Decision Guide: how to choose a method¶

You rarely pick one method forever. You pick a primary for now and a roadmap for later. This guide gets you to the right primary fast.

Decision tree¶

flowchart TD
    Start([Start]) --> K{"Kubernetes /<br/>cloud-native infra?"}
    K -->|Yes| Kk["Helm chart + IaC modules<br/>+ cloud marketplace image"]
    K -->|No| B{"Single self-contained<br/>binary?"}

    B -->|"Yes — going mainstream"| Bm["Winget + Homebrew<br/>+ GitHub Releases"]
    B -->|"Yes — ship fast"| Bf["GitHub Releases binary<br/>+ script-pipe wrapper"]
    B -->|No| M{"Multi-component?<br/>DB + server + CLI,<br/>conflicting deps"}

    M -->|Yes| Mm["★ Docker Compose,<br/>driven by a script-pipe installer"]
    M -->|No| P{"Python / Node<br/>dev tool?"}

    P -->|Yes| Pp["pipx / uvx (Python)<br/>or npx (Node)<br/>+ a script pipe for non-devs"]
    P -->|No| D["★ Default: Script pipe<br/>curl | sh  ·  irm | iex"]

    class Mm,D best
    classDef best fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#3fb950,color:#14532d;

By scenario¶

"I need a demo working this week" (MVP)¶

Primary: Script pipe that orchestrates Docker Compose.
Why: zero registry/approval, cross-platform, the script can do checks + config + startup.
Watch: you're asking users to trust an unseen script; use HTTPS + a clear repo.

"Early adopters, still iterating, but want more trust"¶

Primary: Download → verify → run with a pinned release tag + published SHA256.
Add: GitHub Releases assets so installs are reproducible.

"Mainstream Windows users"¶

Primary: Winget (in-box on Windows 11).
Secondary: Scoop (devs), Chocolatey (enterprise automation).
Needs: a signed silent installer + manifest.

"Mainstream macOS / Linux users"¶

Primary: Homebrew — your own tap first, core later.
Add (Linux): native deb/rpm repos, optionally Snap/Flatpak.

"Cloud / platform product"¶

Primary: Helm + IaC modules & marketplace images.

The "offer 2–3, not 10" rule¶

Maintaining a channel is ongoing work (new releases must flow to each). Pick:

One zero-friction path for everyone (script pipe / Docker).
One native path per major OS your users care about (Winget, Homebrew).
Optionally one power-user path (pipx/npx, source build).

More than that and channels rot. Track which you support in your README and automate releases to all of them (see maturity roadmap).

Quick scoring heuristic¶

For each candidate, sum 1–5 on: low friction, low prerequisites, orchestration power, trust, time-to-ship, low maintenance. The highest total for your audience and stage wins. The matrix does this for the common cases.

Next: Comparison Matrix →