Installation Guide

Complete installation instructions for AuditKit.

System Requirements

Operating Systems: - Linux (any modern distribution) - macOS (10.15 Catalina or newer) - Windows (10/11 or Server 2016+)

Requirements: - Go 1.24 or newer (for building from source) - Cloud CLI tools (AWS CLI, Azure CLI, or gcloud CLI) - Read-only cloud credentials - Internet connection (for downloading and scanning)

Disk Space: - Universal binary (all clouds): ~64 MB download, ~325 MB installed - Source code: ~50 MB - Scan results: ~1-10 MB per scan

Installation Methods

Option 1: Download Pre-Built Binary (Recommended)

Fastest and easiest method

Linux (x86_64)

# Download and extract
curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf auditkit-linux-amd64.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv auditkit-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# Verify installation
auditkit version

Linux (ARM64)

For AWS Graviton, Raspberry Pi, and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon Macs.

# Download and extract
curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-linux-arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf auditkit-linux-arm64.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv auditkit-linux-arm64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# Verify installation
auditkit version

macOS (Apple Silicon)

# Download and extract
curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf auditkit-darwin-arm64.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv auditkit-darwin-arm64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# The binary is unsigned. If macOS blocks it on first run:
# System Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Open Anyway

# Verify installation
auditkit version

macOS (Intel)

# Download and extract
curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-darwin-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf auditkit-darwin-amd64.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv auditkit-darwin-amd64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# Verify installation
auditkit version

Windows

# Download and extract
curl.exe -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-windows-amd64.zip
Expand-Archive -Path auditkit-windows-amd64.zip -DestinationPath .

# Rename to auditkit.exe
Rename-Item auditkit-windows-amd64.exe auditkit.exe

# Add to PATH or run from current directory
.\auditkit.exe version

Option 2: Build from Source

For developers or custom builds

Prerequisites

# Install Go 1.24 or newer
# Download from: https://go.dev/dl/

# Verify Go installation
go version  # Should show 1.24 or higher

Clone and Build

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition
cd AuditKit-Community-Edition/scanner

# Build binary
go build ./cmd/auditkit

# Binary is now at: ./auditkit

# Optional: Move to PATH
sudo mv auditkit /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
auditkit version

Build for Different Platforms

# Linux (amd64)
GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o auditkit-linux ./cmd/auditkit

# macOS (amd64)
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build -o auditkit-macos ./cmd/auditkit

# macOS (arm64 - M1/M2)
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build -o auditkit-macos-arm64 ./cmd/auditkit

# Windows (amd64)
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o auditkit.exe ./cmd/auditkit

Option 3: Go Install

For Go users

# Install directly from GitHub
go install github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/scanner/cmd/auditkit@latest

# Binary installed to: $GOPATH/bin/auditkit

# Add GOPATH/bin to PATH if needed
export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin

# Verify installation
auditkit version

Installing Cloud CLI Tools

AuditKit requires cloud CLI tools for authentication.

AWS CLI

Linux/macOS:

# Option 1: Using package manager
# macOS
brew install awscli

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install awscli

# Option 2: Using pip
pip3 install awscli

# Verify installation
aws --version

Windows:

# Download installer from:
# https://aws.amazon.com/cli/

# Or using Chocolatey
choco install awscli

# Verify installation
aws --version

AWS Setup Guide →

Azure CLI

Linux/macOS:

# macOS
brew install azure-cli

# Ubuntu/Debian
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

# Verify installation
az --version

Windows:

# Download installer from:
# https://docs.microsoft.com/cli/azure/install-azure-cli-windows

# Or using Chocolatey
choco install azure-cli

# Verify installation
az --version

Azure Setup Guide →

Google Cloud SDK

Linux/macOS:

# macOS
brew install google-cloud-sdk

# Linux - using snap
sudo snap install google-cloud-cli --classic

# Or download from:
# https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install

# Verify installation
gcloud --version

Windows:

# Download installer from:
# https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install

# Or using Chocolatey
choco install gcloudsdk

# Verify installation
gcloud --version

GCP Setup Guide →

Verifying Installation

Check AuditKit Version

auditkit version

Expected output:

AuditKit v1.0.0 - Multi-cloud compliance scanning (AWS, Azure, GCP; M365 via ScubaGear import)

Check Cloud CLI Tools

# AWS
aws --version

# Azure
az --version

# GCP
gcloud --version

Run Test Scan

# Test AWS (requires configured credentials)
auditkit scan -provider aws -framework soc2

# Test Azure (requires login)
auditkit scan -provider azure -framework soc2

# Test GCP (requires auth)
auditkit scan -provider gcp -framework soc2

Configuration

Setting Up Cloud Credentials

AWS:

aws configure
# Enter: Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, Region

Azure:

az login
export AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID="your-subscription-id"

GCP:

gcloud auth application-default login
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=your-project-id

