Main technical features and functionalities
NetLogo runs on almost any current computer. The main application requirements are the following:
Windows environment
- NetLogo runs on Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7 and Vista. NetLogo 5.2.1 was the last version to support Windows XP and Windows 2000.
- The NetLogo installer for Windows includes Java 8 for NetLogo’s private use only. No other programs on the computer are affected.
Mac OS X environment
- Mac OS X 10.8.3 or newer is required. (NetLogo 5.1 was the last version to support 10.5 and 10.4; NetLogo 5.2.1 was the last version to support 10.6 and 10.7)
- As in the case for Windows, the NetLogo application contains a distribution of the Java 8 runtime for NetLogo’s private use only. Other programs on your computer will not be affected.
Linux environment
- NetLogo should work on standard Debian-based and Red Hat-based Linux distributions. The NetLogo tarball includes a copy of the Java 8 runtime.
32-bit or 64-bit?
- For non-advanced users on Linux or Windows, the 32-bit version of NetLogo is the simplest way to a working NetLogo installation.
- The primary advantage of the 64-bit version is the ability to add additional heap space by changing the “-Xmx” JVM option. To run 64-bit NetLogo, you must be running a 64-bit operating system.
- NetLogo is easy to use by non-advanced users.

Examples on how to use them to analyse Complex Systems
NetLogo is a widely used general-purpose agent-based modeling language that enables exploring and constructing models of complex systems. The NetLogo modeling environment is used to program the rules and behaviors of many individual entities, molecules, grains of sand, people etc. These entities or “agents” operate independently and can interact among themselves. System-wide phenomena emerge through the parallel behaviors and interactions of many such individuals. Phenomena are thus related not only to global characteristics of the system, but to its local attributes as well.

This specific application is a model of energy flow in the earth, particularly heat energy. It allows students to investigate the role of energy transformations in global climate processes, specifically, from solar radiation to thermal energy, from thermal energy to infrared radiation, and from infrared radiation to thermal energy. Clouds and carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules can be added to the atmosphere. The CO2 molecules represent greenhouse gases that block infrared light that is emitted by the earth. Clouds block incoming or outgoing sun rays, influencing the heating up or cooling down of the planet

Although there are many simplifications in this model, it helps students understand how micro-level interactions between individual agents can result in observable patterns at the macro-level.

Vitale, J. M., McBride, E., & Linn, M. C. (2016). Distinguishing complex ideas about climate change: knowledge integration vs. specific guidance. International Journal of Science Education, 38(9), 1548-1569