Important: Edge Impulse requires Node.js version 16 or later. For the best experience, we recommend using Node.js 22 (the current LTS version with active support). Using older versions may lead to installation issues or runtime errors. Please ensure you have the correct version installed before proceeding with the setup.

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Linux, Ubuntu, MacOS, and Raspbian OS

  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install Python 3 on your host computer.
  3. Install Node.js v16.x+ or above on your host computer. Alternatively, run the following commands: 
    curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
node -v
    The last command should return the node version, v16 or above. Let’s verify the node installation directory: 
    npm config get prefix
    If it returns /usr/local/, run the following commands to change npm’s default directory: 
    mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.profile
    On MacOS you might be using zsh as default, so you will want to update the correct profile 
    mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.zprofile
  4. Install the CLI tools via: 
    npm install -g edge-impulse-cli
You should now have the tools available in your PATH.

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Windows

It is highly recommended to use the Command Prompt (CMD) vs Powershell when installing and using the Edge Impulse CLI on Windows.During installation you may get an error about needing Visual Studio Build Tools. This is needed for some parts of the Edge Impulse CLI. Please follow the error links to get the correct version from Microsoft.
  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install Python 3 on your host computer.
  3. Install Node.js version 16 or later. For the best experience, we recommend using Node.js 22 (the current LTS version with active support).
    • For Windows users, install the Additional Node.js tools (called Tools for Native Modules on newer versions) when prompted.
  4. Install the CLI tools via: 
    npm install -g edge-impulse-cli --force
You should now have the tools available in your PATH.

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install WSL on your Windows machine.
To install WSL, open PowerShell as an Administrator and run: 
wsl --install
You can find full instructions on how to install WSL here. Once complete you can then enable WSL by running the following command in PowerShell as an Administrator, and follow the rest of the Linux instructions: 
wsl
Then follow the linux installation instructions above.

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Troubleshooting

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General

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macOS

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Linux

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Windows