rpmbuild

Additional Notes

rpmbuild builds binary and source RPM packages from a .spec file. The spec file defines metadata, build instructions, install steps, file lists, and changelogs for the package. It is the primary tool for creating RPM packages on Red Hat-based distributions.

The build process typically involves: preparing the source code, compiling it, installing the compiled files into a build root, and packaging the result into an RPM. rpmbuild supports several build stages, allowing developers to stop after any phase for debugging.

Syntax

rpmbuild [options] spec_file.spec

Parameters

• spec_file.spec: The spec file defining the package to build.

Common Options

• -ba: Build both binary and source RPMs.
• -bb: Build a binary RPM only.
• -bs: Build a source RPM only.
• -bp: Execute the %prep stage (unpack sources and apply patches).
• -bc: Execute the %build stage after %prep.
• -bi: Execute the %install stage after %build.
• -bl: Verify the %files list.
• --rebuild: Rebuild a binary RPM from a source RPM.
• --recompile: Recompile a source RPM without creating a new package.
• --target ARCH: Specify the target architecture.
• --define 'macro value': Define a macro for the build.
• --clean: Clean up build root after building.
• --sign: Sign the package with GPG after building.

Examples

rpmbuild -ba mypackage.spec

Build both binary and source RPMs from the spec file.

rpmbuild -bb mypackage.spec

Build only the binary RPM.

rpmbuild --rebuild mypackage.src.rpm

Rebuild a binary RPM from an existing source RPM.

rpmbuild -bp --clean mypackage.spec

Run only the %prep stage and clean up afterwards.

Practical Notes

• Build requirements (BuildRequires) must be installed on the build system.
• The build root is typically cleaned before each build.
• RPM build requires a working directory structure under ~/rpmbuild/ (SOURCES, SPECS, BUILD, RPMS, SRPMS).
• Use rpmdev-setuptree to create the default build directory structure.
• Signing packages requires a configured GPG key.