{"title":"Amber V2 Public Beta - The New First Run Is Live","summary":"A new public home, Amber CLI 2.0.3, a branded web starter, and one documented path for testing Amber V2.","date":"2026-08-10","category":"Release","author":"Seth Tucker","url":"https://amberframework.org/blog/2026/08/10/amber-v2-public-beta","markdown_url":"https://amberframework.org/blog/2026/08/10/amber-v2-public-beta.md","json_url":"https://amberframework.org/blog/2026/08/10/amber-v2-public-beta.json","image_url":"https://amberframework.org/assets/characters/amber-hero-desk-transparent-higgsfield-6bc94885aa071d061333d81c9676edcb.webp","content_markdown":"# Amber V2 public beta: the new first run is live\n\nAmber V2 now has one public home for learning the framework, installing its\nstandalone CLI, and generating a web application that looks and feels like it\nbelongs to the same project.\n\nThe framework remains `2.0.0-beta.2`. The companion Amber CLI `2.0.3` updates\nthe generated web starter and is the minimum version used throughout the new\nsite and V2 guides.\n\n## Install the CLI\n\nOn Apple Silicon macOS or x86_64 Linux with Homebrew:\n\n```bash\nbrew install amberframework/amber_cli/amber_cli\namber --version\n```\n\nVerified archives and checksum files are available from the\n[Amber CLI v2.0.3 release](https://github.com/amberframework/amber_cli/releases/tag/v2.0.3).\n\n## Generate the new web starter\n\n```bash\namber new my_app\ncd my_app\ncrystal spec\namber watch\n```\n\nWeb is the default application type; `amber new my_app --type web` is the\nexplicit equivalent. The generated application pins the official Amber\n`2.0.0-beta.2` framework release and starts with ECR, typed configuration,\nlocally served CSS and JavaScript, and a browser-native import map. It does not\nrequire Node, npm, a bundler, a UI library, a CDN, an ORM, or a database.\n\n## Learn the Amber way\n\nThe new [Amber's Way](/amber-way) page explains the beliefs behind the code:\ncontrollers coordinate work, `respond_with` makes HTML and JSON\nrepresentations explicit, ECR owns server-rendered HTML, and local browser\nassets provide a complete front end before another dependency is added.\n\nThe V2 documentation now includes the exact generated file system, complete\nECR and import-map examples, supported and preview boundaries, deployment\nguidance, and benchmark evidence with its workload and limitations.\n\nStart with [Installation](/docs/v2/getting-started/installation/), build the\n[first web application](/docs/v2/getting-started/), and keep the\n[beta support matrix](/docs/v2/beta-support/) nearby while evaluating other\ngenerators.\n\n## What we need from beta testers\n\nTry the complete path on a supported Mac or Linux machine. When something\nbreaks or reads ambiguously, report the operating system and architecture,\nCrystal version, Amber CLI version, install method, exact command, and complete\noutput.\n\n- [Framework issues](https://github.com/amberframework/amber/issues)\n- [CLI and generator issues](https://github.com/amberframework/amber_cli/issues)\n- [Homebrew installation issues](https://github.com/amberframework/homebrew-amber_cli/issues)\n\nAmber V2 is still a beta. Persistence-backed generators, Grant, Gemma, the\nseparate Asset Pipeline, and native generation remain clearly labeled preview\nsurfaces. The public web path is narrower on purpose: it is the path we can\ndocument, reproduce, and improve together.\n"}