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This guide covers how to build Ghidra from source code for development purposes.

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Prerequisites

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Required Build Tools

Before building Ghidra, ensure you have the following tools installed:
  • Version: JDK 21 64-bit
  • Download: Eclipse Temurin
  • Verify installation: java -version
  • Version: Gradle 8.5 or later
  • Download: Gradle releases
  • Alternative: Use the provided Gradle wrapper if Internet connection is available
  • Verify installation: gradle --version
  • Version: 3.9 to 3.13 with bundled pip
  • Download: Python downloads
  • Verify installation: python3 --version and pip3 --version

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Platform-Specific Requirements

Required native build tools:
  • GCC or Clang compiler
  • make
Install on Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install build-essential
Install on Fedora/RHEL:
sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools"

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Getting the Source Code

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Option 1: Download ZIP Archive

# Download the latest source from GitHub
wget https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/archive/refs/heads/master.zip

# Extract the archive
unzip ghidra-master.zip
cd ghidra-master

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Option 2: Clone the Repository

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra.git
cd ghidra
Cloning the repository is recommended if you plan to contribute changes back to the project.

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Build Process

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Step 1: Download Dependencies

Download non-Maven Central dependencies. This creates a dependencies directory in the repository root: 
gradle -I gradle/support/fetchDependencies.gradle
If you didn’t install Gradle system-wide, you can use the Gradle wrapper instead:
  • Linux/macOS: ./gradlew -I gradle/support/fetchDependencies.gradle
  • Windows: .\gradlew.bat -I gradle/support/fetchDependencies.gradle

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Step 2: Prepare Development Environment

Download Maven Central dependencies and setup the repository for development. By default, these will be stored at $HOME/.gradle/: 
gradle prepdev

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Step 3: Build Ghidra

Create a compressed development build: 
gradle buildGhidra
The compressed development build will be located at build/dist/.
The build created this way is intended only to run on the platform on which it was built.

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Alternative Build Options

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Build Uncompressed Distribution

Build Ghidra to build/dist in an uncompressed form: 
gradle assembleAll

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Build Native Components Only

Build native components for your current platform (requires native tool chains): 
gradle buildNatives

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Compile Sleigh Files

Manually compile sleigh files (Ghidra will also do this at runtime when necessary): 
gradle sleighCompile

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Build Documentation

Generate Javadoc documentation: 
gradle createJavadocs

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Build Python Packages

Build Python3 packages for PyGhidra and the Debugger: 
gradle buildPyPackage

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Common Gradle Commands

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Clean Build Files

Clean up repository build files (may be necessary after a git pull to fix unexplainable compilation errors): 
gradle clean

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Skip Specific Tasks

You can skip certain Gradle tasks to speed up your build using the -x <task> argument: 
# Example: Skip IP header checks
gradle buildGhidra -x ip

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Generate Eclipse Project Files

Generate nested Eclipse project files for import: 
gradle cleanEclipse eclipse

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Offline Development

To move the Ghidra repository to an offline network and continue development: 
# 1. Fetch dependencies
gradle -I gradle/support/fetchDependencies.gradle

# 2. Download Maven dependencies to local directory
gradle -g dependencies/gradle prepdev

# 3. Move ghidra directory to offline system

# 4. Build on offline system
gradle -g dependencies/gradle buildGhidra
The -g flag specifies the Gradle user home directory. Overriding it to be inside the Ghidra repository ensures all Maven Central dependencies are moved with the rest of the repository.

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Testing Your Build

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Run Unit Tests

gradle unitTestReport

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Run Integration Tests

gradle integrationTest

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Run All Tests and Generate Report

gradle combinedTestReport

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Headless Testing (CI/Docker)

For running tests in headless mode on Linux, in a CI environment, or in Docker: 
Xvfb :99 -nolisten tcp &
export DISPLAY=:99
This is required to make AWT happy in headless environments.

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Next Steps

After successfully building Ghidra:
  1. See the Development Setup guide to configure your IDE
  2. Review the Contributing Guide to learn how to submit changes
  3. Check the Troubleshooting guide if you encounter issues

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