Install instructions

To install and run Urbit please follow the instructions at
urbit.org/docs/using/install. Packages
and source tarballs are available there. You'll be on the live network in a few
minutes.

If you're doing development on Urbit, keep reading.

Build instructions

External dependencies

vere, the Urbit virtual machine, depends on the following:

• C compiler (gcc or clang)
• GNU Make
• GMP
• CMake
• automake, autoconf, and libtool
• OpenSSL
• libsigsegv
• libcurl
• curses implementation (ncurses on Linux distributions, OS curses otherwise)
• Ragel
• re2c

Most of these dependencies are unfortunate; we aim to drastically shrink the
list in upcoming versions. vere proper makes use of GMP, OpenSSL, libcurl, and
libsigsegv. The multiple build tools are a result of bundled libraries, slated
for future unbundling or removal wherever possible.

Building

Our Makefile should handle the build smoothly on all supported platforms. It's
just a simple Makefile, written by hand for GNU Make, and the most complicated
parts of its internal machinery have to do with the varied build systems of the
bundled libraries.

Useful targets are the default all, clean, and distclean. The last may not
produce an entirely clean distribution directory, and runs a bundled library's
configure script; git clean may be a better option.

The vere binary is produced in bin/urbit.

Contact

If you have any questions, problems, patches, or proposals for patches, please
feel free to get in touch in whatever way is most convenient:

• Post to /urbit-meta on Urbit :talk. (You can do this via
  urbit.org/stream without a running Urbit).
• Post to urbit.org/fora.
• Email us directly questions@urbit.org.