1PKGBUILD(5) Pacman Manual PKGBUILD(5)
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6 PKGBUILD - Arch Linux package build description file
7
9 PKGBUILD
10
12 This manual page describes general rules about PKGBUILDs. Once a
13 PKGBUILD is written, the actual package is built using makepkg and
14 installed with pacman.
15 Note
17 An example PKGBUILD, useful for reference, is located in
18 /usr/share/pacman along with other example files such as an install
19 script. You can copy the provided PKGBUILD.proto file to a new
20 package build directory and make customizations to suit your needs.
21
23 The following is a list of standard options and directives available
24 for use in a PKGBUILD. These are all understood and interpreted by
25 makepkg, and most of them will be directly transferred to the built
26 package. The mandatory fields for a minimally functional PKGBUILD are
27 pkgname, pkgver, pkgrel and arch.
28 If you need to create any custom variables for use in your build
30 process, it is recommended to prefix their name with an _ (underscore).
31 This will prevent any possible name clashes with internal makepkg
32 variables. For example, to store the base kernel version in a variable,
33 use something similar to $_basekernver.
34 pkgname (array)
36 Either the name of the package or an array of names for split
37 packages. Valid characters for members of this array are
38 alphanumerics, and any of the following characters: “@ . _ + -”.
39 Additionally, names are not allowed to start with hyphens or dots.
40 pkgver
42 The version of the software as released from the author (e.g.,
43 2.7.1). The variable is not allowed to contain colons, forward
44 slashes, hyphens or whitespace.
45 The pkgver variable can be automatically updated by providing a
47 pkgver() function in the PKGBUILD that outputs the new package
48 version. This is run after downloading and extracting the sources
49 and running the prepare() function (if present), so it can use
50 those files in determining the new pkgver. This is most useful when
51 used with sources from version control systems (see below).
52 pkgrel
54 This is the release number specific to the distribution. This
55 allows package maintainers to make updates to the package’s
56 configure flags, for example. This is typically set to 1 for each
57 new upstream software release and incremented for intermediate
58 PKGBUILD updates. The variable is a positive integer, with an
59 optional subrelease level specified by adding another positive
60 integer separated by a period (i.e. in the form x.y).
61 epoch
63 Used to force the package to be seen as newer than any previous
64 versions with a lower epoch, even if the version number would
65 normally not trigger such an upgrade. This value is required to be
66 a positive integer; the default value if left unspecified is 0.
67 This is useful when the version numbering scheme of a package
68 changes (or is alphanumeric), breaking normal version comparison
69 logic. See pacman(8) for more information on version comparisons.
70 pkgdesc
72 This should be a brief description of the package and its
73 functionality. Try to keep the description to one line of text and
74 to not use the package’s name.
75 url
77 This field contains a URL that is associated with the software
78 being packaged. This is typically the project’s web site.
79 license (array)
81 This field specifies the license(s) that apply to the package.
82 Commonly used licenses can be found in /usr/share/licenses/common.
83 If you see the package’s license there, simply reference it in the
84 license field (e.g., license=('GPL')). If the package provides a
85 license not available in /usr/share/licenses/common, then you
86 should include it in the package itself and set license=('custom')
87 or license=('custom:LicenseName'). The license should be placed in
88 $pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname/ when building the package. If
89 multiple licenses are applicable, list all of them: license=('GPL'
90 'FDL').
91 install
93 Specifies a special install script that is to be included in the
94 package. This file should reside in the same directory as the
95 PKGBUILD and will be copied into the package by makepkg. It does
96 not need to be included in the source array (e.g.,
97 install=$pkgname.install).
98 changelog
100 Specifies a changelog file that is to be included in the package.
101 The changelog file should end in a single newline. This file should
102 reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD and will be copied
103 into the package by makepkg. It does not need to be included in the
104 source array (e.g., changelog=$pkgname.changelog).
105 source (array)
107 An array of source files required to build the package. Source
108 files must either reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD, or
109 be a fully-qualified URL that makepkg can use to download the file.
110 To simplify the maintenance of PKGBUILDs, use the $pkgname and
111 $pkgver variables when specifying the download location, if
112 possible. Compressed files will be extracted automatically unless
113 found in the noextract array described below.
