PORTS(7) FreeBSD Miscellaneous Information Manual PORTS(7)
NAME
ports - contributed applications
DESCRIPTION
The FreeBSD Ports Collection offers a simple way to compile and install
third party applications. It is also used to build packages, to be
installed using pkg(8).
The ports tree, typically located at /usr/ports, consists of
subdirectories, one for each category; those in turn contain individual
ports. Each port is a directory with metadata and patches necessary to
make the original application source code compile and run on FreeBSD.
Compiling an application is as simple as typing "make build" in the port
directory. The Makefile automatically fetches the application source
code, either from a local disk or the network, unpacks it, applies the
patches, and compiles it. It also recursively handles dependencies --
other pieces of software the port depends on in order to build and work.
Afterwards, "make install" installs the application.
The FreeBSD Ports Collection is maintained in several branches, which
differ mostly by versions of software provided: the head branch contains
all the latest changes, while the quarterly branches only provide
critical fixes. The head branch can be installed or updated from the
Subversion repository located at:
https://svn.FreeBSD.org/ports/head
The quarterly branches can be found in Subversion in the branches/
subdirectory, eg:
https://svn.FreeBSD.org/ports/branches/2019Q1
It is generally a good idea to use the ports branch that matches the
pkg(8) repository being used. By default, for FreeBSD CURRENT the pkg(8)
is configured to install packages built from the head branch, while for
FreeBSD STABLE or RELEASE versions it is configured to install packages
built from the latest quarterly branch. Currently configured pkg(8)
repository can be verified by looking at the url field in pkg -vv output.
For more information about using ports, see the "Packages and Ports
section" in The FreeBSD Handbook:
https://docs.FreeBSD.org/en/books/handbook/ports/
For information about creating new ports, see The Porter's Handbook:
https://docs.FreeBSD.org/en/books/porters-handbook/
TARGETS
Some of the make(1) targets work recursively through subdirectories.
This lets you, for example, install all of the "biology" ports with one
command. The targets that do this are build, checksum, clean, configure,
depends, extract, fetch, install, and package.
The following targets will be run automatically by each proceeding target
in order. That is, build will be run (if necessary) by install, and so
on all the way to fetch. Usually, you will only use the install target.
config Configure OPTIONS for this port using dialog4ports(1).
fetch Fetch all of the files needed to build this port from the
sites listed in MASTER_SITES and PATCH_SITES. See
FETCH_CMD, MASTER_SITE_OVERRIDE and MASTER_SITE_BACKUP.
checksum Verify that the fetched distfile's checksum matches the
one the port was tested against. If the distfile's
checksum does not match, it also fetches the distfiles
which are missing or failed the checksum calculation.
Defining NO_CHECKSUM will skip this step.
depends Install (or compile if only compilation is necessary) any
dependencies of the current port. When called by the
extract or fetch targets, this is run in piecemeal as
fetch-depends, build-depends, etc. Defining NO_DEPENDS
will skip this step.
extract Expand the distfile into a work directory.
patch Apply any patches that are necessary for the port.
configure Configure the port. Some ports will ask you questions
during this stage. See INTERACTIVE and BATCH.
build Build the port. This is the same as calling the all
target.
install Install the port and register it with the package system.
This is all you really need to do.
The following targets are not run during the normal install process.
showconfig Display OPTIONS config for this port.
showconfig-recursive
Display OPTIONS config for this port and all its
dependencies.
rmconfig Remove OPTIONS config for this port.
rmconfig-recursive Remove OPTIONS config for this port and all its
dependencies.
config-conditional Skip the ports which have already had their OPTIONS
configured.
config-recursive Configure OPTIONS for this port and all its
dependencies using dialog4ports(1).
fetch-list Show list of files to be fetched in order to build
the port.
fetch-recursive Fetch the distfiles of the port and all its
dependencies.
fetch-recursive-list
Show list of files that would be retrieved by
fetch-recursive.
run-depends-list, build-depends-list
Print a list of all the compile and run
dependencies, and dependencies of those
dependencies, by port directory.
all-depends-list Print a list of all dependencies for the port.
pretty-print-run-depends-list, pretty-print-build-depends-list
Print a list of all the compile and run
dependencies, and dependencies of those
dependencies, by port name and version.
missing Print a list of missing dependencies to be installed
for the port.
clean Remove the expanded source code. This recurses to
dependencies unless NOCLEANDEPENDS is defined.
distclean Remove the port's distfiles and perform the clean
target. The clean portion recurses to dependencies
unless NOCLEANDEPENDS is defined, but the distclean
portion never recurses (this is perhaps a bug).
reinstall Use this to restore a port after using pkg-delete(8)
when you should have used deinstall.
deinstall Remove an installed port from the system, similar to
pkg-delete(8).
deinstall-all Remove all installed ports with the same PKGORIGIN
from the system.
