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# Install ejabberd from Source Code

The canonical distribution form of ejabberd stable releases is the source code package. Compiling ejabberd from source code is quite easy in *nix systems, as long as your system have all the dependencies.

## Requirements

To compile ejabberd you need:

- GNU Make
- GCC
- Libexpat ≥ 1.95
- Libyaml ≥ 0.1.4
- Erlang/OTP ≥ 25.0. It is recommended Erlang/OTP 27.3, which is the version used in the binary installers and container images.
- OpenSSL ≥ 1.0.0
- Curl. Optional, for ejabberdctl feature CTL_OVER_HTTP

Other optional libraries are:

- Zlib ≥ 1.2.3, For Zlib Stream Compression
- PAM library, for PAM Authentication
- ImageMagick’s Convert program and Ghostscript fonts, for CAPTCHA challenges.
- Elixir ≥ 1.10.3, for Elixir Development. It is recommended Elixir 1.14.0 or higher.

If your system splits packages in libraries and development headers, install the development packages too.

For example, in Debian:

    apt-get install libexpat1-dev libgd-dev libpam0g-dev \
                    libsqlite3-dev libwebp-dev libyaml-dev \
                    autoconf automake erlang elixir rebar3

## Download

There are several ways to obtain the ejabberd source code:

- Source code package from ProcessOne Downloads or GitHub Releases

- Latest development code from ejabberd Git repository using the commands:

      git clone https://github.com/processone/ejabberd.git
      cd ejabberd

## Compile

The generic instructions to compile ejabberd are:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure
    make

Let's view them in detail.

### `./configure`

The build configuration script supports many options. Get the full list:

    ./configure --help

In this example, `./configure` prepares the installed program to run with a user called ejabberd that should exist in the system (it isn't recommended to run ejabberd with `root` user):

    ./configure --enable-user=ejabberd --enable-mysql

If you get `Error loading module rebar3`, please consult how to use rebar with old Erlang.

#### General options:

- `--bindir=/`: Specify the path to the user executables (where `epmd` and `iex` are available).

- `--prefix=/`: Specify the path prefix where the files will be copied when running the `make install` command.

- `--with-erlang=/`: Specify the directory where Erlang/OTP is installed.

- `--with-min-erlang=9.0.5`: Allow to compile ejabberd with Erlang/OTP 20.0, bypassing the verification of lower supported version. Use only if you know what you are doing.

  added in 25.07

- `--with-rebar=/`: Specify the path to rebar, rebar3 or mix

  added in 20.12 and improved in 24.02

- `--enable-user[=USER]`: Allow this normal system user to execute the ejabberdctl script (see section ejabberdctl), read the configuration files, read and write in the spool directory, read and write in the log directory. The account user and group must exist in the machine before running `make install`. This account needs a HOME directory, because the Erlang cookie file will be created and read there.

- `--enable-group[=GROUP]`: Use this option additionally to `--enable-user` when that account is in a group that doesn't coincide with its username.

#### Options that enable/disable features:

- `--enable-all`: Enable many of the database and dependencies options described here: `debug`, `elixir`, `lua`, `mssql`, `mysql`, `odbc`, `pam`, `pgsql`, `redis`, `sip`, `sqlite`, `stun`, `tools`, `zlib`. This is specially useful for Dialyzer checks.

- `--disable-bootstrap`: Don't include `bootstrap` dependencies for `mod_invites`.

  added in 26.04

- `--disable-debug`: Compile without `+debug_info`.

- `--enable-elixir`: Build ejabberd with Elixir extension support. Works only with rebar3, not rebar2. Requires to have Elixir installed. If interested in Elixir development, you may prefer to use `--with-rebar=mix`

  improved in 24.02

- `--disable-erlang-version-check`: Don't check Erlang/OTP version.

- `--enable-full-xml`: Use XML features in XMPP stream (ex: CDATA). This requires XML compliant clients).

- `--enable-hipe`: Compile natively with HiPE. This is an experimental feature, and not recommended.

- `--enable-lager`: Use lager Erlang logging tool instead of standard error logger.

- `--enable-latest-deps`: Makes rebar use latest versions of dependencies developed alongside ejabberd instead of version specified in rebar.config. Should be only used when developing ejabberd.

- `--enable-lua`: Enable Lua support, to import from Prosody.

  added in 21.04

- `--enable-mssql`: Enable Microsoft SQL Server support, this option requires --enable-odbc (see Supported storages).

- `--enable-mysql`: Enable MySQL support (see Supported storages).

- `--enable-odbc`: Enable pure ODBC support.

- `--enable-pam`: Enable the PAM authentication method (see PAM Authentication section).

- `--enable-pgsql`: Enable PostgreSQL support (see Supported storages).

- `--enable-redis`: Enable Redis support to use for external session storage.

- `--enable-roster-gateway-workaround`: Turn on workaround for processing gateway subscriptions.

- `--enable-sip`: Enable SIP support.

- `--enable-sql-schema-multihost`: Use multihost SQL schema by default.

