> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/buildonviction/victionchain/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building from Source

> Build Viction blockchain node from source code

## Prerequisites

Before building Viction from source, ensure you have the following installed:

* **Go**: Version 1.18 or later ([Download Go](https://go.dev/dl/))
* **C Compiler**: Required on all platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS)
* **Git**: For cloning the repository

## Clone the Repository

First, clone the Viction blockchain repository:

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/BuildOnViction/victionchain.git
cd victionchain
```

## Build Methods

### Standard Build

The standard build process uses the custom build script to compile the Viction node:

```bash theme={null}
go run build/ci.go install
```

This command will:

* Build all packages and executables
* Place binaries in `build/bin/` directory
* Build the main `tomo` executable along with utility tools

### Building Specific Components

#### Build Main Node Only

```bash theme={null}
make tomo
```

The binary will be available at `build/bin/tomo`.

#### Build Bootnode

```bash theme={null}
make bootnode
```

Output: `build/bin/bootnode`

#### Build GC (Garbage Collection Tool)

```bash theme={null}
make gc
```

Output: `build/bin/gc`

#### Build Puppeth (Network Wizard)

```bash theme={null}
make puppeth
```

Output: `build/bin/puppeth`

#### Build All Tools

```bash theme={null}
make all
```

## Cross-Compilation

Viction supports cross-compilation for multiple platforms using `xgo`.

### Cross-Compile for All Platforms

```bash theme={null}
make tomo-cross
```

This builds for:

* Windows (amd64)
* macOS (darwin amd64)
* Linux (386, amd64, mips64, mips64le)

### Platform-Specific Builds

#### Linux Builds

```bash theme={null}
# All Linux architectures
make tomo-linux

# Specific architectures
make tomo-linux-amd64
make tomo-linux-386
make tomo-linux-mips64
make tomo-linux-mips64le
```

#### macOS Builds

```bash theme={null}
# All macOS architectures
make tomo-darwin

# Specific architectures
make tomo-darwin-amd64
make tomo-darwin-386
```

#### Windows Build

```bash theme={null}
make tomo-windows-amd64
```

### Custom Go Version for Cross-Compilation

You can specify a custom Go version:

```bash theme={null}
make tomo-linux-amd64 GO=1.19.0
```

## Docker Build

Alternatively, build using Docker:

```bash theme={null}
docker build --file Dockerfile.node -t "buildonviction/node:v2.5.1" .
```

## Build Configuration

### Build Flags

The build system automatically includes:

* Git commit hash in the binary
* Optimized flags for macOS (`-s` linker flag)
* Custom `GOBIN` path pointing to `build/bin`

### Environment Variables

* `GOBIN`: Set to `$(pwd)/build/bin`
* `GO`: Go version for cross-compilation (default: 1.18.10)
* `CC`: C compiler for cross-compilation
* `GOARCH`: Target architecture
* `CGO_ENABLED`: Enabled for cross-compilation

## Testing the Build

### Run Tests

```bash theme={null}
make test
```

Or using the build script:

```bash theme={null}
go run build/ci.go test
```

### Run Tests with Coverage

```bash theme={null}
go run build/ci.go test -coverage
```

This generates a `coverage.txt` file with code coverage information.

## Code Quality

### Run Linters

```bash theme={null}
go run build/ci.go lint
```

This runs multiple linters including:

* `vet`: Go vet for potential issues
* `gofmt`: Code formatting check
* `misspell`: Spelling errors
* `goconst`: Repeated constants
* `unconvert`: Unnecessary conversions
* `gosimple`: Simplification suggestions

### Format Code

```bash theme={null}
make gofmt
```

## Cleaning Build Artifacts

Remove all built binaries and build artifacts:

```bash theme={null}
make clean
```

This removes:

* `build/_workspace/pkg/`
* All binaries in `build/bin/`

## Troubleshooting

### Go Version Issues

Viction requires Go 1.9 or later. If you encounter build errors, check your Go version:

```bash theme={null}
go version
```

### Missing Dependencies

If you encounter missing dependencies, ensure you're running from the repository root:

```bash theme={null}
go mod download
```

### Cross-Compilation Errors

For cross-compilation issues, ensure `xgo` is installed:

```bash theme={null}
go get github.com/karalabe/xgo
```

## Next Steps

After building, you can:

* [Configure and run a full node](/nodes/running-fullnode)
* [Run a masternode](/nodes/running-masternode)
* [Explore the RPC API](/development/rpc-api)