Building Software from Source

Prerequisites

# Install essential build tools
pkg install git
pkg install autoconf automake libtool
pkg install cmake
pkg install gmake
pkg install pkgconf

# Install compiler (usually included in base)
# FreeBSD uses clang by default
clang --version

Generic Build Process

# Download source
git clone https://github.com/project/software.git
cd software

# Standard autotools build
./configure --prefix=/usr/local
make
sudo make install

# Or with cmake
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

FreeBSD-Specific Notes

Compiler Differences

# FreeBSD uses clang, not gcc
cc --version    # Shows clang

# If software requires gcc
pkg install gcc12
export CC=gcc12
export CXX=g++12

# Use gmake instead of make for GNU makefiles
gmake

Library Paths

# FreeBSD library locations
/usr/lib           # Base system libraries
/usr/local/lib     # Ports/pkg installed libraries
/usr/local/include # Headers

# Set library path
export LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/lib"
export CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/local/include"

# Or use pkg-config
pkg install pkgconf
pkg-config --libs openssl

Common Configure Options

./configure \
  --prefix=/usr/local \
  --sysconfdir=/usr/local/etc \
  --localstatedir=/var \
  --mandir=/usr/local/man \
  LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/lib" \
  CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/local/include"

Building Example: nginx

# Install dependencies
pkg install pcre2 openssl

# Download source
fetch https://nginx.org/download/nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz
tar xzf nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz
cd nginx-1.24.0

# Configure
./configure \
  --prefix=/usr/local \
  --conf-path=/usr/local/etc/nginx/nginx.conf \
  --error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log \
  --http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log \
  --pid-path=/var/run/nginx.pid \
  --with-http_ssl_module \
  --with-http_v2_module \
  --with-pcre

# Build
make

# Install
sudo make install

Building from Git

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/example/project.git
cd project

# Check out specific version
git checkout v1.0.0

# Initialize submodules if needed
git submodule update --init --recursive

# Generate configure script (if not present)
autoreconf -i

# Build
./configure && make && sudo make install

Troubleshooting Builds

Missing Headers

# Find package containing header
pkg search -o filename.h

# Or search ports
cd /usr/ports
make search name=filename

Linker Errors

# Check library is installed
ldconfig -r | grep libname

# Add library path
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib
ldconfig -m /usr/local/lib

BSD vs Linux Differences

# Common fixes for Linux-centric code:
# 1. Use gmake instead of make
# 2. Include <sys/types.h> before other headers
# 3. Use ${PREFIX} instead of hardcoded paths
# 4. Check for __FreeBSD__ define in code

Creating Your Own Port

# Basic port Makefile structure
PORTNAME=    myapp
PORTVERSION= 1.0
CATEGORIES=  misc
MASTER_SITES= https://example.com/

MAINTAINER=  [email protected]
COMMENT=     My application description

LICENSE=     MIT

.include <bsd.port.mk>