Detailed setup guides →

Updating AuditKit

Check for Updates

auditkit update

Update Binary Installation

# Download new version
curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-linux-amd64.tar.gz

# Replace old binary
chmod +x auditkit-linux-amd64
sudo mv auditkit-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# Verify new version
auditkit version

Update Source Installation

cd AuditKit-Community-Edition
git pull origin main
cd scanner
go build ./cmd/auditkit
sudo mv auditkit /usr/local/bin/

Update Go Install

go install github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/scanner/cmd/auditkit@latest

Troubleshooting Installation

"Command not found: auditkit"

Cause: Binary not in PATH

Solution:

# Find where binary is located
which auditkit

# If not found, add to PATH
export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/auditkit/directory

# Or move to standard location
sudo mv auditkit /usr/local/bin/

"Permission denied" when running auditkit

Cause: Binary not executable

Solution:

chmod +x auditkit

macOS "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified"

Cause: macOS Gatekeeper security

Solution:

# Remove quarantine attribute
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine auditkit

# Or: System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Allow

Build errors with Go

Cause: Go version too old or dependencies missing

Solution:

# Update Go to 1.24 or newer
go version

# Clean build cache
go clean -cache -modcache

# Rebuild
go build ./cmd/auditkit

"Cannot connect to AWS/Azure/GCP"

Cause: Cloud CLI not installed or not configured

Solution:

# Install cloud CLI tools (see above)
# Configure credentials (see setup guides)

# Test cloud CLI directly
aws sts get-caller-identity  # AWS
az account show              # Azure
gcloud projects list         # GCP

Uninstalling AuditKit

Remove Binary

# Find installation location
which auditkit

# Remove binary
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/auditkit

Remove Source Installation

# Remove cloned repository
rm -rf ~/auditkit

# Remove Go binary (if installed via go install)
rm $(go env GOPATH)/bin/auditkit

Clean Up Scan Results

# Remove scan history (if you want to)
rm -rf ~/.auditkit/

Advanced Installation

Installing in Air-Gapped Environment

For environments without internet access:

AuditKit can scan on a connected machine and report on a disconnected one. Every scan is cached under ~/.auditkit/cache; auditkit cache lists what is stored, and auditkit scan -offline (optionally -cache-file <path>) rebuilds a report with no cloud API calls.

Download binary on internet-connected machine:

curl -LO https://github.com/guardian-nexus/AuditKit-Community-Edition/releases/latest/download/auditkit-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Transfer to air-gapped machine via USB/secure transfer
Install normally:

chmod +x auditkit-linux-amd64
sudo mv auditkit-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/auditkit

Note: Cloud CLI tools must also be installed offline

Installing for Multiple Users

System-wide installation:

# Install to /usr/local/bin (all users can access)
sudo cp auditkit /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/auditkit

# Verify all users can run
su - otheruser -c "auditkit version"

Custom Installation Directory

# Install to custom location
mkdir -p ~/tools
cp auditkit ~/tools/

# Add to PATH in shell profile
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/tools' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Verify
auditkit version

Pro Version Installation

For AuditKit customers:

Sign up for trial →
Receive .lic license file via email
Download Pro binary from customer portal
Save your license file and run:

# Install Pro binary (note: different binary name)
chmod +x auditkit-pro
sudo mv auditkit-pro /usr/local/bin/auditkit-pro

# Save license file (received after purchase/trial signup)
mkdir -p ~/.auditkit-pro
cp ~/Downloads/license.lic ~/.auditkit-pro/license.lic

# Activation is automatic on first run — no separate command needed
auditkit-pro version  # Shows "Pro" edition

# Run Pro scans
auditkit-pro scan -provider aws -framework cmmc

Note: Pro version uses auditkit-pro command, not auditkit

Pro feature details →

Installation Guide

System Requirements

Installation Methods

Option 1: Download Pre-Built Binary (Recommended)

Linux (x86_64)

Linux (ARM64)

macOS (Apple Silicon)

macOS (Intel)

Windows

Option 2: Build from Source

Prerequisites

Clone and Build

Build for Different Platforms

Option 3: Go Install

Installing Cloud CLI Tools

AWS CLI

Azure CLI

Google Cloud SDK

Verifying Installation

Check AuditKit Version

Check Cloud CLI Tools

Run Test Scan

Configuration

Setting Up Cloud Credentials

Updating AuditKit

Check for Updates

Update Binary Installation

Update Source Installation

Update Go Install

Troubleshooting Installation

"Command not found: auditkit"

"Permission denied" when running auditkit

macOS "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified"

Build errors with Go

"Cannot connect to AWS/Azure/GCP"

Uninstalling AuditKit

Remove Binary

Remove Source Installation

Clean Up Scan Results

Advanced Installation

Installing in Air-Gapped Environment

Installing for Multiple Users

Custom Installation Directory

Pro Version Installation

Next Steps