

Your license key is automatically included in the command copied from the Developer Center.

Linux / Windows (WSL)

Open a Linux or WSL terminal and copy/paste the install command from the Developer Center. The command has the following format:

curl -sLO --oauth2-bearer <AUTO_POPULATED_AUTH_TOKEN> \
 https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/install_kdb/~latest~/install_kdb.sh && \
 bash install_kdb.sh --b64lic <AUTO_POPULATED_LICENSE_KEY>

macOS

Open Terminal and and copy/paste the install command from the Developer Center. The command has the following format:

curl -sLO --oauth2-bearer <AUTO_POPULATED_AUTH_TOKEN> \
 https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/install_kdb/~latest~/install_kdb.sh && \
 bash install_kdb.sh --b64lic <AUTO_POPULATED_LICENSE_KEY>

If macOS blocks execution due to security controls, run the following command, then retry:

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine .

Air-gapped installation

Use this method in restricted or air-gapped environments.

You need two machines to perform this installation:

  • Host machine (with internet access)
  • Target machine (air-gapped, no internet access)

The host machine downloads and prepares the installation bundle for the target machine.

Prerequisites

You must generate the bundle for the target machine architecture, not the host machine.

Valid platform values:

Platform Description
l64 Linux x86_64 (Intel/AMD)
l64arm Linux ARM (aarch64)
m64 macOS (Intel or Apple Silicon)

On the host machine

  1. Download the required assets:

    1. For Linux or macOS host:

      curl -sL --remote-name-all https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/install_kdb/~latest~/{bundle.sh,versions.csv} && \
 bash bundle.sh --platform PLATFORM

      Replace PLATFORM with one of:

      • l64
      • l64arm
      • m64

    2. For Windows host:

      curl.exe -LO https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/install_kdb/~latest~/bundle.ps1; if ($?) { curl.exe -LO https://portal.dl.kx.com/assets/raw/kdb-x/install_kdb/~latest~/versions.csv; if ($?) { .\bundle.ps1 -platform l64 } }

      Replace l64 with the appropriate platform value.

  2. Move the generated file, for example l64-bundle.zip, from the host machine to the air-gapped target machine using your approved transfer method (USB, secure copy, etc.).

On the target machine

Unzip and install KDB-X offline:

unzip l64-bundle.zip && bash install_kdb.sh --offline --b64lic INSERT_YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE

In the install command above:

  • Replace l64 with the appropriate platform value.
  • Replace INSERT_YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE with your base64 license key.

Optional: Install KDB-X Python

Run this command to install the KDB-X Python API:

pip install --upgrade --pre pykx

For more details, refer to KDB-X Python Install.

Verify installation

To confirm KDB-X is installed correctly, run:

q

This command should display the installed version, build date, and environment details, in the following expected format:

KDB-X <version> <build-date>
l64/ ...
Welcome to KDB-X Community Edition!

For example:

KDB-X 5.0 2026.01.22 Copyright (C) 1993-2026 Kx Systems
l64/ 16(24)core 15644MB user machine 127.0.1.1 EXPIRE 2026.12.31 user@site.com COMMUNITY #12345678

Welcome to KDB-X Community Edition!
For Community support, please visit https://kx.com/slack
Tutorials can be found at https://github.com/KxSystems/tutorials
Ready to go beyond the Community Edition? Email preview@kx.com

q)

You should now see the q) prompt.

To test execution, run:

q)1+1
2

To exit the process type \\ and hit Enter.

Installation location

By default, KDB-X installs into $HOME/.kx. The installer:

  • Places the q binary in your PATH
  • Configures the license automatically
  • Installs required runtime components

To confirm the binary location, run:

which q

What's next?

Now that you have KDB-X Community Edition set up, check out the following resources: