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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 19:33:14 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 19:33:14 +0000
commit36d22d82aa202bb199967e9512281e9a53db42c9 (patch)
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downloadfirefox-esr-36d22d82aa202bb199967e9512281e9a53db42c9.tar.xz
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Adding upstream version 115.7.0esr.upstream/115.7.0esr
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
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+Building Firefox On Linux
+=========================
+
+This document will help you get set up to build Firefox on your own
+computer. Getting set up can take a while - we need to download a
+lot of bytes! Even on a fast connection, this can take ten to fifteen
+minutes of work, spread out over an hour or two.
+
+Requirements
+------------
+
+- **Memory:** 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB+ recommended.
+- **Disk Space:** At least 30GB of free disk space.
+- **Operating System:** A 64-bit installation of Linux. It is strongly advised
+ that you use a supported distribution; see :ref:`build_hosts`. We also
+ recommend that your system is fully up-to-date.
+
+.. note::
+
+ Some Linux distros are better-supported than others. Mozilla maintains
+ bootstrapping code for Ubuntu, but others are managed by the
+ community (thanks!). The more esoteric the distro you're using,
+ the more likely that you'll need to solve unexpected problems.
+
+
+1. System preparation
+---------------------
+
+1.1 Install Python
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+To build Firefox, it's necessary to have a Python of version 3.6 or later
+installed. Python 2 is no longer required to build Firefox, although it is still
+required for running some kinds of tests. Additionally, you will probably need
+Python development files as well to install some pip packages.
+
+You should be able to install Python using your system package manager:
+
+- For Debian-based Linux (such as Ubuntu): ``sudo apt-get install curl python3 python3-pip``
+- For Fedora Linux: ``sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip``
+
+If you need a version of Python that your package manager doesn't have (e.g.:
+the provided Python 3 is too old, or you want Python 2 but it's not available),
+then you can use `pyenv <https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv>`_, assuming that your
+system is supported.
+
+1.2 Install Mercurial
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Mozilla's source code is hosted in Mercurial repositories. You will
+need Mercurial to download and update the code.
+
+Note that if you'd prefer to use the version of Mercurial that is
+packaged by your distro, you can skip this section. However, keep in
+mind that distro-packaged Mercurial may be outdated, and therefore
+slower and less supported.
+
+.. code-block:: shell
+
+ python3 -m pip install --user mercurial
+
+You can test that Mercurial is installed by running:
+
+.. code-block:: shell
+
+ hg version
+
+.. note::
+
+ If your shell is showing ``command not found: hg``, then Python's packages aren't
+ being found in the ``$PATH``. You can resolve this by doing the following and
+ restarting your shell:
+
+ .. code-block:: shell
+
+ # If you're using zsh
+ echo 'export PATH="'"$(python3 -m site --user-base)"'/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshenv
+
+ # If you're using bash
+ echo 'export PATH="'"$(python3 -m site --user-base)"'/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
+
+ # If you're using a different shell, follow its documentation to see
+ # how to configure your PATH. Ensure that `$(python3 -m site --user-base)/bin`
+ # is prepended.
+
+2. Bootstrap a copy of the Firefox source code
+----------------------------------------------
+
+Now that your system is ready, we can download the source code and have Firefox
+automatically download the other dependencies it needs. The below command
+will download a lot of data (years of Firefox history!) then guide you through
+the interactive setup process.
+
+.. code-block:: shell
+
+ curl https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/raw-file/default/python/mozboot/bin/bootstrap.py -O
+ python3 bootstrap.py
+
+.. note::
+
+ In general, the Firefox workflow works best with Mercurial. However,
+ if you'd prefer to use ``git``, you can grab the source code in
+ "git" form by running the bootstrap script with the ``vcs`` parameter:
+
+ .. code-block:: shell
+
+ python3 bootstrap.py --vcs=git
+
+ This uses `Git Cinnabar <https://github.com/glandium/git-cinnabar/>`_ under the hood.
+
+Choosing a build type
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+If you aren't modifying the Firefox backend, then select one of the
+:ref:`Artifact Mode <Understanding Artifact Builds>` options. If you are
+building Firefox for Android, you should also see the :ref:`GeckoView Contributor Guide`.
+
+3. Build
+--------
+
+Now that your system is bootstrapped, you should be able to build!
+
+.. code-block:: shell
+
+ cd mozilla-unified
+ hg up -C central
+ ./mach build
+ ./mach run
+
+🎉 Congratulations! You've built your own home-grown Firefox!
+
+Now the fun starts
+------------------
+
+Time to start hacking! You should join us on `Matrix <https://chat.mozilla.org/>`_,
+say hello in the `Introduction channel
+<https://chat.mozilla.org/#/room/#introduction:mozilla.org>`_, and `find a bug to
+start working on <https://codetribute.mozilla.org/>`_.
+See the :ref:`Firefox Contributors' Quick Reference` to learn how to test your changes,
+send patches to Mozilla, update your source code locally, and more.
+
+Troubleshooting
+---------------
+
+Using a non-native file system (NTFS, network drive, etc)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In our experience building Firefox in these hybrid or otherwise complex environments
+always ends in unexpected, often silent and always hard-to-diagnose failure.
+Building Firefox in that environment is far more likely to reveal the flaws and
+shortcomings of those systems than it is to produce a running web browser.