Installing nf-test

nf-test must be installed separately for nf-core pipeline development and testing. The nf-core tools only provide test commands when working within the nf-core/modules repository context.

Prerequisites

You will need the following to get started:

Installation

nf-test is distributed via conda/mamba and as a self-installing package.

Conda/Mamba

To install nf-test with conda (or mamba):

  1. Create an nf-test environment:
conda create -n nf-test -c bioconda nf-test
  1. Activate your environment:
conda activate nf-test
  1. Verify your install:
nf-test version
Note

You can replace conda with mamba in the commands above if you prefer mamba’s CLI, though modern conda (≥22.11) uses the same fast libmamba solver internally.

Standalone binary

To install nf-test as a standalone binary:

  1. Download the binary:
curl -fsSL https://get.nf-test.com | bash
  1. Make nf-test executable:
chmod +x nf-test
  1. Add nf-test to your $PATH variable. For example:
mkdir -p $HOME/.local/bin/
mv nf-test $HOME/.local/bin/
Note

Ensure the directory $HOME/.local/bin/ is included in your PATH variable. Set export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin to temporarily add this directory to PATH. Add the export command to your shell configuration file, such as ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc, to add the directory to PATH permanently. Alternatively, move the nf-test executable to a directory already in your PATH.

Next Steps

Once you have nf-test installed, proceed to Repository Setup to configure your testing environment.
On this page