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Installer

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An installation program or installer is a computer program that installs files, such as applications, drivers, or other software, onto a computer. Some installers are specifically made to install the files they contain; other installers are general-purpose and work by reading the contents of the software package to be installed.

A currently popular format for Microsoft Windows is the MSI installation package, which is installed by Windows Installer. Previously, almost all installers were called setup.exe. Companies making tools for creating installers for Windows include InstallShield, SetupBuilder, Wise, ScriptLogic (Formerly MaSaI Solutions), InstallAware, BitRock, and OnDemand. Most of these tools can create MSI packages as well as their own proprietary executables.

Free alternatives include NSIS and InnoSetup. BitRock has a multiplatform installer that works on Windows, Max OS X, Linux and many others and is free for open source projects.

The most popular format for Linux operating systems is the Red Hat Package Manager (or RPM). It is used by SUSE, Red Hat and Mandrake distributions, among others. The Debian Linux distribution and others based on it use deb packages. Solaris uses the pkg format for packages; HP-UX uses software depots. Programs that manipulate these packages are called package management systems.

In contrast, Gentoo uses the Portage system, and FreeBSD uses a set of ports. These are not packages, but rather a set of instructions that permit the administrator to compile each piece of software to their own specficiations, while at the same time managing upgrades and requirements. This sort of software management is unique and not common.

The standard installer for Mac OS X applications is the Installer application that is bundled with the operating system. Some commercial applications use a custom installer, often Installer VISE or Stuffit InstallerMaker. However, in many cases, an installer is not strictly necessary. Applications that do not need to install additional system components can be installed simply by moving the application from the install disk or download location to the location where the user wants it to be installed; this is known as "drag-and-drop installation".

An installation program on a CD is often designed to run automatically when inserted into the optical disc drive.

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