SeaSTAR installation

This page describes the installation process for SeaSTAR tools.

Retrieving sources

Navigate to the latest release (v2023.10.3) on the right-hand-side of the root project page and download and unzip the source code.

You can also retrieve sources from the GitHub repository :

$ git clone https://github.com/ACHMartin/seastar_project.git

How to install dependencies

It is possible to set up the SeaSTAR environment either with Mamba/Conda or with Poetry. Both methods are described below, highlighting the differences and use cases for each approach.

Using poetry

Poetry is a modern Python dependency management and packaging tool designed to streamline the development and deployment of Python projects. Poetry focuses on pure Python projects and provides a simple interface for managing project dependencies, versions, and virtual environments. Unlike Conda, Poetry does not handle non-Python dependencies directly. A pyproject.toml file is available and allow to install the environmenent using Poetry.

To download Poetry, use the following command:

$ curl -sSL https://install.python-poetry.org | python3 -

Since Poetry does not handle complex dependencies like Cartopy, you first need to create an environment using Mamba/Conda and install the non-Python dependencies before using Poetry:

$ mamba create -n seastar -c conda-forge python=3.8.16
$ mamba activate
$ mamba install cartopy=0.18.0

Once this environment is created you can move to the seastar_projectdirectory and launch the Poetry command to install the rest of the Python-only dependencies with the corresponding versions:

$ cd seastar_project
$ poetry install

Poetry creates and manages virtual environments automatically. It uses a lock file poetry.lock to guarantee that the exact same package versions are used across all installations, making it more predictable.

Using Mamba or conda

Mamba and Conda are powerful package managers widely used in the Python ecosystem. They are especially effective for managing complex dependencies, including packages that have non-Python dependencies, such as libraries written in C, Fortran, or that rely on external system libraries (e.g., Cartopy).

To create a new environment with all the required packages and activate this environment using Mamba, you can run:

$ mamba env create -f seastar_project/env/environment.yml
$ mamba activate seastar

Alternatively, using Conda (slightly slower than Mamba but widely used):

$ conda env create -f seastar_project/env/environment.yml
$ conda activate seastar