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Vector Ubuntu Compiling Guide

A comprehensive guide to compile Vector (bare build) on Ubuntu.

Build Target: build:bare - Minimal build without AI features (no Whisper voice AI or Vulkan GPU dependencies)

Prerequisites

1. System Dependencies

Install the required system packages for Tauri development:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  build-essential \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  git \
  pkg-config \
  libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  libxdo-dev \
  libssl-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev \
  libasound2-dev
Package Purpose
build-essential C/C++ compiler and build tools (gcc, g++, make)
curl / wget Network utilities for downloading
git Version control for cloning the repository
pkg-config Helper tool for compiling libraries
libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev WebKit rendering engine for Tauri UI
libxdo-dev X11 input simulation library
libssl-dev OpenSSL development headers
libayatana-appindicator3-dev System tray integration
librsvg2-dev SVG rendering library
libasound2-dev ALSA audio library for sound support

2. Install Rust

Install Rust using rustup (the official Rust toolchain installer):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

When prompted, select the default installation (option 1).

After installation, load Rust into your current shell:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Verify the installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

3. Install Node.js

Install Node.js (v18 or later recommended). Using NodeSource:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Or using nvm (Node Version Manager) - recommended for development:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 20
nvm use 20

Verify the installation:

node --version
npm --version

Building Vector (Bare)

1. Clone the Repository

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/VectorPrivacy/Vector.git
cd Vector

2. Install Node Dependencies

Install the Tauri CLI and project dependencies:

npm install

This installs:

  • @tauri-apps/cli - Tauri build tooling
  • Various Tauri plugins (clipboard, dialog, filesystem, etc.)

3. Compile the Bare Build

Run the bare build command (excludes Whisper AI and Vulkan dependencies):

npm run build:bare

This executes tauri build --no-default-features which:

  • Compiles the Rust backend without the whisper feature
  • Bundles the frontend assets
  • Creates the final application package

Note: The first build will take longer as Cargo downloads and compiles all Rust dependencies.

4. Locate the Built Application

After successful compilation, find your executables at:

ls -la src-tauri/target/release/

The main executable is vector (or Vector depending on configuration).

For packaged installers (.deb, .AppImage):

ls -la src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Build Commands Reference

Command Description
npm run build:bare Production build without AI features
npm run dev:bare Development mode without AI features
npm run build Full production build (includes Whisper AI)
npm run dev Full development mode

What's Excluded in Bare Build

The build:bare variant excludes:

  • Whisper-rs - OpenAI Whisper speech recognition
  • Vulkan dependencies - GPU acceleration for ML models
  • Voice AI processing - All speech-to-text functionality

This results in:

  • Smaller binary size
  • Fewer system dependencies
  • Reduced attack surface
  • No GPU/ML library requirements

Troubleshooting

WebKit not found

error: could not find system library 'webkit2gtk-4.1'

Solution: Install the WebKit development package:

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev

OpenSSL errors

error: failed to run custom build command for `openssl-sys`

Solution: Install OpenSSL development headers:

sudo apt install libssl-dev pkg-config

Rust not found after installation

Solution: Source the cargo environment:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Or add to your ~/.bashrc:

echo 'source "$HOME/.cargo/env"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Permission denied during npm install

Solution: Fix npm permissions or use nvm:

mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Build fails with memory errors

Large Rust projects can be memory-intensive. If you have limited RAM:

# Limit parallel compilation
export CARGO_BUILD_JOBS=2

# Then build
npm run build:bare

Updating Vector

To update to the latest version:

cd ~/Vector
git pull origin master
npm install
npm run build:bare

System Requirements

  • OS: Ubuntu 24.04+ (or Debian-based distribution)
  • RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
  • Disk: 60GB free space for build cache and artifacts
  • CPU: Multi-core processor recommended for faster compilation

Additional Resources

Last tested on Ubuntu 25.04 (arm64) with Tauri v2.9.1