How to Install Software from Source on Debian 12 (Bookworm)

Introduction

Debian 12 (Bookworm) is a stable and robust Linux distribution widely used for servers, desktops, and development environments. While Debian provides a vast repository of precompiled packages, sometimes you may need to install software from the source. This could be due to reasons such as needing a newer version of a package, applying custom patches, or optimizing the build for your hardware.

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing software from the source on Debian 12, covering prerequisites, downloading and compiling software, resolving dependencies, and managing installation paths.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that your system is up to date by running:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

You will also need a set of essential tools for compiling software. Install them with:

sudo apt install build-essential

This package includes GCC (GNU Compiler Collection), G++, make, and other necessary tools. Additionally, depending on the software you are compiling, you might need other dependencies such as development libraries and headers.

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

Many software projects rely on external libraries. The easiest way to find missing dependencies is to check the documentation of the software or use the apt package manager to install commonly required tools:

sudo apt install autoconf automake libtool pkg-config cmake

If you are building a graphical application, you may need additional dependencies:

sudo apt install libgtk-3-dev qtbase5-dev

Step 2: Download the Source Code

The source code of most open-source software is available from official websites, GitHub, GitLab, or SourceForge. For example, to download the source code of a program like htop, you can use:

wget https://github.com/htop-dev/htop/archive/refs/tags/3.2.2.tar.gz

Extract the tarball:

tar -xvzf 3.2.2.tar.gz
cd htop-3.2.2

Alternatively, if the software is managed with Git, you can clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/htop-dev/htop.git
cd htop

Step 3: Configure the Build System

Most source packages use either autotools, CMake, or Meson as their build system. Here’s how to configure them:

Using configure

If the software uses autotools, run:

./autogen.sh  # If provided by the software
./configure --prefix=/usr/local

The --prefix=/usr/local option ensures that the software is installed under /usr/local instead of overwriting system binaries in /usr.

Using CMake

If the software uses CMake, create a build directory and run:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local

Using Meson

If the software uses Meson:

meson setup build --prefix=/usr/local
cd build

Step 4: Compile the Software

After configuring, compile the software using:

make -j$(nproc)

This command tells make to compile using all available CPU cores, speeding up the process.

For CMake-based builds, run:

cmake --build . -- -j$(nproc)

For Meson:

ninja

Step 5: Install the Compiled Software

Once the compilation is successful, install the software system-wide with:

sudo make install

For CMake:

sudo cmake --install .

For Meson:

sudo ninja install

After installation, update the system’s library cache if necessary:

sudo ldconfig

Step 6: Verify the Installation

Once installed, check if the software is available:

which htop
htop --version

If the binary is not found, try adding /usr/local/bin to your PATH:

export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH

To make this change permanent, add the above line to ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile.

Step 7: Uninstalling Software Installed from Source

Unlike apt-installed packages, software installed from source does not have a package manager tracking it. To uninstall manually:

sudo make uninstall

If the software does not provide an uninstall target, remove it manually:

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/htop /usr/local/share/man/man1/htop.1

Using stow can help manage source installations better:

sudo apt install stow
stow -d /usr/local -S htop
stow -d /usr/local -D htop  # To remove

Conclusion

Compiling and installing software from source on Debian 12 (Bookworm) gives you control over versions, optimizations, and configurations. While it requires more effort than using apt, it is a valuable skill for system administrators and developers. By following the steps outlined—installing dependencies, downloading and compiling source code, configuring paths, and handling uninstallation—you can efficiently manage source-based software on your Debian system.