The full Hiberden desktop app runs on Linux, in beta: the same projects, archives, verification, restore, virtual tape drive, and bundled AI connector as on Windows, reading and writing the same catalog and archive format. This page walks through installing it, verifying what you downloaded, and what the beta does and does not cover yet.
Before you start
The Linux desktop is built on Ubuntu 22.04, so it runs on Ubuntu 22.04 and later, Debian 12 and later, and equivalent distributions, on x86_64. Two packages are published:
- A .deb for Ubuntu and Debian family systems. This is the recommended install, because the package declares everything the app needs.
- An AppImage that runs on other distributions without a package manager. It relies on your desktop's file-picker portal (xdg-desktop-portal) or
zenitybeing present; on a minimal system, install one of those first.
Downloading and installing does not start your trial and does not create any account. The 30-day trial starts only when you explicitly opt in later, the first time you try to archive without a license.
Install the .deb
Get the package from hiberden.app/download (enter your name and work email, then choose Linux; the same links arrive by email so you can grab them again later). Then, in your download folder, verify the checksum and install:
curl -fsSLO https://cdn.hiberden.app/downloads/hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.deb.sha256
sha256sum -c hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.deb.sha256
sudo apt install ./hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.deb
sha256sum -c must print OK before you install. The published checksums are also listed on hiberden.app/linux so you can confirm them out of band.
Then launch Hiberden from your applications menu.
Or run the AppImage
The AppImage is on the same download page. Verify, make it executable, and run:
curl -fsSLO https://cdn.hiberden.app/downloads/hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage.sha256
sha256sum -c hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage.sha256
chmod +x hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./hiberden-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage
First launch
When Hiberden opens for the first time it creates its local catalog at ~/.hiberden/catalog.db and invites you to create your first project. There is no sign-in, no telemetry, and no phone-home: everything lives locally. Credentials and the per-install signing key are kept under ~/.hiberden/keys/, readable only by your user.
Licensing works the same as on Windows: the free 30-day trial covers every feature, restore and verify always work, license or not, and a license from hiberden.app/register activates on Linux the same way. See What your license covers.
Beta notes
- Evaluate tape without hardware. The built-in virtual tape drive runs the whole tape workflow (write, span, verify, restore) with no drive attached. On real hardware, tape on Linux targets the open-source LTFS implementation; validating it against a drive is the next beta milestone.
- Same format, always readable. What you archive during the beta stays readable: the archive format and catalog do not change at general availability.
Headless or air-gapped server?
The Hiberden command-line tools and AI connector also run on Linux with no desktop at all; see hiberden.app/linux for the headless kit.