Skip to main content
This guide covers how to set up a development environment for contributing to Ghidra or developing extensions.

​
Development Approaches

There are two main approaches to developing with Ghidra:
  1. User Scripts and Extensions - For writing custom scripts and plugins
  2. Advanced Development - For developing the Ghidra tool itself

​
User Scripts and Extensions

For developing user scripts and extensions, you have two options:

​
Option 1: GhidraDev Eclipse Plugin

The GhidraDev plugin provides a complete Eclipse-based development environment. Location: Extensions/Eclipse/GhidraDev/ in your Ghidra installation Requirements:
  • Fully built Ghidra installation (download from Releases)
  • Eclipse IDE
Setup:
  1. Install Eclipse IDE for Java Developers
  2. Follow the instructions in the GhidraDev directory
  3. Install the GhidraDev plugin into Eclipse
  4. Create a new GhidraDev project

​
Option 2: Visual Studio Code

Ghidra also supports Visual Studio Code for script development. For Script Editing:
  • Click the Visual Studio Code icon in the Script Manager
  • Ghidra will open the script in VS Code with appropriate configuration
For Full Projects:
  1. Open a Ghidra CodeBrowser window
  2. Navigate to Tools → Create VSCode Module project
  3. Follow the prompts to create a fully-featured VS Code project
Both GhidraDev and Visual Studio Code integrations only support developing against fully built Ghidra installations, not source repositories.

​
Advanced Development (Eclipse)

To develop the Ghidra tool itself, Eclipse is highly recommended. The Ghidra development process has been highly customized for Eclipse.

​
Prerequisites

  1. Complete the build process first:
    • Follow the Building Ghidra guide
    • Ensure the build completes without errors
  2. Install Eclipse IDE:

​
Setup Process

1

Prepare Development Environment

Run the following Gradle command from the Ghidra source directory:
gradle prepdev eclipse buildNatives
This command:
  • Prepares the development environment (prepdev)
  • Generates Eclipse project files (eclipse)
  • Builds native components (buildNatives)
2

Import Projects into Eclipse

  1. Open Eclipse
  2. Go to File → Import…
  3. Select General | Existing Projects into Workspace
  4. Click Next
  5. Set the root directory to your Ghidra source repository
  6. Check “Search for nested projects”
  7. Click Finish
Eclipse will begin importing and building all Ghidra projects.
3

Launch Ghidra from Eclipse

Once Eclipse finishes building:
  1. Look for the Ghidra run configuration in the toolbar
  2. Click the run button to launch Ghidra
  3. You can also debug Ghidra using the debug button
The run configuration is automatically created during the import process.

​
Development Languages and Tools

Ghidra development involves several languages and technologies:

​
Primary Language

  • Java - The main language for Ghidra development

​
Secondary Languages

  • C++ - For native components
  • Sleigh - For processor language specifications
  • Python 3 - For scripting and the Debugger
  • Jython 2.7 - For legacy scripting support

​
Development Tools

  • IDE: Eclipse (recommended for core development)
  • Build System: Gradle
  • Source Control: Git

​
Specialized Development Areas

​
PyGhidra Development

PyGhidra development uses the PyDev plugin for Eclipse.
1

Prepare PyGhidra

gradle prepPyGhidra
This sets up a Python virtual environment at build/venv/ and installs an editable PyGhidra module.
2

Configure PyDev Interpreter

  1. Install the PyDev plugin in Eclipse
  2. Go to Settings → PyDev → Interpreters → Python Interpreter
  3. Click New…
  4. Click Browse for python/pypy exe
  5. Choose build/venv/bin/python3
  6. Enter a name for the interpreter
  7. Check Select All and press OK
  8. Click the Predefined tab, then New…
  9. Choose build/typestubs/pypredef
  10. Click Apply and Close
3

Run and Debug

New Eclipse run configurations will appear that enable:
  • Running PyGhidra in GUI mode
  • Running PyGhidra in Interpreter mode
  • Debugging PyGhidra

​
GhidraDev Eclipse Plugin Development

To develop the GhidraDev Eclipse plugin itself: Prerequisites:
  • Eclipse PDE (Plug-in Development Environment)
  • Available via Eclipse marketplace or included in “Eclipse IDE for RCP and RAP Developers”
Setup: 
gradle prepGhidraDev eclipse -PeclipsePDE
Import the newly generated GhidraDev projects into an Eclipse instance that supports plugin development.
If you’re getting compilation errors related to PyDev and CDT, go into Eclipse’s preferences, and under Target Platform, activate /Eclipse GhidraDevPlugin/GhidraDev.target.

​
Debugger Development

The Ghidra Debugger uses a Python3 and protobuf-based TCP connection for back-end integration. Additional Dependencies:
  • WinDbg for Windows x64
  • GDB 13 or later for Linux
  • LLDB 10 or later for macOS
Python Package Assembly: Whenever you make changes to Python code: 
gradle assemblePyPackage
This is required for packages that include generated source, such as Debugger-rmi-trace. Creating a New Connector: If you’re developing a new debugger connector:
  1. Use existing connectors (GDB, dbgeng) as templates
  2. Look at the Python code in src/main/py directories
  3. Apply the hasPythonPackage.gradle script in your module’s build.gradle
  4. Follow the testing patterns from GDB (Commands, Methods, Hooks)
Primary License: Apache License 2.0 Important Guidelines:
  • Try to stick to the Apache License 2.0 when developing for Ghidra
  • Any GPL code must live in the top-level GPL/ directory as a standalone, independently buildable module
  • Credit/recognition is preferred via Git commit authorship
  • Ensure your Git credentials are properly linked to your GitHub account
  • Authors’ names directly in source code are discouraged

​
Building Supporting Data

Some Ghidra features require extensive databases:

​
Data Type Archives

Built manually from the Ghidra GUI:
  1. From the CodeBrowser, select File → Parse C Source
  2. Create and configure parsing profiles (headers and pre-processor options)
  3. Click Parse to File to create the Data Type Archive
  4. Copy the result to Ghidra/Features/Base/data/typeinfo
Official archives are available in the ghidra-data repository.

​
FID Databases

Built manually from the Ghidra GUI:
  1. Import the relevant libraries from an SDK
  2. From CodeBrowser, select File → Configure
  3. Enable the “Function ID” plugins
  4. Select Tools → Function ID → Create new empty FidDb
  5. Choose a destination file
  6. Select Tools → Function ID → Populate FidDb from programs
  7. Fill out the options and click OK
For fine-tuning details, see Ghidra/Features/FunctionID/data/building_fid.txt.

​
Next Steps

Now that your development environment is set up:
  1. Review the Contributing Guide to understand the contribution process
  2. Familiarize yourself with the codebase structure
  3. Check the Troubleshooting guide if you encounter issues
  4. Join the GitHub Discussions to connect with the community

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us