114 Additional architecture-specific sources can be added by appending
116 an underscore and the architecture name e.g., source_x86_64=().
117 There must be a corresponding integrity array with checksums, e.g.
118 md5sums_x86_64=().
119 It is also possible to change the name of the downloaded file,
121 which is helpful with weird URLs and for handling multiple source
122 files with the same name. The syntax is: source=('filename::url').
123 makepkg also supports building developmental versions of packages
125 using sources downloaded from version control systems (VCS). For
126 more information, see Using VCS Sources below.
127 Files in the source array with extensions .sig, .sign or, .asc are
129 recognized by makepkg as PGP signatures and will be automatically
130 used to verify the integrity of the corresponding source file.
131 validpgpkeys (array)
133 An array of PGP fingerprints. If this array is non-empty, makepkg
134 will only accept signatures from the keys listed here and will
135 ignore the trust values from the keyring. If the source file was
136 signed with a subkey, makepkg will still use the primary key for
137 comparison.
138 Only full fingerprints are accepted. They must be uppercase and
140 must not contain whitespace characters.
141 noextract (array)
143 An array of file names corresponding to those from the source
144 array. Files listed here will not be extracted with the rest of the
145 source files. This is useful for packages that use compressed data
146 directly.
147 md5sums (array)
149 This array contains an MD5 hash for every source file specified in
150 the source array (in the same order). makepkg will use this to
151 verify source file integrity during subsequent builds. If SKIP is
152 put in the array in place of a normal hash, the integrity check for
153 that source file will be skipped. To easily generate md5sums, run
154 “makepkg -g >> PKGBUILD”. If desired, move the md5sums line to an
155 appropriate location.
156 sha1sums, sha224sums, sha256sums, sha384sums, sha512sums, b2sums
158 (arrays)
159 Alternative integrity checks that makepkg supports; these all
160 behave similar to the md5sums option described above. To enable use
161 and generation of these checksums, be sure to set up the
162 INTEGRITY_CHECK option in makepkg.conf(5).
163 groups (array)
165 An array of symbolic names that represent groups of packages,
166 allowing you to install multiple packages by requesting a single
167 target. For example, one could install all KDE packages by
168 installing the kde group.
169 arch (array)
171 Defines on which architectures the given package is available
172 (e.g., arch=('i686' 'x86_64')). Packages that contain no
173 architecture specific files should use arch=('any'). Valid
174 characters for members of this array are alphanumerics and “_”.
175 backup (array)
177 An array of file names, without preceding slashes, that should be
178 backed up if the package is removed or upgraded. This is commonly
179 used for packages placing configuration files in /etc. See
180 "Handling Config Files" in pacman(8) for more information.
181 depends (array)
183 An array of packages this package depends on to run. Entries in
184 this list should be surrounded with single quotes and contain at
185 least the package name. Entries can also include a version
186 requirement of the form name<>version, where <> is one of five
187 comparisons: >= (greater than or equal to), <= (less than or equal
188 to), = (equal to), > (greater than), or < (less than).
189 If the dependency name appears to be a library (ends with .so),
191 makepkg will try to find a binary that depends on the library in
192 the built package and append the version needed by the binary.
193 Appending the version yourself disables automatic detection.
194 Additional architecture-specific depends can be added by appending
196 an underscore and the architecture name e.g., depends_x86_64=().
197 makedepends (array)
199 An array of packages this package depends on to build but are not
200 needed at runtime. Packages in this list follow the same format as
201 depends.
202 Additional architecture-specific makedepends can be added by
204 appending an underscore and the architecture name e.g.,
205 makedepends_x86_64=().
206 checkdepends (array)
208 An array of packages this package depends on to run its test suite
209 but are not needed at runtime. Packages in this list follow the
210 same format as depends. These dependencies are only considered when
211 the check() function is present and is to be run by makepkg.
212 Additional architecture-specific checkdepends can be added by
214 appending an underscore and the architecture name e.g.,
215 checkdepends_x86_64=().
