Ebuild

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An ebuild file is a text file, used by Gentoo package managers, which identifies a specific software package and how the Gentoo package manager should handle it. It uses a bash-like syntax style and is standardized through the EAPI version.

Gentoo Linux uses ebuilds as the package management format for individual software titles. These ebuilds contain metadata about the software (the name and version of the software, which license the software uses, and the home page), dependency information (both build-time as well as run-time dependencies), and instructions on how to deal with the software (configure, build, install, test ...).

The default location for ebuilds in Gentoo is /var/db/repos/gentoo/.

ebuild is also the Portage command for running the various ebuild functions. Information can be found locally by running:

user $man 1 ebuild
user $man 5 ebuild

Live ebuilds[edit | edit source]

An ebuild is a live ebuild if the source is fetched from a revision control system (VCS). They tend to, but not necessarily, have the version number 9999 so that it can be easily distinguished from normal ebuilds based on upstream releases.

Formally an ebuild is live if it has a variable PROPERTIES with a value "live" inside it. If an ebuild inherits a VCS eclass (e.g. git-r3, mercurial, darcs), it will be live, because these eclasses have a line PROPERTIES+=" live".

In the site packages.gentoo.org, a Live ebuild has the sign L . In the output of eix, it it marked with *l.

See also[edit | edit source]

  • Basic guide to write Gentoo Ebuilds — a text file, used by Gentoo package managers, which identifies a specific software package and how the Gentoo package manager should handle it., contains instructions for beginners on ebuild development.
  • Submitting ebuilds — explains how to submit ebuilds through the Bugzilla bug tracking web application.
  • Package Manager Specification — a standardization effort to ensure that the file format, the ebuild repository format (of which the Gentoo ebuild repository is the main incarnation), as well as behavior of the package managers interacting with these ebuilds is properly agreed upon and documented.
  • Portage — the official package manager and distribution system for Gentoo.

External resources[edit | edit source]

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