package Make a binary package for the port. The port will
be installed if it has not already been. The
package is a .pkg file that you can use to install
the port on other machines with pkg-add(8). If the
directory specified by PACKAGES does not exist, the
package will be put into the current directory. See
PKGREPOSITORY and PKGFILE.
package-recursive Like package, but makes a package for each depending
port as well.
package-name Prints the name with version of the port.
readmes Create a port's README.html. This can be used from
/usr/ports to create a browsable web of all ports on
your system!
search Search the INDEX file for the pattern specified by
the key (searches the port name, comment, and
dependencies), name (searches the port name only),
path (searches the port path), info (searches the
port info), maint (searches the port maintainer),
cat (searches the port category), bdeps (searches
the port build-time dependency), rdeps (searches the
port run-time dependency), www (searches the port
web site) make(1) variables, and their exclusion
counterparts: xname, xkey etc. For example, one
would type:
cd /usr/ports && make search name=query
to find all ports whose name matches "query".
Results include the matching ports' path, comment,
maintainer, build dependencies, and run
dependencies.
cd /usr/ports && make search name=pear- \
xbdeps=apache
To find all ports whose names contain "pear-" and
which do not have apache listed in build-time
dependencies.
cd /usr/ports && make search name=pear- \
xname='ht(tp|ml)'
To find all ports whose names contain "pear-", but
not "html" or "http".
make search key=apache display=name,path,info keylim=1
To find ports that contain "apache" in either of the
name, path, info fields, ignore the rest of the
record.
By default the search is not case-sensitive. In
order to make it case-sensitive you can use the
icase variable:
make search name=p5-R icase=0
quicksearch Reduced search output. Only display name, path and
info.
describe Generate a one-line description of each port for use
in the INDEX file.
maintainer Display the port maintainer's email address.
index Create /usr/ports/INDEX, which is used by the
pretty-print-* and search targets. Running the
index target will ensure your INDEX file is up to
date with your ports tree.
fetchindex Fetch the INDEX file from the FreeBSD cluster.
ENVIRONMENT
You can change all of these.
PORTSDIR Location of the ports tree. This is /usr/ports by
default.
WRKDIRPREFIX Where to create any temporary files. Useful if
PORTSDIR is read-only (perhaps mounted from a CD-ROM).
DISTDIR Where to find/put distfiles, normally distfiles/ in
PORTSDIR.
SU_CMD Command used to elevate privilege to configure and
install a port. The unprivileged user must have write
access to WRKDIRPREFIX and DISTDIR. The default is
`/usr/bin/su root -c'. Many users set it to
`/usr/local/bin/sudo -E sh -c' for convenience.
PACKAGES Used only for the package target; the base directory
for the packages tree, normally packages/ in PORTSDIR.
If this directory exists, the package tree will be
(partially) constructed. This directory does not have
to exist; if it does not, packages will be placed into
the current directory, or you can define one of
PKGREPOSITORY Directory to put the package in.
PKGFILE The full path to the package.
LOCALBASE Where existing things are installed and where to search
for files when resolving dependencies (usually
/usr/local).
PREFIX Where to install this port (usually set to the same as
LOCALBASE).
MASTER_SITES Primary sites for distribution files if not found
locally.
PATCH_SITES Primary locations for distribution patch files if not
found locally.
MASTER_SITE_FREEBSD
If set, go to the master FreeBSD site for all files.
MASTER_SITE_OVERRIDE
Try going to these sites for all files and patches,
first.
MASTER_SITE_BACKUP
Try going to these sites for all files and patches,
last.
RANDOMIZE_MASTER_SITES
Try the download locations in a random order.
MASTER_SORT Sort the download locations according to user supplied
pattern. Example:
.dk .sunet.se .se dk.php.net .no .de
heanet.dl.sourceforge.net
MASTER_SITE_INDEX
Where to get INDEX source built on FreeBSD cluster (for
fetchindex target). Defaults to
https://www.FreeBSD.org/ports/.
FETCHINDEX Command to get INDEX (for fetchindex target). Defaults
to "fetch -am".
NOCLEANDEPENDS If defined, do not let clean recurse to dependencies.
FETCH_CMD Command to use to fetch files. Normally fetch(1).
FORCE_PKG_REGISTER
If set, overwrite any existing package registration on
the system.
INTERACTIVE If defined, only operate on a port if it requires
interaction.
BATCH If defined, only operate on a port if it can be
installed 100% automatically.
DISABLE_VULNERABILITIES
If defined, disable check for security vulnerabilities
using pkg-audit(8) when installing new ports.
NO_IGNORE If defined, allow installation of ports marked as
<FORBIDDEN>. The default behavior of the Ports
framework is to abort when the installation of a
forbidden port is attempted. Of course, these ports
may not work as expected, but if you really know what
you are doing and are sure about installing a forbidden
port, then NO_IGNORE lets you do it.