216 optdepends (array)
218 An array of packages (and accompanying reasons) that are not
219 essential for base functionality, but may be necessary to make full
220 use of the contents of this package. optdepends are currently for
221 informational purposes only and are not utilized by pacman during
222 dependency resolution. Packages in this list follow the same format
223 as depends, with an optional description appended. The format for
224 specifying optdepends descriptions is:
225 optdepends=('python: for library bindings')
227 Additional architecture-specific optdepends can be added by
229 appending an underscore and the architecture name e.g.,
230 optdepends_x86_64=().
231 conflicts (array)
233 An array of packages that will conflict with this package (i.e.
234 they cannot both be installed at the same time). This directive
235 follows the same format as depends. Versioned conflicts are
236 supported using the operators as described in depends.
237 Additional architecture-specific conflicts can be added by
239 appending an underscore and the architecture name e.g.,
240 conflicts_x86_64=().
241 provides (array)
243 An array of “virtual provisions” this package provides. This allows
244 a package to provide dependencies other than its own package name.
245 For example, the dcron package can provide cron, which allows
246 packages to depend on cron rather than dcron OR fcron.
247 Versioned provisions are also possible, in the name=version format.
249 For example, dcron can provide cron=2.0 to satisfy the cron>=2.0
250 dependency of other packages. Provisions involving the > and <
251 operators are invalid as only specific versions of a package may be
252 provided.
253 If the provision name appears to be a library (ends with .so),
255 makepkg will try to find the library in the built package and
256 append the correct version. Appending the version yourself disables
257 automatic detection.
258 Additional architecture-specific provides can be added by appending
260 an underscore and the architecture name e.g., provides_x86_64=().
261 replaces (array)
263 An array of packages this package should replace. This can be used
264 to handle renamed/combined packages. For example, if the j2re
265 package is renamed to jre, this directive allows future upgrades to
266 continue as expected even though the package has moved. Versioned
267 replaces are supported using the operators as described in depends.
268 Sysupgrade is currently the only pacman operation that utilizes
270 this field. A normal sync or upgrade will not use its value.
271 Additional architecture-specific replaces can be added by appending
273 an underscore and the architecture name e.g., replaces_x86_64=().
274 options (array)
276 This array allows you to override some of makepkg’s default
277 behavior when building packages. To set an option, just include the
278 option name in the options array. To reverse the default behavior,
279 place an “!” at the front of the option. Only specify the options
280 you specifically want to override, the rest will be taken from
281 makepkg.conf(5). NOTE: force is a now-removed option in favor of
282 the top level epoch variable.
283 strip
285 Strip symbols from binaries and libraries. If you frequently
286 use a debugger on programs or libraries, it may be helpful to
287 disable this option.
288 docs
290 Save doc directories. If you wish to delete doc directories,
291 specify !docs in the array.
292 libtool
294 Leave libtool (.la) files in packages. Specify !libtool to
295 remove them.
296 staticlibs
298 Leave static library (.a) files in packages. Specify
299 !staticlibs to remove them (if they have a shared counterpart).
300 emptydirs
302 Leave empty directories in packages.
303 zipman
305 Compress man and info pages with gzip.
306 ccache
308 Allow the use of ccache during build(). More useful in its
309 negative form !ccache with select packages that have problems
310 building with ccache.
311 distcc
313 Allow the use of distcc during build(). More useful in its
314 negative form !distcc with select packages that have problems
315 building with distcc.
316 buildflags
318 Allow the use of user-specific buildflags (CPPFLAGS, CFLAGS,
319 CXXFLAGS, LDFLAGS) during build() as specified in
320 makepkg.conf(5). More useful in its negative form !buildflags
321 with select packages that have problems building with custom
322 buildflags.
323 makeflags
325 Allow the use of user-specific makeflags during build() as
326 specified in makepkg.conf(5). More useful in its negative form
327 !makeflags with select packages that have problems building
328 with custom makeflags such as -j2 (or higher).
329 debug
331 Add the user-specified debug flags (DEBUG_CFLAGS,
332 DEBUG_CXXFLAGS) to their counterpart buildflags as specified in
333 makepkg.conf(5). When used in combination with the ‘strip’
334 option, a separate package containing the debug symbols is
335 created.
336
338 In addition to the above directives, PKGBUILDs require a set of
339 functions that provide instructions to build and install the package.
