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Building BioRouter Desktop on Linux

This guide covers building the BioRouter Desktop application from source on various Linux distributions.

Prerequisites

System Dependencies

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y dpkg fakeroot build-essential libxcb1-dev libxcb-util-dev protobuf-compiler

Arch/Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S --needed dpkg fakeroot base-devel

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS:

sudo dnf install dpkg-dev fakeroot gcc gcc-c++ make libxcb-devel

openSUSE:

sudo zypper install dpkg fakeroot gcc gcc-c++ make

android / termux:

BioRouter is not officially support termux build yet, you need some minor patch to fix build issues. We will publish BioRouter into termux-packages. If you want to try there is a non-official build, https://github.com/shawn111/BioRouter/releases/download/termux/biorouter-termux-aarch64.tar.bz2 For more details, see: https://github.com/BaranziniLab/BioRouter/pull/3890

pkg install rust
pkg install cmake protobuf clang build-essential

Development Tools

  • Rust: Install via rustup
  • Node.js: Version 22.9.0 or later (use nvm for version management)
  • npm: Comes with Node.js

Build Process

1. Clone and Setup

git clone https://github.com/BaranziniLab/BioRouter.git
cd BioRouter

2. Build the Rust Backend

cargo build --release -p biorouter-server

3. Prepare the Desktop Application

cd ui/desktop
npm install

# Copy the server binary to the expected location
mkdir -p src/bin
cp ../../target/release/biorouterd src/bin/

4. Build the Application

Option A: ZIP Distribution (Recommended)

Works on all Linux distributions:

npm run make -- --targets=@electron-forge/maker-zip

Output: out/make/zip/linux/x64/biorouter-linux-x64-{version}.zip

Option B: DEB Package

For Debian/Ubuntu systems:

npm run make -- --targets=@electron-forge/maker-deb

Output: out/make/deb/x64/biorouter_{version}_amd64.deb

Option C: Both Formats

npm run make

5. Run the Application

From Build Directory

./out/biorouter-linux-x64/biorouter

Install DEB Package (if built)

sudo dpkg -i out/make/deb/x64/biorouter_*.deb

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Missing System Dependencies

If you see errors about missing dpkg or fakeroot:

# Install the missing packages for your distribution (see Prerequisites above)

GLib Warnings

You may see warnings like:

GLib-GObject: instance has no handler with id

These are harmless and don't affect functionality. To suppress them, create a launcher script:

#!/bin/bash
cd /path/to/BioRouter/ui/desktop/out/biorouter-linux-x64
./biorouter 2>&1 | grep -v "GLib-GObject" | grep -v "browser_main_loop"

Server Binary Not Found

If you see "Could not find biorouterd binary", ensure you've:

  1. Built the Rust backend: cargo build --release -p biorouter-server
  2. Copied it to the right location: cp ../../target/release/biorouterd src/bin/
  3. Rebuilt the application: npm run make

Distribution-Specific Notes

Arch/Manjaro

  • The RPM maker is disabled by default as it's not compatible with Arch-based systems
  • Use the ZIP distribution method for maximum compatibility

Flatpak

Flatpak builds are supported via CI. To build locally:

# Install flatpak and flatpak-builder
sudo apt install flatpak flatpak-builder

# Add Flathub remote
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --user flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

# Build with Electron Forge
npm run make -- --targets=@electron-forge/maker-flatpak

Output: out/make/flatpak/x86_64/*.flatpak

Snap

Building as Snap packages is not currently supported but may be added in the future.

Development Workflow

For active development:

  1. Backend changes: Rebuild with cargo build --release -p biorouter-server and copy the binary
  2. Frontend changes: Use npm run start for hot reload during development
  3. Full rebuild: Run the complete build process above

Creating System Integration

Desktop Entry

Create ~/.local/share/applications/biorouter.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=BioRouter AI Agent
Comment=Local AI agent for development tasks
Exec=/path/to/BioRouter/ui/desktop/out/biorouter-linux-x64/biorouter %U
Icon=/path/to/BioRouter/ui/desktop/out/biorouter-linux-x64/resources/app.asar.unpacked/src/images/icon.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Development;Utility;
StartupNotify=true
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/biorouter

System-wide Installation

To install system-wide:

sudo cp -r out/biorouter-linux-x64 /opt/biorouter
sudo ln -s /opt/biorouter/biorouter /usr/local/bin/biorouter-gui

Contributing

When contributing changes that affect the Linux build process, please:

  1. Test on multiple distributions if possible
  2. Update this documentation
  3. Update ui/desktop/README.md if needed
  4. Consider CI/CD implications for automated builds