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Beginner • ~10 min read

Installing MudPi

Download and install the MudPi core system on your Raspberry Pi.

Prerequisites

Make sure you've completed the Raspberry Pi Setup guide before proceeding. MudPi requires Python 3.9+ and Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye or later.

Quick Install

The fastest way to get MudPi running:

Shell 
curl -sL https://install.mudpi.app | bash

This script installs Python 3, Redis, GPIO libraries, and the MudPi core automatically. It handles virtual environment setup for you.

What Gets Installed

The install script sets up: Python 3.9+, pip, Redis server, RPi.GPIO, MudPi core, and a systemd service file. It won't modify existing installations.

Manual Installation

Prefer to install step by step? Follow along below.

1. Install System Dependencies

Shell 
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev redis-server

2. Clone MudPi

Shell 
cd ~
git clone https://github.com/olixr/MudPi.git
cd MudPi

3. Create a Virtual Environment & Install Python Packages

Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and later enforces PEP 668, which prevents installing Python packages system-wide with pip. Use a virtual environment instead:

Shell 
python3 -m venv --system-site-packages venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Why --system-site-packages?

The --system-site-packages flag gives the virtual environment access to system-installed packages like RPi.GPIO and gpiozero, which are pre-installed on Raspberry Pi OS and work best from the system Python.

4. Start Redis

Enable Redis to start automatically on boot:

Shell 
sudo systemctl enable redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server

Tip

Verify Redis is running with redis-cli ping — you should get PONG in response.

Verify Installation

Make sure your virtual environment is active, then check that MudPi is installed correctly:

Shell 
source ~/MudPi/venv/bin/activate
python3 mudpi.py --version

Next Steps

Proceed to Your First Garden Setup to connect sensors and start monitoring.

Previous Guide ← Raspberry Pi Setup Next Guide First Garden Setup →