# Installation

> Getting a Zig master build, and why this guide needs one.

This guide tracks **Zig master**, not a tagged release. Every snippet here is
compiled and executed against a fresh master build nightly, which is what keeps
it correct. It also means a stable release will not compile some of these
examples.

## Getting master

The simplest route is a prebuilt tarball from
[ziglang.org/download](https://ziglang.org/download/). Take the one under
**master**, not the latest release.

If you switch versions often, a version manager is worth it:

```bash
# zvm
zvm install master && zvm use master

# asdf
asdf install zig master && asdf global zig master
```

Verify:

```bash
zig version
# 0.16.0-dev.xxxx+xxxxxxxxx
```

A version without `-dev` in it is a tagged release, and several chapters here
will not build against it.

## Which version is this site?

The exact compiler that built and verified every snippet on this site is shown
in the footer. If your local `zig version` differs, expect small divergences:
master moves daily.

## An editor

[ZLS](https://github.com/zigtools/zls) is the language server, and it must
match your compiler version reasonably closely. Build it from source against
your Zig if you are on master; a ZLS built for an older release will report
spurious errors on current syntax.

## Nothing else required

Zig is a single binary. It ships its own C compiler, cross-compiles to every
supported target out of the box, and needs no separate build tool (`zig build`
is part of it). There is no toolchain to assemble.