How to Install AMPL#

After downloading your AMPL & Solvers bundle from the AMPL Portal, please follow the instructions below that correspond to your operating system:

Google Colab#

AMPL Model Colaboratory is a collection of AMPL models in Jupyter Notebooks that run on platforms such as Google Colab, Kaggle, Gradient, and AWS SageMaker. In order to be use AMPL on these notebook platforms you just need to following two code blocks at the beginning of your notebook:

# Install dependencies
%pip install -q amplpy

# Google Colab & Kaggle integration
from amplpy import AMPL, ampl_notebook
ampl = ampl_notebook(
    modules=["gurobi", "cbc", "highs"], # modules to install
    license_uuid="default") # license to use

Python#

AMPL and all solvers are now available as python packages for Windows, Linux (X86_64, aarch64, ppc64le), and macOS. For instance, to install AMPL with HiGHS, CBC and Gurobi, you just need the following:

# Install Python API for AMPL
$ python -m pip install amplpy --upgrade

# Install solver modules (e.g., HiGHS, CBC, Gurobi)
$ python -m amplpy.modules install highs cbc gurobi

# Activate your license (e.g., free https://ampl.com/ce license)
$ python -m amplpy.modules activate <license-uuid>

# Import in Python
$ python
>>> from amplpy import AMPL
>>> ampl = AMPL() # instantiate AMPL object

Windows#

For Windows, we have an installer available that asks for your license UUID during the installation process.

In case you have AMPL already installed, activate your license if you received a license UUID (e.g., AMPL CE or AMPL for Courses licenses):

Run this command in AMPL to activate your license:

ampl: shell "amplkey activate --uuid <license-uuid>";
      # replace <license-uuid> by the license UUID

Note: you need to restart AMPL in order to start using the new license.

Note

It is recommended to install AMPL in your home folder. Otherwise, if you use dynamic cloud licenses, make sure the AMPL folder is not read-only (e.g., it will not work if installed at "C:\Program Files\AMPL").

macOS#

For macOS, we have an installer available that asks for the license UUID at the end for the installation process.

In case you have AMPL already installed, activate your license if you received a license UUID (e.g., AMPL CE or AMPL for Courses licenses):

Run this command in AMPL to activate your license:

ampl: shell "amplkey activate --uuid <license-uuid>";
      # replace <license-uuid> by the license UUID

Note: you need to restart AMPL in order to start using the new license.

Linux#

  1. To install:

    Download and extract your bundle above. This will be your AMPL directory. Rename it if you like, and move it anywhere on your computer that you want.

    Warning

    Please make sure you place AMPL in a directory where you have write permissions such as your home directory. Otherwise, please see the note at the end.

  2. To run via IDE:

    Inside your AMPL folder, enter the directory named amplide and run the amplide executable.

  3. To run via the command line:

    In a command window, use cd to go to your AMPL directory, then type ./ampl at the system prompt. Then you will see an ampl: prompt and can proceed to type AMPL commands.

  4. Activate your license if you received a license UUID (e.g., AMPL CE licenses):

    Run this command in AMPL to activate your license:

    ampl: shell "amplkey activate --uuid <license-uuid>";
      # replace <license-uuid> by the license UUID

    Note: you need to restart AMPL in order to start using the new license.

Note

If you install AMPL somewhere in your home directory, you do not need to worry about the following.

If you use cloud licenses (e.g., AMPL Community Edition licenses), the AMPL directory cannot be read-only. If really you want to have AMPL installed on a read-only directory, you need to set the environment variables AMPL_LICFILE to a location where you store ampl.lic and where you have permissions to write, and set AMPLKEY_RUNTIME_DIR to a temporary directory.

For instance, assuming that you want to install AMPL on a Linux system in the /opt directory, which is not writeable by normal users. To install AMPL and dynamic licenses, you need to do the following:

  1. Unpack the AMPL tarball into /opt as root user. The executables should then be at /opt/ampl.linux-intel64/.

  2. For each user that wants to use this AMPL installation with his own license:

    1. Define environment variables to point to a writeable directory in the user home directory:

          export AMPL_LICFILE=$HOME/.ampl/ampl.lic
    export AMPLKEY_RUNTIME_DIR=$HOME/.ampl
    export PATH=/opt/ampl.linux-intel64/:$PATH

      and add those definitions to the .bash_profile or .bashrc of each user.

    2. Start a new terminal in order to load the new environment variable definitions.

    3. Run the amplkey activate --uuid <license-uuid> command in the terminal.