NetLogo is an open-source multi-platform agent-based modeling environment that is available on all major desktop operating systems (MacOS, Linux, Windows). In case you are unable to install the desktop application (e.g., on a Chromebook), you can use NetLogo as a web application at Netlogoweb.org. In addition, a new cousin of NetLogo, called TurtleUniverse, is available as a native mobile application on Apple iOS and Google Android.
If this is your first time using NetLogo, you can read below to learn about how to get started.
If you are able to do so, we highly recommend you to install the desktop version of NetLogo on your computer so that you can use the full feature-set of NetLogo without any limitations.
Installing NetLogo on your desktop computer is as easy as it gets:
In some cases, you may not be able to install the desktop version of NetLogo on your computer. For example, you may have a Chromebook, a tablet, or a mobile phone. In other cases, you may be using a public computer that does not allow installing new applications. In such cases, we recommend you to use NetLogoWeb, which is a browser-based version of NetLogo that works on all modern web-browsers.
You can access NetLogoWeb by visiting https://www.netlogoweb.org.
NetLogoWeb can also be very useful in sharing the models you created on NetLogoDesktop with a greater audience without requiring them to install any other software.
Note that NetLogoWeb does not have feature-parity with NetLogo Desktop mainly due to limitations imposed by web technologies. This means that some extensions may not run on NetLogoWeb, some interface elements may not be editable (e.g., plots), and even some primitives may not function as expected (e.g., display
, wait
). However, a significant majority of NetLogo features should run seamlessly in NetLogoWeb and most of your models should run on NetLogoWeb without need for any modification.
If you just installed NetLogo, or you visited https://www.netlogoweb.org, but you are new to NetLogo and you are unsure where to start, chances are the Models Library is the place to go. This library includes numerous models developed by the NetLogo team, scientific experts, and educators all around the world. Each model in this library is carefully inspected by the NetLogo team. You can find models on a variety of topics under categories such as Biology, Computer Science, and Social Science.
On NetLogo Desktop, you can access the models library by clicking the File menu and clicking the Models Library item in this menu.
On NetLogoWeb, you can simply use the combined search bar & drop down list to find a model in the library.
The following video tutorial shows how to access the models in the Models Library:
It is easy to run the library models in NetLogo. Almost all of them have a setup button and a go button. To run a model, first click the setup button and then click the go button.