NO_CHECKSUM If defined, skip verifying the port's checksum.
TRYBROKEN If defined, attempt to build a port even if it is
marked as <BROKEN>.
PORT_DBDIR Directory where the results of configuring OPTIONS are
stored. Defaults to /var/db/ports. Each port where
OPTIONS have been configured will have a uniquely named
sub-directory, containing a single file options.
MAKE VARIABLES
The following list provides a name and short description for many of the
variables that are used when building ports. More information on these
and other related variables may be found in ${PORTSDIR}/Mk/* and the
FreeBSD Porter's Handbook.
WITH_DEBUG (bool) If set, debugging symbols are installed for
ports binaries.
WITH_DEBUG_PORTS A list of origins for which to set WITH_DEBUG.
DEBUG_FLAGS (Default: `-g') Additional CFLAGS to set when
WITH_DEBUG is set.
WITH_CCACHE_BUILD (bool) If set, enables the use of ccache(1) for
building ports.
CCACHE_DIR Which directory to use for the ccache(1) data.
FILES
/usr/ports The default ports directory.
/usr/ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk The big Kahuna.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Building and Installing a Port
The following command builds and installs Emacs.
# cd /usr/ports/editors/emacs
# make install
Example 2: Installing Dependencies with pkg(8)
The following example shows how to build and install a port without
having to build its dependencies. Instead, the dependencies are
downloaded via pkg(8).
# make install-missing-packages
# make install
It is especially useful, when the dependencies are costly in time and
resources to build (like lang/rust). The drawback is that pkg(8)
offers only packages built with the default set of OPTIONS.
Example 3: Building a Non-Default Flavor of a Port
The following command builds a non-default flavor of a port. (In this
case devel/py-pip is going to be built with Python 3.7 support.)
# cd /usr/ports/devel/py-pip
# env FLAVOR=py37 make build
Example 4: Setting Ports Options via make.conf(5)
The following lines present various ways of configuring ports options
via make.conf(5) (as an alternative to, e.g., running "make config"):
# Enable NLS for all ports unless configured otherwise
# using the options dialog.
OPTIONS_SET= NLS
# Disable DOCS for all ports overriding the options set
# via the options dialog.
OPTIONS_UNSET_FORCE= DOCS
# Disable DOCS and EXAMPLES for the shells/zsh port.
shells_zsh_UNSET= DOCS EXAMPLES
These and other options-related variables are documented in
/usr/ports/Mk/bsd.options.mk.
Example 5: Setting make(1) Variables for Specific Ports via make.conf(5)
The following example shows how to set arbitrary make(1) variables only
specific ports:
# Set DISABLE_MAKE_JOBS for the lang/rust port:
.if ${.CURDIR:M*/lang/rust}
DISABLE_MAKE_JOBS= yes
TRYBROKEN= yes
.endif
Example 6: Debugging Ports
By default ports are built and packaged without debugging support
(e.g., debugging symbols are stripped from binaries, optimization flags
are used for compiling, verbose logging is disabled). Whether ports
are built with debugging symbols can be controlled by the settings in
make.conf(5), e.g.,
# Enable debugging for all ports.
WITH_DEBUG= yes
# Enable debugging for selected ports.
WITH_DEBUG_PORTS= mail/dovecot security/krb5
It is also possible to use the debug variables on the command line:
# make -DWITH_DEBUG DEBUG_FLAGS="-g -O0" build
See the MAKE VARIABLES section to learn more about the debug variables.
To understand the details of what happens when the debug variables are
set it is best to consult the files located at ${PORTSDIR}/Mk/*
(bsd.port.mk in particular).
If debugging is enabled for a specific port, the ports framework will:
• Add DEBUG_FLAGS (defaults to `-g') to CFLAGS.
• Try to prevent the binaries from being stripped (including checking
the install target to replace `install-strip' with `install').
Whether a binary has been stripped can be checked with file(1).
• Try to enable other debugging features like debug build type or
verbose logging. However, this is port-specific and the ports
framework might not be aware of each supported debugging feature a
given piece of software has to offer).
SEE ALSO
make(1), make.conf(5), development(7), pkg(7)
Additional developer documentation:
- portlint(1)
- /usr/ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk
Additional user documentation:
- pkg(8)
- Searchable index of all ports: https://www.FreeBSD.org/ports
HISTORY
The Ports Collection appeared in FreeBSD 1.0. It has since spread to
NetBSD and OpenBSD.
AUTHORS
This manual page was originated by David O'Brien.
BUGS
Ports documentation is split over four places --
/usr/ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk, The Porter's Handbook, the "Packages and
Ports" chapter of The FreeBSD Handbook, and this manual page.
FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6 July 22, 2021 FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6
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