340 As a minimum, the PKGBUILD must contain a package() function which
341 installs all the package’s files into the packaging directory, with
342 optional prepare(), build(), and check() functions being used to create
343 those files from source.
344 This is directly sourced and executed by makepkg, so anything that Bash
346 or the system has available is available for use here. Be sure any
347 exotic commands used are covered by the makedepends array.
348 If you create any variables of your own in any of these functions, it
350 is recommended to use the Bash local keyword to scope the variable to
351 inside the function.
352 package() Function
354 The package() function is used to install files into the directory
355 that will become the root directory of the built package and is run
356 after all the optional functions listed below. The packaging stage
357 is run using fakeroot to ensure correct file permissions in the
358 resulting package. All other functions will be run as the user
359 calling makepkg.
360 prepare() Function
362 An optional prepare() function can be specified in which operations
363 to prepare the sources for building, such as patching, are
364 performed. This function is run after the source extraction and
365 before the build() function. The prepare() function is skipped when
366 source extraction is skipped.
367 build() Function
369 The optional build() function is use to compile and/or adjust the
370 source files in preparation to be installed by the package()
371 function.
372 check() Function
374 An optional check() function can be specified in which a package’s
375 test-suite may be run. This function is run between the build() and
376 package() functions. Be sure any exotic commands used are covered
377 by the checkdepends array.
378 All of the above variables such as $pkgname and $pkgver are available
380 for use in the packaging functions. In addition, makepkg defines the
381 following variables:
382 srcdir
384 This contains the directory where makepkg extracts, or copies, all
385 source files.
386 All of the packaging functions defined above are run starting
388 inside $srcdir
389 pkgdir
391 This contains the directory where makepkg bundles the installed
392 package. This directory will become the root directory of your
393 built package. This variable should only be used in the package()
394 function.
395 startdir
397 This contains the absolute path to the directory where the PKGBUILD
398 is located, which is usually the output of $(pwd) when makepkg is
399 started. Use of this variable is deprecated and strongly
400 discouraged.
401
403 makepkg supports building multiple packages from a single PKGBUILD.
404 This is achieved by assigning an array of package names to the pkgname
405 directive. Each split package uses a corresponding packaging function
406 with name package_foo(), where foo is the name of the split package.
407 All options and directives for the split packages default to the global
409 values given in the PKGBUILD. Nevertheless, the following ones can be
410 overridden within each split package’s packaging function: pkgdesc,
411 arch, url, license, groups, depends, optdepends, provides, conflicts,
412 replaces, backup, options, install, and changelog.
413 Note that makepkg does not consider split package depends when checking
415 if dependencies are installed before package building and with
416 --syncdeps. All packages required to make the package are required to
417 be specified in the global depends and makedepends arrays.
418 An optional global directive is available when building a split
420 package:
421 pkgbase
423 The name used to refer to the group of packages in the output of
424 makepkg and in the naming of source-only tarballs. If not
425 specified, the first element in the pkgname array is used. Valid
426 characters for this variable are alphanumerics, and any of the
427 following characters: “@ . _ + -”. Additionally, the variable is
428 not allowed to start with hyphens or dots.
429
431 Pacman has the ability to store and execute a package-specific script
432 when it installs, removes, or upgrades a package. This allows a package
433 to configure itself after installation and perform an opposite action
434 upon removal.
435 The exact time the script is run varies with each operation, and should
437 be self-explanatory. Note that during an upgrade operation, none of the
438 install or remove functions will be called.
439 Scripts are passed either one or two “full version strings”, where a
441 full version string is either pkgver-pkgrel or epoch:pkgver-pkgrel, if
442 epoch is non-zero.
443 pre_install
445 Run right before files are extracted. One argument is passed: new
446 package full version string.
447 post_install
449 Run right after files are extracted. One argument is passed: new
450 package full version string.
451 pre_upgrade
453 Run right before files are extracted. Two arguments are passed in
454 this order: new package full version string, old package full
455 version string.
456 post_upgrade
458 Run after files are extracted. Two arguments are passed in this
459 order: new package full version string, old package full version
460 string.
461 pre_remove
463 Run right before files are removed. One argument is passed: old
464 package full version string.
