The Gramps source lives at gramps-project/gramps under GPL-2.0. Issues, pull requests, and release assets for this family tree app all start there. Project site: gramps-project.org.
What to open first
For install, open Releases. For build-from-source, open README and INSTALL. For genealogy workflows, open the Gramps wiki linked from the project site. Do not confuse the wiki with third-party “family tree download” blogs.
Licence and security
COPYING states GPL-2.0. Security advisories live on the repository security tab. Report vulnerabilities through that channel, not through random comment forms on mirror sites.
Stars and activity
The install panel and footer stamp read live release data at build time. Star counts and dates come from GitHub, not from invented marketing numbers.
Contributing vs installing
Most readers only need the AIO, dmg, brew, or snap path. Contributors who patch Python GTK code should follow INSTALL and CI notes in the repo. This guide stays focused on the family tree install job.
Related local pages
Releases, download safe, is it safe, and guides expand the install story without sending you through adware portals.
Forks and lookalikes
Prefer the gramps-project organization. Random forks that only change branding are a common malware vector for software people find by searching family tree. Check the organization name before you download.
Docs map
Wiki manuals cover Categories, Filters, Reports, and Import. Use them after the desktop app opens. Install first, wiki second.
Why exact filenames matter
Search results for a family tree install are crowded with renamed wrappers. Matching the upstream asset on GitHub Releases, or a verified brew or snap package, is the difference between a clean Family Tree and a second cleanup afternoon. Prefer stable tags over betas when your research PC needs predictability.
Write down which door this computer used. The next volunteer who opens the archive should not have to guess whether the machine used an AIO, a dmg, Homebrew, or snap. That note belongs beside your GEDCOM backups.
Local database habits
A family tree only helps when the database path is intentional. Create trees on disks you back up. Export GEDCOM or Gramps XML before risky imports. Keep media folders in the same backup set. Living-person details deserve the same care you would give any other personal archive.
Charts and reports can wait until a handful of people exist. Graphviz helps some graph outputs on Linux and other systems; install it when a report asks. Geography views and maps are optional power features, not first-hour requirements.
Parallel research without cloud lock-in
Many researchers keep a local family tree as the system of record while browsing online genealogy sites for clues. That hybrid approach works when you export carefully and avoid deleting the only copy of either side too early. GEDCOM remains the bridge when you need to move.
If a society already standardized on a commercial suite, evaluate migration cost before you switch for branding alone. Gramps wins when GPL-2.0 and offline disks matter. Online SaaS wins when you cannot install software or you need hosted hints every day.
Update discipline
Return to the same door forever. Windows users take the next AIO from Releases. Homebrew users upgrade the cask. Snap users refresh. apt users follow distro tools. Do not stack three mirrors “just in case.” One honest door prevents dual launches and confusion after a reimage.
When a newer stable tag appears, read the release notes, back up Family Trees, then upgrade. Beta tags are for testers. This family tree guide defaults to stable assets so classrooms and societies can reproduce installs.
Where to go next
Home install panel: family tree install. Windows deep dive: Windows. Safety: is it safe. First hour: installed. Guides hub: guides.
Corrections to filenames or package ids belong on the contact page with a source URL. Software bugs belong on the upstream GitHub issues list for gramps-project/gramps in a new tab.