HPR3041: How to use GNU Autotools

Summary: I found a great article on this topic here: https://opensource.com/article/19/7/introduction-gnu-autotools, so please refer to that as show notes. Page included by Ken, as permitted by cc-by-sa Introduction to GNU Autotools Have you ever downloaded the source code for a popular software project that required you to type the almost ritualistic ./configure; make && make install command sequence to build and install it? If so, you’ve used GNU Autotools. If you’ve ever looked into some of the files accompanying such a project, you’ve likely also been terrified at the apparent complexity of such a build system. Good news! GNU Autotools is a lot simpler to set up than you think, and it’s GNU Autotools itself that generates those 1,000-line configuration files for you. Yes, you can write 20 or 30 lines of installation code and get the other 4,000 for free. Autotools at work If you’re a user new to Linux looking for information on how to install applications, you do not have to read this article! You’re welcome to read it if you want to research how software is built, but if you’re just installing a new application, go read my article about installing apps on Linux. For developers, Autotools is a quick and easy way to manage and package source code so users can compile and install software. Autotools is also well-supported by major packaging formats, like DEB and RPM, so maintainers of software repositories can easily prepare a project built with Autotools. Autotools works in stages: First, during the ./configure step, Autotools scans the host system (the computer it’s being run on) to discover the default settings. Default settings include where support libraries are located, and where new software should be placed on the system. Next, during the make step, Autotools builds the application, usually by converting human-readable source code into machine language. Finally, during the make install step, Autotools copies the files it built to the appropriate locations (as detected during the configure stage) on your computer. This process seems simple, and it is, as long as you use Autotools. The Autotools advantage GNU Autotools is a big and important piece of software that most of us take for granted. Along with GCC (the GNU Compiler Collection), Autotools is the scaffolding that allows Free Software to be constructed and installed to a running system. If you’re running a POSIX system, it’s not an understatement to say that most of your operating system exists as runnable software on your computer because of these projects. In the likely event that your pet project isn’t an operating system, you might assume that Autotools is overkill for your needs. But, despite its reputation, Autotools has lots of little features that may benefit you, even if your project is a relatively simple application or series of scripts. Portability First of all, Autotools comes with portability in mind. While it can’t make your project work across all POSIX platforms (that’s up to you, as the coder), Autotools can ensure that the files you’ve marked for installation get installed to the most sensible locations on a known platform. And because of Autotools, it’s trivial for a power user to customize and