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diff --git a/docs/setup/linux_build.rst b/docs/setup/linux_build.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..8582a52be6 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/setup/linux_build.rst @@ -0,0 +1,151 @@ +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 However, keep in +mind that distro-packaged Mercurial may be outdated, and therefore +slower and less supported.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. |