Download
One small file. The rest installs itself.
The Wintertrace installer is a single install.php inside a small ZIP. Upload that one file to your web hosting, open it in your browser, and the signed Wintertrace core is pulled onto your webspace automatically.
Before you start, check your hosting: PHP 8.2+, MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+, and one cron job.
Recommended. All you need is the file manager in your hosting panel.
install.php · Ed25519-signed core, pulls the latest stable release
The installer carries a version of its own. The Wintertrace core it installs is v1.1.9 — the current release.
About ten minutes through the browser
The installer route is designed for operators who do not run web servers for a living. WebFTP from your hosting panel is enough, an FTP client is not required, and it works from any device with a browser — including a phone.
Upload one file
The ZIP contains a single install.php. Use WebFTP from your hosting panel — no separate FTP client needed.
Open it in a browser
Visit the file in your browser. The installer fetches the latest signed Wintertrace core directly onto the webspace, so you never upload the hundreds of core files yourself.
Finish the setup
Enter the database details and create the admin account in the browser assistant. About ten minutes in total — workable from a phone if that is all you have.
Most hosting panels expose a file manager and a cron editor — that is all the installer needs from you.
Prefer to upload the full ZIP yourself?
The complete signed release is available as one archive. It holds the same core the installer fetches, carrying the same signature. The only difference is who moves the files onto your webspace.
Worth it only if you already have an FTP client set up. Otherwise the installer above is less work.
Wintertrace v1.1.9, Ed25519-signed. The same core the installer fetches.
Requirements at a glance
Wintertrace runs on standard shared hosting. No Docker, no root access, no special tooling. These are the rough requirements — the installation guide covers edge cases.
- PHP
- 8.2 or newer
- Database
- MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
- Cron
- One scheduled job, every minute
- Disk space
- A few hundred MB plus operator photographs
Hosting does not qualify, or you would rather see it running first? Try a live demo instance →
How to know what you are running
Trust comes from what the code itself proves — not from badges. Whichever route you take, the Wintertrace core that ends up on your webspace carries the same cryptographic signature.
- Both downloads are signed with Ed25519, not just hashed. See the verification code ↗
- The installer fetches the same signed core as the full ZIP. The signature is verified before any file is written.
- The public key is published in the repository and compiled into the running application, so it cannot drift per installation. See the pinned key ↗
- Auto-updates verify the signature before applying. A tampered archive will not install.
- Source code is on GitHub under GNU AGPLv3, and each release matches a tag. Browse the tagged releases ↗
Check a downloaded archive against the release before you upload it:
shasum -a 256 <your-download>.zip
Expected for v1.1.9:
b1fae6bbe0cbe9050413d8669e5ab2c5fe7b5f454a3a2fc7fc0083a91723493b
Licence: Wintertrace is distributed under GNU AGPLv3. Open source under AGPLv3 — you keep your data and your installation. You may run it for any purpose, including commercial winter service. If you modify the source and run it as a network service, the modifications must be made available under the same licence.
For developers
The full source code lives on GitHub under GNU AGPLv3. Both downloads above are built from the same source on a signed-release pipeline.