Makeself
Makeself is a small shell script that generates a self-extractable tarball for Unix. It packages software into a single executable file for easy distribution and installation.
selfextracting
installer
packaging
unix
Makeself: Self-Extracting Tarball Generator
Makeself is a small shell script that generates a self-extractable tarball for Unix. It packages software into a single executable file for easy distribution and installation.
What is Makeself?
Makeself is an open source tool for packaging software into self-extracting archives for Unix-like systems such as Linux, macOS, and BSD. It is a small Bash shell script that takes a directory containing software files and bundles it into a single executable installer file.
Some key features of Makeself include:
- Creates self-extracting installers that unpack software with a single command
- Installer script checks requirements, handles errors, and provides progress info
- Can run installation scripts before and after unpacking files
- Supports CRC checksums to validate file integrity
- Customizable messages, prompts, license agreements in the installers
- Small and portable - implemented as a single shell script
Makeself is commonly used by Linux projects and developers to distribute binaries, scripts, and other resources in a portable way. It allows packing a folder hierarchy into a single file for end users to download and execute. The extracted data contains the original files laid out in the same structure. Makeself simplifies software deployment and installation especially for command line programs.
Makeself Features
Features
- Creates self-extracting shell scripts
- Packages software into a single executable file
- Works on Unix-like systems
- Easy distribution and installation of software
- Compression using gzip, bzip2, lzma or xz
- MD5 checksum verification
- Progress bar during extraction
- Customizable messages, prompts and license agreement
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Simple and easy to use
Good for distributing software
Does not require root access or special permissions
Works across different Unix distributions
Lightweight and efficient
Cons
Limited to Unix-like systems
Not as full-featured as other packaging systems
No dependency handling
No uninstall capability
Lacks some advanced features
Official Links
The Best Makeself Alternatives
Top Os & Utilities and Installation and other similar apps like Makeself
Here are some alternatives to Makeself:
Suggest an alternative ❐
InstallShield
InstallShield is a leading software tool used by developers and software companies to create installers or setup packages for distributing their software products to end users. It provides a graphical interface and various assistants that simplify and automate the complex process of making professional installers for deploying software on Windows,...
Inno Setup
Inno Setup is an open-source installation and setup authoring tool for Windows programs and software packages. First released in 1997, it allows developers to easily create installers with basic to advanced functionality, including:Multi-language support for Unicode-based installersCustomizable setup wizard screens and dialogsConditional statements and expressionsRegistry, INI file, and file/folder operationsDefault...
Advanced Installer
Advanced Installer is a powerful yet easy-to-use software installation authoring tool for developers and system administrators who need to create reliable MSI packages that can install, upgrade, patch and uninstall products on the Windows operating system. It has an intuitive visual interface to build installers, but also provides access to...
NSIS
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is an open source system utility for creating installers on Windows. It provides a scripting language for building the logic and user interface of installers. Some key features of NSIS include:Lightweight and customizable UI for installersScripting language to control installation logic and system operationsPlug-in architecture...
EMCO MSI Package Builder
EMCO MSI Package Builder is a versatile software solution designed to create professional MSI installation packages for deploying Windows applications and runtimes. With an easy-to-use visual interface, it allows developers and IT professionals to generate reliable MSIs with advanced customization capabilities.Key features include:Intuitive drag-and-drop MSI project builder for configuring packages,...
GUI Debian Package Maker
GUI Debian Package Maker is a graphical user interface application designed to simplify the creation of Debian packages. It provides a user-friendly way for developers and packagers to configure options and build Debian packages without having to manually edit debian/control and other packaging files.Some key features of GUI Debian Package...
InstallAware
InstallAware is a professional installation authoring tool for building complex Windows installers, patches and updates. It provides an intuitive visual interface for creating state-of-the-art setup packages with advanced capabilities.Key features of InstallAware include:Visual editor for quickly building install projects with just a few clicksAdvanced MSI and EXE installer creation capabilitiesSupport...
Basic Setup Builder
Basic Setup Builder is a user-friendly software application designed to simplify the process of setting up a new Windows computer or device. It serves as an easy-to-follow wizard that guides users through essential setup tasks in order to get their device ready for regular use.After launching Basic Setup Builder, users...
ClickTeam Install Creator
ClickTeam Install Creator is a free utility that allows developers to build installers for their Windows desktop applications. It provides an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface to configure various installer settings without needing to manually edit scripts or code.With Install Creator, you can specify details like the name and icon of your...
Paquet Builder
Paquet Builder is an open-source software package manager designed to streamline compiling source code into distributable binary packages for multiple platforms. It allows developers to easily build, distribute, and install software bundles with dependencies across Linux, Windows, and macOS.Key features of Paquet Builder include:Simple YAML-based definition files to describe a...
InstallBuilder
InstallBuilder is a leading multi-platform installation authoring tool that allows developers and IT teams to easily create full-featured installers for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris from a single project file. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, InstallBuilder makes it simple to quickly build reliable and professional installers that can install, upgrade...
IzPack
IzPack is an open source Java installation tool that allows developers to package Java applications into platform-independent installers. It provides a flexible framework for defining installers without requiring an installer wizard or UI.Some key features of IzPack include:Lightweight and optimized for Java appsRuns on all platforms that support JavaDoes not...
