# Two Implementations

OX v0.3.0 ships two parallel implementations. Both produce a binary named `ox` — they are separate release artifacts, not the same binary.

## The Go CLI (v0.3.0)

The original implementation. The one-liner installer downloads this one.

- Full-featured and stable
- Web UI (`ox workspace`)
- Docker mode
- `ox init` / `ox clone` for workspace bootstrapping
- Requires `ox init` before `ox index`
- Runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows (no GLIBC restriction)

## ox-rs (v0.2.0)

A Rust port that emphasizes graph performance and a tighter dependency footprint.

- Faster graph engine (CozoDB)
- tantivy BM25 full-text search
- SQLite persistence
- MCP server (same 6 tools as the Go CLI)
- ratatui TUI (`ox tui`)
- Takes `--vault /path` or `OX_VAULT` env variable — no `ox init` required
- **Linux requires GLIBC 2.39+** (Ubuntu 24.04+, Fedora 40+). macOS and Windows are unaffected.

## Which to use

| Use case | Recommendation |
|----------|---------------|
| First install, want everything to just work | Go CLI (`curl -fsSL https://iamox.ai/install.sh \| bash`) |
| Need `ox init` / `ox clone` workspace bootstrapping | Go CLI |
| Need the web UI | Go CLI |
| Want faster graph traversal (CozoDB) | ox-rs |
| Already have a vault directory, no bootstrap needed | ox-rs |
| Need a ratatui TUI | ox-rs |
| On Linux older than Ubuntu 24.04 / Fedora 40 | Go CLI (no GLIBC restriction) |
| Running MCP server for AI agents | Either — both expose the same 6 tools |

## Installation

**Go CLI (default):**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://iamox.ai/install.sh | bash
```

**ox-rs:**

Download the `ox-rs-*` binary for your platform from the [releases page](https://github.com/icewaterlabs/ox/releases/latest). Rename it to `ox` and place it on your `PATH`, or run it directly with `--vault /path/to/your/vault`.

```bash
# Example: point ox-rs at an existing vault
export OX_VAULT=~/ox/o/o
ox serve   # starts the MCP server against that vault
```

## Relationship

The two implementations are maintained in the same repository (`icewaterlabs/ox`). The Go CLI lives in `cli/`; ox-rs lives in `ox-rs/`. They share the same MCP tool contract (6 tools, same names and signatures) so `.mcp.json` configuration is identical for either.

Both are released as separate artifacts on the same GitHub release. Version numbers track independently (Go CLI at v0.3.x, ox-rs at v0.2.x).