Installation in Python virtual environment

If you already have Python 3.5.3 or later installed, you can easily give Home Assistant a spin.

It’s recommended when installing Python packages that you use a virtual environment. This will make sure that your Python installation and Home Assistant installation won’t impact one another. The following steps will work on most unix like systems.

(If you’re on a Debian based system, you will need to install Python virtual environment support using apt-get install python3-pip python3-venv.)

It is recommended to use the advanced guide which allows for the installation to run as a homeassistant user. The steps below may be shorter but some users find difficulty when applying updates and may run into issues.

Install

1. Create a virtual environment in your current directory:

   $ python3 -m venv homeassistant
   

2. Open the virtual environment:

   $ cd homeassistant
   

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   $ source bin/activate
   

4. Install wheel:

   $ python3 -m pip install wheel
   

5. Install Home Assistant:

   $ python3 -m pip install homeassistant
   

6. Configure it to autostart
7. Or run Home Assistant manually:

   $ hass --open-ui
   

Upgrade

1. Stop Home Assistant

2. Open the directory where the virtual environment is located:

   $ cd homeassistant
   

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   $ source bin/activate
   

4. Upgrade Home Assistant:

   $ python3 -m pip install --upgrade homeassistant
   

5. Start Home Assistant

Notes

• In the future, if you want to start Home Assistant manually again, follow step 2, 3 and 5.
• It’s recommended to run Home Assistant as a dedicated user.

Looking for more advanced guides? Check our Rasbian guide or the other installation guides.