Freedom251 › Runtime Version Managers
juliaup

What juliaup is
juliaup is a free, open-source installer and version manager for the Julia programming language. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the project describes it as production ready. Juliaup can install specific Julia versions, notify you about releases, and manage stable, long-term-support, prerelease, nightly, pull-request, and specific-version channels. It provides both a command-line tool and a graphical application. The GUI lists installed and available channels, launches Julia, sets a default channel, updates or removes channels, and configures Juliaup. A project can select a Julia version from its Manifest.toml, although that behavior is disabled by default. The project documents a GitHub Actions installer action for CI and says the VS Code extension automatically finds the Julia installation. Julia binaries come from the official server by default, with third-party mirror configuration available. The repository uses the MIT License. Windows MSI installation has no automatic Juliaup updates and is generally not recommended unless other methods fail. The Linux GUI needs X11 or Wayland, OpenGL, and glibc 2.28 or newer.
Who it suits
juliaup suits Julia developers who need multiple versions or release channels across Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its command-line, GUI, project selection, and CI support fit development workflows.
What it does well
- Installs and manages specific Julia versions
- Supports stable, LTS, beta, and nightly channels
- Offers both CLI and graphical interfaces
- Manifest.toml version selection is available
- Documents GitHub Actions installation for CI
What to know first
- Manifest-based selection is disabled by default
- Windows MSI lacks automatic updater
- Linux GUI requires X11 or Wayland and OpenGL
- Linux requires glibc 2.28 or newer
Verdict
juliaup centralizes Julia installation and channel management across major desktop platforms. Users should choose a non-MSI Windows method when automatic updates matter and check Linux GUI requirements.
Facts from juliaup's own pages
- Available channels
- Channels include stable, long-term support, prerelease, nightly, pull request builds, and specific Julia versions. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Command line and GUI
- Juliaup includes a command line tool and a graphical application for managing Julia versions. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Downloads and mirrors
- Juliaup downloads Julia binaries from the official server by default and can be configured to use a third-party mirror. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- GUI features
- The GUI lists installed and available channels and can launch Julia, set a default channel, update or remove a channel, and configure Juliaup. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The README documents a GitHub Actions installer action for CI and says the VS Code extension automatically finds the Julia installation. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Interfaces
- Juliaup is available as a command-line tool and a graphical application. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository is distributed under the MIT License. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Linux GUI requirement
- The Linux GUI requires a desktop session using X11 or Wayland and OpenGL, and runs on distributions with glibc 2.28 or newer. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Mirrors
- Juliaup downloads Julia binaries from the official server by default and can be configured to use a third-party mirror. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- Official installers are provided for Windows, Mac, Linux, and FreeBSD. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Pricing
- The official installation page provides Julia and Juliaup installation instructions without listing a price. · julialang.org, 8 Oct 2026
- Project selection
- Juliaup can select a Julia version from a project's Manifest.toml, but this feature is disabled by default. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Project status
- The repository describes the installer as production ready. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Project version selection
- Juliaup can select a Julia version from the active project's Manifest.toml, but this feature is disabled by default. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Juliaup is a cross-platform installer and version manager for the Julia programming language. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Status
- The project describes the installer as production ready. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Version management
- Juliaup can install specific Julia versions, notify users of new releases, and manage release channels such as stable, LTS, beta, and nightly. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
- Windows limitation
- The MSI installation has no automatic Juliaup update mechanism and is generally not recommended unless other Windows installation methods do not work. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Where juliaup stands on Freedom251
- Runtime Version Managers#17 of 30
- Development Environment Managers#32 of 50