Install Dream and run your first program¶

1 min read

Follow these steps to install Dream, create a project, and run a small program. You can use the terminal on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

Install¶

On Windows, open PowerShell:

irm https://sps014.github.io/dream/install.ps1 | iex

On macOS or Linux:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sps014.github.io/dream/install.sh | sh

The installer puts Dream, Dreamer, and the editor support program in ~/.dream/bin. It also installs the build tools your programs need.

Open a new terminal so it can find the installed commands, then check:

dream --help
dreamer --help

If a command cannot be found, use Troubleshooting.

Create a project¶

dreamer init hello
cd hello

The project has a settings file, dream.toml, and a program in src/main.dream. Open the program and make it look like this:

import system;

fun main() {
    System.println("Hello, world!");
}

import system; makes console helpers available. fun main() is where execution begins. System.println writes the text followed by a new line.

Run it¶

dreamer run

You should see:

Hello, world!

Change the message and run the command again. Dream builds your current source each time.

Run one file without a project¶

Save the same program as hello.dream, then use:

dream run hello.dream

Use dream hello.dream to build without running. For a project with dependencies, prefer dreamer run so its packages are installed too.

Next steps¶

Continue with the language tour and your first small project. Choose the browser or Node later using Environments. Set up completion and error messages with Editor support.

Installation options¶

Set DREAM_VERSION before running the installer to request a particular release. DREAM_SKIP_LLVM=1 skips the build-tools download, and DREAM_SKIP_CC=1 skips the native linker download; use these only when you already have suitable tools.

Linux release downloads require glibc 2.36 or later. Read Toolchain setup to inspect or change your tools, and the compiler command guide for advanced output and target options.