Install Aerospike Backup Control (absctl)

This page describes how to install Aerospike Backup Control (absctl) and run from a container for testing or production.

Aerospike Backup Control is the command-line tool for on-demand Aerospike backup and restore operations. Use absctl backup to create backup files and absctl restore to restore or validate those backups.

For a guided end-to-end example, see the Aerospike Backup Control Quickstart.

Choose an installation method

Select a method based on your environment and whether you require a managed, containerized, or custom build:

• Pre-built downloads for a standard local installation
• Docker to run absctl without installing the tool on your host
• Build from source if you need a development build or want to modify the tool for your use case

Pre-built downloads

Download pre-built packages from JFrog or from GitHub Releases. For the changes in each version, see the Aerospike Backup Control release notes. Each Linux package is built for a specific distribution. Select the file that matches your platform and architecture:

Linux x86_64

Distribution	Package
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_ubuntu26.04.deb
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_ubuntu24.04.deb
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_ubuntu22.04.deb
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10	absctl-1.3.0-1.el10.x86_64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	absctl-1.3.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	absctl-1.3.0-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
Debian 13	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_debian13.deb
Debian 12	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_debian12.deb
Debian 11	absctl_1.3.0_amd64_debian11.deb
Amazon Linux 2023	absctl-1.3.0-1.amzn2023.x86_64.rpm

Install the package. In the following examples, replace ABSCTL_DEB or ABSCTL_RPM with the name of the downloaded file.

For a DEB package:

dpkg -i ABSCTL_DEB

For an RPM package:

rpm -i ABSCTL_RPM

The same files are also on GitHub Releases. To download the el10 RPM from GitHub, run:

wget https://github.com/aerospike/absctl/releases/download/v1.3.0/absctl-1.3.0-1.el10.x86_64.rpm

Linux aarch64

Distribution	Package
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_ubuntu26.04.deb
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_ubuntu24.04.deb
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_ubuntu22.04.deb
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10	absctl-1.3.0-1.el10.aarch64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	absctl-1.3.0-1.el9.aarch64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	absctl-1.3.0-1.el8.aarch64.rpm
Debian 13	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_debian13.deb
Debian 12	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_debian12.deb
Debian 11	absctl_1.3.0_arm64_debian11.deb
Amazon Linux 2023	absctl-1.3.0-1.amzn2023.aarch64.rpm

After you download your aarch64 package, follow the placeholder names and install commands in the Linux x86_64 tab, using your aarch64 file name.

To download the el10 RPM from GitHub, run:

wget https://github.com/aerospike/absctl/releases/download/v1.3.0/absctl-1.3.0-1.el10.aarch64.rpm

macOS arm64

absctl 1.2.0 adds a macOS arm64 installer package for Apple silicon. The package is signed and notarized, so it installs without a Gatekeeper prompt. The installer places absctl in /usr/local/bin.

# Download
curl -LO https://aerospike.jfrog.io/artifactory/api/download/generic/absctl-packages/v1.3.0/absctl-1.3.0-macos-arm64.pkg

# Install
sudo installer -pkg absctl-1.3.0-macos-arm64.pkg -target /

The same file is also on GitHub Releases:

curl -LO https://github.com/aerospike/absctl/releases/download/v1.3.0/absctl-1.3.0-macos-arm64.pkg

The package file name uses the version without the leading v, unlike the release tag in the download URL.

macOS x86_64

The absctl macOS installer supports Apple silicon only. Intel Macs are not supported. On an Intel Mac, run absctl from the Docker image or build it from source.

Docker

Run absctl from a Docker container without installing locally.

docker run -it --rm \
-v ./data:/data/backup \
aerospike/absctl:1.3.0 \
absctl --help

See the quickstart for a complete Docker example.

Build from source

Build absctl from source when you need custom modifications or the latest development version.

1. Clone the absctl GitHub repository.

   git clone https://github.com/aerospike/absctl.git

2. Navigate to the repository root.

   cd absctl

3. Build absctl.

   make build

4. Optionally, build .rpm and .deb packages for supported Linux architectures (linux/amd64, linux/arm64).

   make packages

   The generated packages and their sha256 checksum files appear in the /target directory.

To verify that absctl is available after installation, run:

absctl --help

Get started

• Follow the absctl quickstart to test out the tools.
• For backup instructions, see Backup (absctl backup).
• For restore instructions, see Restore (absctl restore).
• For Secret Agent integration, see Secret usage with backup and restore.