Backends

Backend choice

Stata publishes to folders and to Framework Cloud itself. GitHub Pages and S3 need one of two backends:

• CLI: the fw command-line tool
• Python: framework-py in Stata's Python, on Stata 16 or newer

fw_set chooses the backend. The setting is stored in stata.conf in the Framework configuration folder and applies to every project.

Backend	Behavior
auto	Stata for folders and Cloud. fw, then framework-py, for GitHub and S3. The default.
core	Stata only. GitHub and S3 stop with an error.
cli	Every publish goes through fw.
python	Every publish goes through framework-py.

fw_set backend cli

The global FW_BACKEND overrides the setting for one session. A chosen backend that is unavailable stops and prints the fix. It never falls back to another.

global FW_BACKEND python

CLI backend

Install fw from the CLI docs. Stata looks for it on the PATH and in the usual install folders. The Stata application on macOS starts with a short PATH, so point to fw when it is not found.

fw_set fw_path "/opt/homebrew/bin/fw"
fw_set fw_path clear

Python backend

Stata needs Python 3.11 or newer with framework-py installed. Find the Python Stata uses:

python query

Install framework-py with that Python:

/path/from/python/query -m pip install framework-py

fw_setup prints this command with the exact path. When Stata's Python is older than 3.11, fw_setup says so instead. Point Stata at a newer Python first.

Python builds

Stata needs a Python built with a shared libpython. Most installers provide one. Some cluster modules are static and do not work. uv python install 3.11 gives a shared build.

Point Stata at the interpreter with python set exec. A symbolic link, such as uv's cpython-3.11-linux-x86_64-gnu, works. Add a virtual environment's packages with python set userpath.

python set exec "/home/me/.local/share/uv/python/cpython-3.11-linux-x86_64-gnu/bin/python3.11"
python set userpath "/home/me/venvs/framework/lib/python3.11/site-packages", prepend

Checking Python starts it for the session, and Stata cannot switch Python after that. Use fw_setup, nopython to skip the check.

Results and records

Every backend sets the same stored results. See Publishing.

A model records source.language stata through every backend. A plain file, such as a figure, records stata through Stata itself. Through fw it records no language, and through framework-py it records python. Neither tool has a way to set the language yet.