freetype2/docs/INSTALL_UNIX.md

Building FreeType on Unix Systems

This also works for emulations like Cygwin or MSys on Win32:

1. Ensure that you are using GNU Make

The FreeType build system exclusively works with GNU Make. You will not be able to compile the library with the instructions below using any other alternative (including BSD Make).

Check that you have GNU make by running the command:

make -v

This should dump some text that begins with:

GNU Make  <version number>
Copyright (C) <year> Free Software Foundation Inc.

Note that version 3.81 or higher is required or the build will fail.

It is also fine to have GNU Make under another name (e.g. 'gmake') if you use the MAKE variable as described below.

As a special exception, 'makepp' can also be used to build FreeType 2. See the file docs/MAKEPP for details.

For builds with cmake please check file CMakeLists.txt; this is a contributed file not directly supported by the FreeType team.

2. Regenerate the configure script if needed

This only applies if you are building a git snapshot or checkout, not if you grabbed the sources of an official release.

You need to invoke the autogen.sh script in the top-level directory in order to create the configure script for your platform. Normally, this simply means typing:

  sh autogen.sh

In case of problems, you may need to install or upgrade Automake, Autoconf or Libtool. See INSTALL.md for more information.

3. Build and install the library

Say

  ./configure --help

to see the list of possible configuration options and important environment variables. The ./configure script will detect some prerequisite system libraries (libpng, brotli, etc.) if their headers are available at the default locations.

The following should work on all Unix systems where the make command invokes GNU Make:

  ./configure [options]
  make
  make install           (as root)

The default installation path is /usr/local. It can be changed with the --prefix=<path> option. Example:

  ./configure --prefix=/usr

When using a different command to invoke GNU Make, use the MAKE variable. For example, if gmake is the command to use on your system, do something like:

  MAKE=gmake ./configure [options]
  gmake
  gmake install            (as root)

If this still doesn't work, there must be a problem with your system (e.g., you are using a very old version of GNU Make).

For library identification, FreeType's configure script uses the pkg-config interface: Assuming it needs library foo, it calls the pkg-config program to find information on library foo, which in turn looks for a foo.pc file installed at the system. Some platforms, however, don't come with pkg-support; you then have to use environment variables as described by configure --help. Example:

  LIBPNG_CFLAGS="-I/path/to/libpng/include/directory" \
  LIBPNG_LIBS="-L/path/to/libpng/lib/directory" \
  configure ...

It is possible to compile FreeType in a different directory. Assuming the FreeType source files in directory /src/freetype a compilation in directory foo works as follows:

  cd foo
  /src/freetype/configure [options]
  make
  make install

3.1 Interdependency with HarfBuzz

Note that there is a chicken-and-egg problem currently since the HarfBuzz library (used by the auto-hinter to improve support of OpenType fonts) depends on FreeType, which can be solved as follows in case HarfBuzz is not yet installed on your system.

1. Call FreeType's configure script with option --without-harfbuzz, then compile and install FreeType.

2. Compile and install HarfBuzz.

3. Call FreeType's configure script without option --without-harfbuzz (after executing make distclean), then compile and install FreeType again.

---

Copyright (C) 2003-2023 by
David Turner, Robert Wilhelm, and Werner Lemberg.

This file is part of the FreeType project, and may only be used,
modified, and distributed under the terms of the FreeType project
license, LICENSE.TXT. By continuing to use, modify, or distribute
this file you indicate that you have read the license and understand
and accept it fully.