Lite Package

Alongside the regular Santa deployment package, we also make available a "lite" package, which is named santa-lite-YYYY.X.pkg. This package has Workshop-only components removed.

Why does the Lite package exist?

Santa includes an optional network extension for adding telemetry of network events. While this extension can only be activated by Workshop customers, its mere presence on disk concerns some users, despite being inert without being connected to Workshop.

What's the downside of the Lite package?

The Lite package is built from the same artifacts as the full package, then re-signed and re-notarized after removing components. It receives less testing - we run upgrade testing for each release but do not include the Lite variant, as it would significantly expand our test matrix.

Should you ever want to activate the removed features, you'll need to do a migration from Lite to full package.

Should I use the Lite package?

If you're a Workshop customer: no, this will prevent certain features from working.

If you're not a Workshop customer: we recommend the full package. The Lite package only saves a few megabytes, and the removed components are inert without Workshop.

Can I upgrade from Lite to full package?

Yes, but the Santa system extension will not be replaced unless the version number is higher. In practice the code for the running extension should be identical, but this scenario is not one we test. You may also find systems reporting that they're running the Lite version after being replaced with the full version until the machines reboot.

Can I downgrade from the full package to Lite?

Yes with the same caveat as above and another exception: if Santa is connected to Workshop it will block a downgrade to the Lite package to avoid breaking functionality.