Run Anteater, Run

— Should we take the short cut or the scenic route?
— Let's take the short cut.
— But the scenic route is so much prettier.
— Okay, let's take the scenic route.
— Great! It's actually slightly quicker anyway.
— ©Fantastic Mr. Fox

Anteater provides two approaches for getting started: the scenic route for those who value flexibility and a deeper understanding, and the shortcut for users who prioritize simplicity and speed. Choose the path that suits your needs!

Short Cut: Running Anteater as a Standalone Application

As a standalone java application Anteater can be run with CLI, Desktop and Web user interface. Minimal execution pack you can download from: Sourceforge Project Files:

This is the minimal package required to get started. However, if you need access to specific functionalities, you can download the necessary plugins.

Requirements

  • Java Runtime Environment (JRE): Anteater requires Java 8 or higher.
  • Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux and other Unix-like Systems.

Download

You can download the Anteater delivery package from SourceForge.net.

  1. Visit the Anteater project page on SourceForge: Anteater Download
  2. Download the latest ae.zip, anteater.zip or anteater-web.zip archive from the Sourceforge Project Files.

Recipe examples:
https://github.com/ganteater/recipes/

Delivery Package Contents

Here’s what is included in the Anteater delivery package:

CLI:

ae.zip 
├── ae.jar # CLI application 
├── plugins/ # Anteater plugins directory
│   └── ... 
└── recipes/ # Example recipes directory 
    └── ...

Desktop interface:

anteater.zip 
├── anteater.jar # Desktop application 
├── plugins/ # Anteater plugins directory
│   └── ... 
└── recipes/ # Example recipes directory 
    └── ...

Web interface:

anteater-web.zip 
├── ae.jar # required for Web application
├── anteater-web.jar # Web application 
├── plugins/ # Anteater plugins directory
│   └── ... 
└── recipes/ # Example recipes directory 
    └── ...

Unpacking

After downloading the archive, unpack it using your preferred archive extraction tool.

unzip anteater.zip

How to run

CLI:

java -jar ae.jar

You can launch the Anteater desktop interface in two ways. Simply double-click the anteater.jar file to start the application—this is a quick and straightforward option for users who prefer a graphical interface. Alternatively, you can open a terminal or command prompt and use the following command to start Anteater:

java -jar anteater.jar

Web interface:

java -jar anteater-web.jar

Scenic Route: Running Anteater with Maven

For users who need more flexibility and control over their configurations, running Anteater as a Maven project is the recommended approach. Maven allows you to:

  • Easily manage dependencies.
  • Customize configurations for development, testing, or support.
  • Integrate Anteater seamlessly into your existing workflows.

Steps:

  1. Set up Anteater as a Maven project.
  2. Define your dependencies in the pom.xml file.
  3. Use Maven to build and run your project.

For more information about this method, see: Running Anteater with Maven.

Final Recommendation

While both approaches are valid, using Maven is the preferred method for running Anteater. It provides better dependency management, scalability, and a streamlined workflow for your projects.

Choose the path that best fits your needs and let Anteater handle the rest!