Setup Factory
Setup Factory is a powerful yet easy-to-use software packaging, customization and deployment tool for creating Windows installers, MSI packages and application setups. It allows IT teams and software developers to:Quickly package software applications into EXE, MSI and App-V installersCustomize and configure installers for different deployment scenariosAutomate complex installations with silent...
SFX Tool
SFX Tool is a free and easy-to-use sound effect generator and audio editor for Windows. It provides a simple yet powerful interface for quickly creating and editing sound effects for videos, games, apps, and more.With SFX Tool's large library of built-in sound effects and its customizable synthesis engine, you can...
WinInstall
WinInstall is an open-source software deployment and management solution designed specifically for Windows networks. It provides administrators with a simple yet powerful way to install, update, and manage software on any number of Windows computers.Key features of WinInstall include:Remote software installation - Install EXE, MSI, MSP files on remote computersSoftware...
CreateInstall
CreateInstall is an open-source software installer creator designed specifically for Windows. It provides an easy way for developers to build professional-looking installation wizards for distributing their Windows software.Some key features of CreateInstall include:Intuitive visual interface to customize the installation flow, allowing you to add custom pages, set prerequisites, add licenses,...
Debreate
Debreate is a free and open source Linux application that helps developers create Debian packages (.deb files) for distributing their software. It provides a simple graphical user interface that makes building Debian packages easy without needing to learn complex packaging commands.Some key features of Debreate include:Intuitive GUI for setting package...
Alien pkg convert
alien pkg convert is a command line utility included in many Linux distributions that allows converting between different Linux package formats. Some of the package formats it supports converting between include RPM, DEB, TGZ, SLACKWARE PACKAGES, and more.The main use case for alien pkg convert is when you have a...
WixPie
WixPie is a powerful yet easy-to-use website builder designed for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to establish an online presence without needing to know how to code. It features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows you to create fully customized websites by simply dragging website elements like text, images, contact...
CyberInstaller Suite
CyberInstaller Suite is an open-source system imaging and deployment application designed to help IT administrators easily set up and configure computers. It provides a simple graphical user interface to create a master system image with all the required software, updates, drivers, and settings configured. This image can then be deployed...
Effing Package Management!
Effing Package Management! (EPM) is a satirical package manager created for Linux and Unix-like operating systems. It aims to provide a simple, easy-to-use interface for installing and managing software packages, while also lightheartedly mocking some of the complexity of other package managers.Some key features and selling points of EPM include:A...
DeployMaster
DeployMaster is a release automation and deployment software designed to help organizations streamline and automate their software release processes. It provides capabilities to automate build, testing, and deployment tasks across multiple environments and servers.Key features of DeployMaster include:Automated deployments with rollback capabilitiesSupport for leading version control systems like Git, SVN,...
RayPack Studio
RayPack Studio is a complete packaging solution used by enterprises to package and deploy Windows applications. It provides tools to:Create MSI, MSIX, App-V, Thin-App, and virtualization packagesValidate and test packages before deploymentIntegrate packaging into CI/CD pipelinesAutomate packaging processesManage packages from one central platformKey features include:Intuitive graphical user interface for packaging...
Deb-o-Matic
Deb-o-Matic is an open source application designed to simplify and automate the process of building Debian packages. It provides a graphical user interface that allows developers to package up their software for distribution in the Debian format without needing to manually edit debian/control files and run complex build commands.Some key...
Ubucompilator
Ubucompilator is a free and open-source integrated development environment (IDE) designed for compiling and debugging computer programs written in various programming languages. It provides a graphical user interface with features such as:Code editor with syntax highlighting and auto-completion for languages like C, C++, Java, Python, and moreProject management tools for...
Deb-Creator
Deb-Creator is an open source application designed to make creating DEB packages easy for any Linux user or developer. DEB files are the package format used by Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other Debian-based distributions.With a user-friendly graphical interface, Deb-Creator guides you through setting up all the necessary components of...
Easy RPM Builder
Easy RPM Builder is an open source software tool that provides an easy way to build RPM packages on Linux systems. It has a graphical user interface that allows creating customized RPMs through a simple point-and-click process, without requiring deep knowledge of RPM packaging.Some key features of Easy RPM Builder...
SamLogic Visual Installer
SamLogic Visual Installer is a powerful yet easy-to-use software installation creator for Windows. It allows developers and IT professionals to create professional-looking installation packages to distribute software applications, while providing advanced installation features.With its visual interface, you can quickly set up installation projects without programming. Configure settings like registry entries,...
RPM Package Maker
RPM Package Maker is an open-source tool for creating RPM (RPM Package Manager) packages on Linux operating systems. It provides a graphical user interface and wizard-style workflows to help bundle various software components like binaries, configuration files, documentation, etc. into the RPM format for easy distribution and installation.Some key features...
Pkgcreator
pkgcreator is an open-source, cross-platform tool for building installable software packages for Windows, Mac, and Linux from source code. It allows developers to bundle their applications and dependencies into native package formats like MSI, EXE, DMG, APPX, DEB, RPM etc. for easy distribution and installation.Some key features of pkgcreator:Supports creating...