- `--enable-sqlite`: Enable SQLite support (see Supported storages).

- `--disable-stun`: Disable STUN/TURN support.

- `--enable-system-deps`: Makes rebar use locally installed dependencies instead of downloading them.

- `--enable-tools`: Enable the use of development tools.

  changed in 21.04

- `--disable-zlib`: Disable Stream Compression (XEP-0138) using zlib.

### `make`

This manages many tasks:

- Download and compile erlang dependencies
- Compile ejabberd
- System install, uninstall
- Build OTP production / development releases
- Development: edoc, options, translations, tags
- Testing: dialyzer, hooks, test, xref

Get the full task list:

    make help

## Install

There are several ways to install and run ejabberd after it's compiled from source code:

- system install
- system install a release
- building a production OTP release
- building a development OTP release
- start directly with relivectl
- start directly with relive which uses Rebar3/Mix

Check the Install Comparison table to find the differences.

### System Install

To install ejabberd in the destination directories, run:

    make install

Note that you probably need administrative privileges in the system to install ejabberd.

The created files and directories depend on the options provided to `./configure`, by default they are:

- `/etc/ejabberd/`: Configuration directory:

  - `ejabberd.yml`: ejabberd configuration file (see File Format)
  - `ejabberdctl.cfg`: Configuration file of the administration script (see Erlang Runtime System)
  - `inetrc`: Network DNS configuration file for Erlang

- `/lib/ejabberd/`:

  - `ebin/`: Erlang binary files (*.beam)
  - `include/`: Erlang header files (*.hrl)
  - `priv/`: Additional files required at runtime
  - `bin/`: Executable programs
  - `lib/`: Binary system libraries (*.so)
  - `msgs/`: Translation files (*.msgs) (see Default Language)

- `/sbin/ejabberdctl`: Administration script (see ejabberdctl)

- `/share/doc/ejabberd/`: Documentation of ejabberd

- `/var/lib/ejabberd/`: Spool directory:

  - `.erlang.cookie`: The Erlang cookie file
  - `acl.DCD, ...`: Mnesia database spool files (*.DCD, *.DCL, *.DAT)

- `/var/log/ejabberd/`: Log directory (see Logging):

  - `ejabberd.log`: ejabberd service log
  - `erlang.log`: Erlang/OTP system log

### System Install Release

added in 24.02

This builds a production release, and then performs a system install of that release, obtaining a result similar to the one mentioned in the previous section.

Simply run:

    make install-rel

The benefits of `install-rel` over `install`:

- this uses OTP release code from rebar/rebar3/mix, and consequently requires less code in our `Makefile.in` file
- `uninstall-rel` correctly deletes all the library files
- the `*.beam` files are smaller as debug information is stripped

### Production Release

improved in 21.07

You can build an OTP release that includes ejabberd, Erlang/OTP and all the required erlang dependencies in a single tar.gz file. Then you can copy that file to another machine that has the same machine architecture, and run ejabberd without installing anything else.

To build that production release, run:

    make prod

If you provided to `./configure` the option `--with-rebar` to use rebar3 or mix, this will directly produce a tar.gz that you can copy.

This example uses rebar3 to manage the compilation, builds an OTP production release, copies the resulting package to a temporary path, and starts ejabberd there:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure --with-rebar=rebar3
    make
    make prod
    mkdir $HOME/eja-release
    tar -xzvf _build/prod/ejabberd-*.tar.gz -C $HOME/eja-release
    $HOME/eja-release/bin/ejabberdctl live

### Development Release

new in 21.07

If you provided to `./configure` the option `--with-rebar` to use rebar3 or mix, you can build an OTP development release.

This is designed to run ejabberd in the local machine for development, manual testing... without installing in the system.

This development release has some customizations: uses a dummy certificate file, if you register the account admin@localhost it has admin rights...

This example uses Elixir's mix to manage the compilation, builds an OTP development release, and starts ejabberd there:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure --with-rebar=mix
    make
    make dev
    _build/dev/rel/ejabberd/bin/ejabberdctl live

### Relivectl 🟠

new in 26.01

`make relivectl` starts an interactive ejabberd without requiring installation or building OTP release. It uses the `ejabberdctl` script, and stores data in local path `_build/relivectl/`.

Example usage:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure
    make relivectl

The benefit over `make dev` is that `relivectl` doesn't build an OTP release, so it's faster to start.

### Relive

new in 22.05

`make relive` starts an interactive ejabberd without requiring installation or building OTP release. It uses `rebar3 shell` or `mix run`, and stores data in local path `_build/relive/`.

Example usage:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure
    make relive

As it uses Rebar3/Mix tools, it automatically compiles code at start and recompiles changed code at runtime.

However, as it doesn't use the `ejabberdctl` script, it doesn't read `ejabberdctl.cfg`.

## Specific notes

### asdf

When Erlang/OTP (and/or Elixir) is installed using asdf (multiple runtime version manager), it is available only for your account, in `$HOME/.asdf/shims/erl`. In that case, you cannot install ejabberd globally in the system, and you cannot use the `root` account to start it, because that account doesn't have access to erlang.

