Install REA on Debian and Linux

REA CLI 0.6.7 — Release notes

• New archives use REA 0.5.0. Encryption also protects names, sizes, dates and hashes; browsing requires the password or key. Encrypted archive headers are authenticated. Reading 0.4 archives remains supported; older tools cannot read 0.5. CLI export with --format-version 0.4.0 retains the privacy limits of 0.4. Optional Ed25519 signatures are available in the CLI and require a trusted public key.

rea /chemin/Documents
rea /chemin/document.pdf
rea /chemin/Documents.rea

Linux AMD64 · DEB · 0.6.7 · TAR.GZ + install.sh · ZIP + install.sh

Choose your package

Select a version on the download page and enter your email. Open the received link, valid for seven days, and save the package you need. This guide contains no personal access link.

Check your system

These packages require Linux AMD64 / x86_64 (64-bit Intel or AMD). The DEB targets Debian 12+ and Ubuntu 22.04+. The binary needs glibc 2.34 or later and libgcc_s.so.1. No ARM64 package is provided.

uname -s
uname -m
getconf GNU_LIBC_VERSION

Expected output: Linux, x86_64, and glibc version 2.34 or later. Check these requirements on your distribution before choosing an installation method.

Debian: install the DEB package

Download the DEB through your email link. In a terminal, open the directory containing that file. Check the architecture and checksum before installing with apt-get.

test "$(dpkg --print-architecture)" = amd64 &&
printf '%s\n' '9d27fa45a04578d47ec1c2cbba8ae08acc719a26ac50383a80f0416b622f6725  rea-cli_0.6.7_amd64.deb' | sha256sum --check &&
sudo apt-get install --reinstall ./rea-cli_0.6.7_amd64.deb &&
/usr/bin/rea --version

Every checksum check must display OK. Stop if verification fails.

sudo commands require administrator privileges. If you are already root, run them without sudo.

The rea-cli package places the binary in /usr/bin/rea. Reinstallation also restores the same package version.

TAR.GZ or ZIP: extract and read the script

Both archives contain the same directory, the rea binary, README.txt, LICENSE and install.sh. Choose one archive. From the downloaded file’s directory, check its checksum and list its contents before extraction.

TAR.GZ requires tar; ZIP requires unzip. Installation uses sh and the install command. Choose TAR.GZ if unzip is unavailable.

TAR.GZ archive

printf '%s\n' '089c49f8bac80f2409a38365e7453e2a4f873cb914b16b2b501d516c24624791  rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.tar.gz' | sha256sum --check &&
tar -tzf rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.tar.gz &&
tar -xzf rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.tar.gz

ZIP archive

printf '%s\n' '18a67a68534ea13165b3e1c0f27bb8c1e8d205d38f0cf55b9a2e91e7959fd47c  rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.zip' | sha256sum --check &&
unzip -l rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.zip &&
unzip rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64.zip

Every checksum check must display OK. Stop if verification fails.

Read the extracted script

After extraction, enter the package directory. Read the README and script, then check its syntax. sh -n does not run the installation.

cd rea-cli-0.6.7-linux-amd64
sed -n '1,180p' README.txt
sed -n '1,160p' install.sh
sh -n install.sh

System installation

The script uses /usr/local by default and copies rea into /usr/local/bin. This directory usually requires sudo. The script replaces any rea binary at that location.

sudo sh install.sh
/usr/local/bin/rea --version

Install for your account without sudo

REA_INSTALL_PREFIX lets you install into ~/.local/bin. Then run the binary using its exact path. To use the rea command, add this directory to your current session’s PATH.

REA_INSTALL_PREFIX="$HOME/.local" sh install.sh
"$HOME/.local/bin/rea" --version
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Choose one installation method. A binary in /usr/local/bin may take precedence over /usr/bin; use command -v rea to check which binary runs.

Another Debian method: the public .sh script

The Debian script already provided by the site downloads the current public CLI DEB and verifies its SHA-256. It uses the existing public CLI URLs; package downloads through email remain available above.

Use the button to download the script with your browser. The curl command below is an alternative when curl is already available.

Save the script to a file, verify its checksum, read it and check its syntax before running it. The script will request sudo when needed.

curl --fail --location --proto '=https' --proto-redir '=https' --tlsv1.2 \
  https://rea.com.co/install-rea-cli-debian.sh -o install-rea-cli-debian.sh
printf '%s\n' 'daf6cd79717a62eabc3d3266196e9488b6c6009c0190c34a588b4d04fafeab1a  install-rea-cli-debian.sh' | sha256sum --check &&
sed -n '1,220p' install-rea-cli-debian.sh &&
sh -n install-rea-cli-debian.sh

Every checksum check must display OK. Stop if verification fails.

This script requires Linux, dpkg, apt-get and AMD64. It installs curl and ca-certificates only when curl is missing, reinstalls the DEB into /usr/bin and creates /usr/local/bin/rea as a link to /usr/bin/rea. Any older installation at that last location is backed up before replacement.

sh install-rea-cli-debian.sh
hash -r
command -v rea
rea --version

Check and use REA

rea --version should report the selected package version. Commands are the same for an installation in your account: use the full binary path if your PATH does not include it.

command -v rea
rea --version
rea --lang en create --help
rea create -o archive.rea documents/
rea list archive.rea
rea test archive.rea
rea extract archive.rea -d restored/

Manage the installation

The DEB is registered as the rea-cli package in apt/dpkg. Portable archives do not include an uninstaller. The /usr/local/bin/rea link created by the Debian script is separate from the package contents: do not mix installation methods.