Frequently asked questions
Short answers about cost, platforms, your data and how builds are made.
- What is Ferrum?
A family of native developer tools for macOS, written in Rust and drawn on the GPU with GPUI: Ferrum Editor, FerrumAPI, FerrumGIT, FerrumData, FerrumTerm, FerrumKit, FerrumContainers, FerrumPorts and FerrumEnv. Ferrum Launcher installs and updates them.
- How much does Ferrum cost?
Nothing. Every build is a free public download, with no account, sign-in or license key.
- Is Ferrum ready for daily use?
Every app is in alpha: usable, released often, with rough edges. Each app's page lists what works today and what isn't built yet, and the launcher lets you roll back to an earlier version.
- Which systems does it run on?
macOS on Apple Silicon today. Windows and Linux installers for the launcher are coming; FerrumTerm won't be available on Windows at first.
- Do I need an account?
No. Builds are public GitHub releases, and the launcher installs every app without signing in. Ferrum Editor's CI page asks for a GitHub token only when you open it, and can reuse the GitHub CLI's.
- Where is my data stored?
On your Mac. FerrumAPI keeps collections and history in a local SQLite file, FerrumEnv keeps an encrypted vault in ~/.ferrum/env, and the apps share recent projects in ~/.ferrum/projects.json. There is no Ferrum server that holds your work.
- Do the apps collect telemetry?
No. The apps contain no analytics or telemetry. They connect to what you use them with: GitHub for releases and the CI page, and your own APIs, databases and container engine. This website sets no cookies and runs no analytics.
- Are the builds signed and notarized?
Yes. macOS releases are signed with the AMYGDAL d.o.o. Sarajevo Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so they open without a warning. The launcher also checks every download against its published SHA-256 checksum before installing it.
- How do updates work?
Ferrum Launcher checks for new releases on startup and every 6 hours, updates each app with one click and updates itself in place. It keeps the last three versions of each app, so you can switch back.
- Can I open the apps from a terminal?
Yes. Turn on a shell command for an app in the launcher, then run fee . to open the current folder in Ferrum Editor, feg . for FerrumGIT or fet for FerrumTerm.
- Is Ferrum open source?
No. The apps' source isn't published under an open-source license; the public releases repository holds builds only. Ferrum builds on open-source projects, GPUI from the Zed editor first among them.
- Who makes Ferrum?
AMYGDAL d.o.o., a software studio in Sarajevo. Ferrum is not affiliated with or endorsed by Zed Industries.
Install Ferrum Launcher
One free download for Apple Silicon Macs. The launcher installs and updates every app.