In that scenario, there are several ways to run/install ejabberd:

- Run a development release locally without installing

- Copy a production release locally

- Use system install, but install it locally:

    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure --prefix=$HOME/eja-install --enable-user
    make
    make install
    $HOME/eja-install/sbin/ejabberdctl live

### BSD

The command to compile ejabberd in BSD systems is `gmake`.

You may want to check pkgsrc.se for ejabberd.

Up to ejabberd 23.04, some old scripts where included in ejabberd source for NetBSD compilation, and you can take a look to those files for reference in ejabberd `23.04/examples/mtr/` path.

### Erlang Configuration

Usually ejabberd is started using the `ejabberdctl` script, which takes care to setup the Erlang runtime system options following your `ejabberdctl.cfg` configuration file.

However, there are other methods to start ejabberd, and they use specific methods to configure those options:

- When using rebar3 `make relive`:
  system is set in `rebar.config`, apps in `rel/relive.config`

- When using mix `make relive`:
  system is set in `Makefile`, apps in `config/runtime.exs`

- When using rebar3 `make dev && ejabberd`:
  system is set in `rel/vm.args`, apps in `rel/sys.config`

- When using mix `make dev|prod && ejabberd`:
  system is set in `rel/vm.args.eex` and `rel/env.sh.eex`, apps in `config/runtime.exs`

### Erlang Local Install

If you compile Erlang/OTP from source code and install in a local folder, for example in `$HOME/erl-local` like this:

    cd otp_src
    ./configure --prefix=$HOME/erl-local
    make
    make install

then those are the steps to compile ejabberd:

    cd ejabberd-master
    export PATH=$HOME/erl-local/bin/:$PATH
    ./autogen.sh
    ./configure --with-erlang=$HOME/erl-local --with-rebar=./rebar3
    make

Also notice that Erlang and ejabberd can be used only from that system account, see section asdf for details.

### Install Comparison 🟠

Let's summarize all the make targets related to installation to determine their usage differences:

`make ...` | install | install-rel | prod | dev | relivectl | relive
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Writes files in path | `/` | `/` | `_build/` `prod/` | `_build/` `dev/` | `_build/` `relivectl/` | `_build/` `relive/`
Installs | ✅ | ✅ | manually uncompress `*.tar.gz` | - | - | -
Uninstall with | `uninstall` ⚠️ incomplete | `uninstall-rel` ✅ | manual remove | - | - | -
Start tool | ejabberdctl | ejabberdctl | ejabberdctl | ejabberdctl | ejabberdctl | rebar3/mix
Reads `ejabberdctl.cfg` | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌
Recompiles | - | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅
Starts ejabberd | - | - | - | - | ✅ | ✅
Recompiles at runtime | - | - | - | - | ❌ | ✅
Execution time (s.) | 13 | 40 | 57 | 35 | 4 | 9

### macOS

If compiling from sources on Mac OS X, you must configure ejabberd to use custom OpenSSL, Yaml, iconv. The best approach is to use Homebrew to install your dependencies, then exports your custom path to let configure and make be aware of them.

    brew install git erlang elixir openssl expat libyaml libiconv libgd sqlite rebar rebar3 automake autoconf
    export LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/opt/openssl/lib -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/local/opt/expat/lib"
    export CFLAGS="-I/usr/local/opt/openssl/include -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/local/opt/expat/include"
    export CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/local/opt/openssl/include/ -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/local/opt/expat/include"
    ./configure
    make

Check also the guide for Installing ejabberd development environment on OSX

### man

ejabberd includes a man page which documents the toplevel and modules options, the same information that is published in the Top-Level Options and Modules Options sections.

The man file can be read locally with:

    man -l man/ejabberd.yml.5

### rebar with old Erlang

The ejabberd source code package includes `rebar` and `rebar3` binaries that work with Erlang/OTP 25.0 up to 28.

To compile ejabberd using rebar/rebar3 and Erlang 20.0 up to 23.3, you can install it from your operating system, or compile yourself from the rebar source code, or download the old binary from ejabberd 21.12:

    wget https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/raw/21.12/rebar
    wget https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/raw/21.12/rebar3

To compile ejabberd using rebar/rebar3 and Erlang 24.0 up to 24.3, you can install it from your operating system, or compile yourself from the rebar source code, or download the old binary from ejabberd 24.12:

    wget https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/raw/24.12/rebar
    wget https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/raw/24.12/rebar3

## Start

You can use the `ejabberdctl` command line administration script to start and stop ejabberd. Some examples, depending on your installation method:

- When installed in the system:

      ejabberdctl start
      /sbin/ejabberdctl start

- When built an OTP production release:

      _build/prod/rel/ejabberd/bin/ejabberdctl start
      _build/prod/rel/ejabberd/bin/ejabberdctl live

- Start interactively without installing or building OTP release:

      make relive