465 post_remove
467 Run right after files are removed. One argument is passed: old
468 package full version string.
469 To use this feature, create a file such as pkgname.install and put it
471 in the same directory as the PKGBUILD script. Then use the install
472 directive:
473 install=pkgname.install
475 The install script does not need to be specified in the source array. A
477 template install file is available in /usr/share/pacman as
478 proto.install for reference with all of the available functions
479 defined.
480
482 Building a developmental version of a package using sources from a
483 version control system (VCS) is enabled by specifying the source in the
484 form source=('directory::url#fragment?query'). Currently makepkg
485 supports the Bazaar, Git, Subversion, and Mercurial version control
486 systems. For other version control systems, manual cloning of upstream
487 repositories must be done in the prepare() function.
488 The source URL is divided into four components:
490 directory
492 (optional) Specifies an alternate directory name for makepkg to
493 download the VCS source into.
494 url
496 The URL to the VCS repository. This must include the VCS in the URL
497 protocol for makepkg to recognize this as a VCS source. If the
498 protocol does not include the VCS name, it can be added by
499 prefixing the URL with vcs+. For example, using a Git repository
500 over HTTPS would have a source URL in the form: git+https://....
501 fragment
503 (optional) Allows specifying a revision number or branch for
504 makepkg to checkout from the VCS. For example, to checkout a given
505 revision, the source line would have the format
506 source=(url#revision=123). The available fragments depends on the
507 VCS being used:
508 bzr
510 revision (see 'bzr help revisionspec' for details)
511 git
513 branch, commit, tag
514 hg
516 branch, revision, tag
517 svn
519 revision
520 query
522 (optional) Allows specifying whether a VCS checkout should be
523 checked for PGP-signed revisions. The source line should have the
524 format source=(url#fragment?signed) or
525 source=(url?signed#fragment). Currently only supported by Git.
526
528 The following is an example PKGBUILD for the patch package. For more
529 examples, look through the build files of your distribution’s packages.
530 For those using Arch Linux, consult the Arch Build System (ABS) tree.
531 # Maintainer: Joe User <joe.user@example.com>
533 pkgname=patch
535 pkgver=2.7.1
536 pkgrel=1
537 pkgdesc="A utility to apply patch files to original sources"
538 arch=('i686' 'x86_64')
539 url="https://www.gnu.org/software/patch/patch.html"
540 license=('GPL')
541 groups=('base-devel')
542 depends=('glibc')
543 makedepends=('ed')
544 optdepends=('ed: for "patch -e" functionality')
545 source=("ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/$pkgname/$pkgname-$pkgver.tar.xz"{,.sig})
546 md5sums=('e9ae5393426d3ad783a300a338c09b72'
547 'SKIP')
548 build() {
550 cd "$srcdir/$pkgname-$pkgver"
551 ./configure --prefix=/usr
552 make
553 }
554 package() {
556 cd "$srcdir/$pkgname-$pkgver"
557 make DESTDIR="$pkgdir/" install
558 }
559
561 makepkg(8), pacman(8), makepkg.conf(5)
562 See the pacman website at https://www.archlinux.org/pacman/ for current
564 information on pacman and its related tools.
565
567 Bugs? You must be kidding; there are no bugs in this software. But if
568 we happen to be wrong, submit a bug report with as much detail as
569 possible at the Arch Linux Bug Tracker in the Pacman section.
570
572 Current maintainers:
573 · Allan McRae <allan@archlinux.org>
575 · Andrew Gregory <andrew.gregory.8@gmail.com>
577 · Dan McGee <dan@archlinux.org>
579 · Dave Reisner <dreisner@archlinux.org>
581 Past major contributors:
583 · Judd Vinet <jvinet@zeroflux.org>
585 · Aurelien Foret <aurelien@archlinux.org>
587 · Aaron Griffin <aaron@archlinux.org>
589 · Xavier Chantry <shiningxc@gmail.com>
591 · Nagy Gabor <ngaba@bibl.u-szeged.hu>
593 For additional contributors, use git shortlog -s on the pacman.git
595 repository.
596Pacman 5.2.1 2020-04-01 PKGBUILD(5)