Installation: Build from Source

This guide explains how to install ForeFire by compiling it directly on your Linux/Unix-like system. This gives you a native build, but requires managing dependencies. There are two main ways to build from source:

  • Option 1: Using the provided install script (easiest for Debian/Ubuntu)

  • Option 2: Following manual steps (for all systems or finer control).

Prerequisites

If you choose the manual build steps (Option 2), or if you simply want to understand what tools are needed, you must ensure the following are installed on your system:

  • C++ Compiler: A modern C++ compiler (like g++). Package typically called build-essential or similar.

  • CMake: Build system generator (cmake).

  • Make: Build tool (make).

  • NetCDF Libraries: ForeFire requires NetCDF support. The specific package needed is the C++ interface.

    • On Debian/Ubuntu, the install script uses libnetcdf-c++4-dev.

    • On other systems, find the equivalent package (e.g., netcdf-cxx-devel, netcdf-cxx4).

    • Note: Ensure this is the correct/intended library. Older docs might mention `libnetcdf-cxx-legacy-dev`. Verify which one is actually required by the current CMake setup.

Build Options

Option 1: Using the Install Script (Recommended for Debian/Ubuntu)

The repository provides a convenience script (install-forefire.sh) that automates the process on Debian-based systems like Ubuntu.

  1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/forefireAPI/forefire.git
cd firefront

  1. Run the install script:

Warning

This script requires sudo privileges to install system packages using apt. Review the script if you have concerns.

sudo bash install-forefire.sh

What the Install Script Does:

  • Updates Package Lists and Installs Dependencies: Runs apt-get update and installs prerequisites listed above

  • Builds ForeFire: using CMake and Make.

  • Reports Install Location: Prints the location of the built binaries (usually $PROJECT_ROOT/bin).

  • (Optional) Updates PATH:

    • Prompts the user if they want to add the ForeFire bin directory to their PATH permanently.

    • If ‘yes’, it appends export PATH= and export FOREFIREHOME= lines to the user’s ~/.bashrc file.

    • It tries to detect the correct user’s home directory even when run with sudo (using $SUDO_USER).

    • Note: This only modifies .bashrc. If you use a different shell (like zsh or fish), you will need to configure the PATH manually (see below).

Option 2: Manual Build Steps (All Linux/Unix-like Systems)

Use this method if you are not on Debian/Ubuntu, prefer manual control, or don’t want to use the install script.

  1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/forefireAPI/forefire.git
cd firefront

  1. Install Prerequisites Manually:

Use your system’s package manager to install cmake, make, a C++ compiler (build-essential or equivalent), and the required NetCDF C++ development library (e.g., libnetcdf-c++4-dev, netcdf-cxx-devel, etc.). Example for Debian/Ubuntu (if not using the script):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake libnetcdf-c++4-dev # Verify package name!

  1. Create a build directory and run CMake & Make:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

The main executable forefire will be located at ../bin/forefire (relative to the build directory). Check installation with

cd .. # Go back to the root of the repository
./bin/forefire -v

  1. Making ForeFire Executable System-Wide (Manual PATH setup)

If you built from source (manually or via the script but declined the automatic PATH update, or use a shell other than bash), the forefire executable is in the bin directory within the repository. To run it easily from any location, add this directory to your system’s PATH environment variable.

For the current terminal session:

# Execute this from the root of the firefront repository
export PATH=$PATH:`pwd`/bin

Permanently:

Add the following line to your shell’s configuration file (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish). Replace /path/to/firefront with the actual absolute path to the cloned repository.

export PATH="/path/to/firefront/bin:$PATH"

Optional: The install script also sets export FOREFIREHOME=”/path/to/firefront”. You may want to add this line as well, as some scripts or components might potentially use it.

export FOREFIREHOME="/path/to/firefront"

After editing your configuration file, either restart your terminal or reload the configuration (e.g., source ~/.bashrc).