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Installation

Hermes can be installed in multiple ways depending on your use case. For most users, the VSCode extension from the marketplace is the recommended approach as it includes everything needed to get started.

Typically the method will depend on the context you are running in. Flight software developers and small teams should use the VSCode marketplace while production environments and mission operations will use a standalone binary

The easiest way to install Hermes is through the Visual Studio Code marketplace

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  1. Install & Open Visual Studio Code
  2. Go to the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows/Linux)
  3. Search for "Hermes"
  4. Install the Hermes extension (ID: jet-propulsion-laboratory.hermes)
  5. Optionally, install the Hermes FPrime extension for F' framework support.

What's included:

  • Complete VSCode integration with telemetry viewers, command interfaces, and sequence editors
  • Backend binary bundled for your platform (automatically selected)
  • Local backend mode enabled by default - no additional setup required

Supported platforms:

  • macOS (Intel, Apple Silicon)
  • Linux (x64, ARM64)
  • Windows (x64, ARM64)

Windows Support

Windows build is supported however we do not run regression tests for the backend services on Windows. It is recommended to run the Hermes backend on a Linux or macOS host for the best support.

Standalone Backend Binary

For running Hermes backend as a standalone service (testbed environments, CI/CD, mission operations):

  1. Go to the Hermes releases page
  2. Download the backend binary for your platform hermes-<version>-<platform>.tar.gz:
  3. Untar the backend: 
    tar -xvf hermes-<version>-<platform>.tar.gz
  4. Run the backend: 
    ./backend --bind-type tcp --bind :6880

See more detailed setup and configuration instructions on backend configuration and setup for production environment here

When to use standalone backend:

  • Running backend on a dedicated server or testbed computer
  • Connecting multiple VSCode instances to a shared backend
  • Integrating Hermes into existing ground system infrastructure
  • CI/CD environments for automated testing

Connecting VSCode to remote backend:

  1. Install the VSCode extension
  2. Change from "local" to "remote"
  3. Set "hermes.host.url" to your backend URL (e.g., http://0.0.0.0:6880)

GitHub Releases (for automation or offline environments)

If you need a specific version or want to install manually:

  1. Go to the Hermes releases page
  2. Download the .vsix file for your platform:
  3. Optionally download hermes-fprime-<version>.vsix for F' support
  4. Install the extension(s): 
    code --install-extension hermes-core-<version>-<platform>.vsix
code --install-extension hermes-fprime-<version>.vsix

Note: Each platform-specific .vsix file includes the backend binary compiled for that platform. Make sure to download the correct version for your system.

Build from Source (for developers)

For development or customization:

Prerequisites:

  • Go 1.25 or later
  • Node.js 20 or later
  • Yarn package manager

Build steps:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nasa/hermes.git
cd hermes

# Install the NodeJS dependencies
yarn install

# Build everything
make all

# Or build components separately
make go              # Build all Go binaries
yarn build           # Build VSCode extensions

Outputs:

  • Go binaries: out/backend, out/uplink, out/sqlrecord, etc.
  • NodeJS scripts: out/*.js
  • VSCode bundled sources: src/extensions/out/*.js

Next Steps