Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have everything needed to use BeatConnect’s build infrastructure.

Account Requirements

Requirement	Details
BeatConnect Account	Free signup at beatconnect.com
Creator Profile	Apply for creator access in the portal
Developer Tier	$29.99/month subscription for build access
GitHub Account	Free account at github.com

Technical Requirements

For Existing Projects

Requirement	Version	Notes
JUCE	7.0+	Earlier versions may work but are untested
CMake	3.22+	Required for build configuration
Git	Any	For version control

For New Projects

If you’re starting fresh, you only need:

• A GitHub account
• A code editor (VS Code, CLion, Xcode, etc.)
• Basic C++ knowledge

We provide templates that include everything else.

Repository Requirements

Your GitHub repository must:

1. Be accessible — Public or private (with GitHub App installed)
2. Have a CMakeLists.txt — At the repository root or in a standard location
3. Use the beatconnect-plugin topic — For automatic discovery (optional but recommended)
4. Build successfully locally — Test before submitting to cloud builds

Local Development Setup (Optional)

For local development and testing before cloud builds:

macOS

# Install Xcode command line tools
xcode-select --install
 
# Install CMake via Homebrew
brew install cmake
 
# Install JUCE (if not included in your project)
# Option 1: As a submodule (recommended)
git submodule add https://github.com/juce-framework/JUCE.git external/JUCE
 
# Option 2: Via Homebrew
brew install juce

Windows

# Install Visual Studio 2022 with C++ workload
# Download from: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/
 
# Install CMake
# Download from: https://cmake.org/download/
# Or via winget:
winget install Kitware.CMake
 
# Install Git
winget install Git.Git

Linux (for development only)

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake git
 
# Install JUCE dependencies
sudo apt install libasound2-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libfreetype6-dev \
  libx11-dev libxcomposite-dev libxcursor-dev libxext-dev libxinerama-dev \
  libxrandr-dev libxrender-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev libglu1-mesa-dev

Note: Linux builds are not currently supported in the cloud. Use Linux for local development, then build for macOS/Windows via BeatConnect.

Network Requirements

The build system requires:

• GitHub API access — For repository cloning
• HTTPS outbound — For API callbacks and artifact uploads
• No VPN restrictions — Some corporate VPNs may block GitHub

What You Don’t Need

BeatConnect handles these for you:

• ❌ Apple Developer Account ($99/year saved)
• ❌ Windows code signing certificate ($200-500/year saved)
• ❌ macOS build machine
• ❌ Windows build machine
• ❌ CI/CD configuration (GitHub Actions, etc.)
• ❌ Notarization workflow setup

Verification Checklist

Before proceeding, verify:

• BeatConnect account created
• Creator profile approved
• Developer tier subscription active
• GitHub account ready
• Repository with CMake project (or ready to create one)

Next Steps

Once you have everything ready:

1. Connect your GitHub account
2. Follow the quick start guide
3. Learn about the build system