.\" Generated by scdoc 1.11.5
.\" Complete documentation for this program is not available as a GNU info page
.ie \n(.g .ds Aq \(aq
.el       .ds Aq '
.nh
.ad l
.\" Begin generated content:
.TH "RPMBUILD" "1" "2026\-10\-04" "RPM 6.1.0"
.PP
.SH NAME
rpmbuild \- Build RPM Package(s)
.PP
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBrpmbuild\fR \fB\-b\fR​\fISTAGE\fR [options] \fISPEC_FILE\fR .\&.\&.\&
.PP
\fBrpmbuild\fR \fB\-r\fR​\fISTAGE\fR [options] \fISOURCE_PACKAGE\fR .\&.\&.\&
.PP
\fBrpmbuild\fR \fB\-t\fR​\fISTAGE\fR [options] \fITAR_ARCHIVE\fR .\&.\&.\&
.PP
\fBrpmbuild\fR {\fB\-\-rebuild\fR|\fB\-\-recompile\fR} [options] \fISOURCE_PACKAGE\fR .\&.\&.\&
.PP
.SH DESCRIPTION
\fBrpmbuild\fR is used to build software packages in the RPM format, in
an automated and repeatable manner.\&
.PP
An RPM package file (or \fIpackage\fR) consists of an archive of files and metadata
used to install or erase the archived files.\& The metadata includes helper
scripts, file attributes, and descriptive information about the package.\&
.PP
Packages come in two varieties: binary packages, used to encapsulate
software to be installed, and source packages, containing the source
code and recipe necessary to produce binary packages.\&
.PP
.SH OPERATIONS
\fB\-b\fR​\fISTAGE\fR
.RS 4
Build \fISTAGE\fR from a spec file.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-r\fR​\fISTAGE\fR
.RS 4
Build \fISTAGE\fR from a source RPM package.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-t\fR​\fISTAGE\fR
.RS 4
Build \fISTAGE\fR from a \fBtar\fR(5) archive.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-rebuild\fR,
\fB\-\-recompile\fR
.RS 4
Compatibility aliases for \fB\-ra\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fISTAGE\fR is a single\-letter argument that specifies the target stage to build.\&
This also executes all preceding stages unless stated (or configured) otherwise.\&
Additional steps beyond the one specified, such as clean up, may also execute.\&
See \fBBUILD PROCESS\fR and \fBOPTIONS\fR for details.\&
.PP
.SS Building packages
.PP
Use these \fISTAGE\fR arguments to produce RPM package files ready for installation
and/or distribution.\&
.PP
\fBa\fR
.RS 4
Build both source and binary packages.\&
This is not an actual stage but a combination of \fBb\fR and \fBs\fR,
with the difference that packages built this way carry a "cookie" to
indicate they came from the same build.\&
On success, the build directory is removed.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBb\fR
.RS 4
Build just the binary packages.\&
On success, the build directory is removed.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBr\fR
.RS 4
Build just the source package, checking for dynamic build dependencies.\&
Executes the \fB%prep\fR and \fB%generate_buildrequires\fR stages before
creating a package.\& See the \fBDYNAMIC BUILD DEPENDENCIES\fR section for
details.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBs\fR
.RS 4
Build just the source package.\& No build stages are executed.\&
.PP
.RE
.SS Partial builds
.PP
Use these \fISTAGE\fR arguments to build or test the encapsulated software without
producing RPM package files.\& Useful when packaging new software in RPM format
and/or troubleshooting.\&
.PP
The corresponding spec sections are shown in parentheses where applicable.\&
.PP
\fBp\fR (%prep)
.RS 4
Unpack the sources and apply any patches.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBd\fR (%generate_buildrequires)
.RS 4
Check dynamic build dependencies and build the \fIbuildreqs.\&nosrc.\&rpm\fR
package if any are missing.\& Don'\&t build anything else.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBf\fR (%conf)
.RS 4
Configure the sources.\& This generally involves the equivalent of
\fB.\&/configure\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBc\fR (%build)
.RS 4
Compile the sources.\& This generally involves the equivalent of \fBmake\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBi\fR (%install)
.RS 4
Install the binaries into the build root.\& This generally involves the
equivalent of a \fBmake install\fR.\&
.PP
For historical reasons, this also includes the %check stage by default.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBk\fR (%check)
.RS 4
Run any checks specified in the spec.\& This generally involves the
equivalent of \fBmake check\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBl\fR
.RS 4
Do a "list check" \- the \fB%files\fR section from the spec file is macro
expanded, and checks are made to verify that each file exists.\&
This requires a previous build up to the \fB%install\fR stage to have
taken place.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH ARGUMENTS
\fISPEC_FILE\fR
.RS 4
An RPM spec file.\&
.PP
.RE
\fISOURCE_PACKAGE\fR
.RS 4
An RPM source package (with a \fI.\&src.\&rpm\fR extension)
.PP
.RE
\fITAR_ARCHIVE\fR
.RS 4
A \fBtar\fR(5) archive, optionally compressed.\& To be directly buildable
with \fBrpmbuild\fR, an archive must contain a spec file either by
the name \fISpecfile\fR or one with a \fI.\&spec\fR extension.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH OPTIONS
\fB\-\-build\-in\-place\fR
.RS 4
Build from locally checked out sources in the current working
directory.\& The build tree is set up as if \fB%setup\fR was used,
but \fB%builddir\fR/\fB%buildsubdir\fR points back to the current working
directory.\& \fB%prep\fR is skipped entirely.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-clean\fR
.RS 4
Remove the build tree after the packages are made (default).\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-nobuild\fR
.RS 4
Do not execute any build stages.\& Useful for testing out spec files.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-nocheck\fR
.RS 4
Do not execute \fB%check\fR build stage even if present in spec.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-noclean\fR
.RS 4
Do not execute \fB%clean\fR build stage even if present in spec.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-nodebuginfo\fR
.RS 4
Do not generate debuginfo packages.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-nodeps\fR
.RS 4
Do not verify build dependencies.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-noprep\fR
.RS 4
Do not execute \fB%prep\fR build stage even if present in spec.\&
This assumes there has been another \fBrpmbuild\fR run in which
\fB%prep\fR has been already executed.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-rmsource\fR
.RS 4
Remove the sources after the build (may also be used standalone,
e.\&g.\& \fBrpmbuild\fR \fB\-\-rmsource foo.\&spec\fR).\&
Note that by definition, \fBNoSource\fR and \fBNoPatch\fR files are not
sources and so, are not affected by this option.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-rmspec\fR
.RS 4
Remove the spec file after the build (may also be used standalone,
e.\&g.\& \fBrpmbuild\fR \fB\-\-rmspec foo.\&spec\fR).\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-rpmfcdebug\fR
.RS 4
Print debug information on file classification and dependency
generation.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-scm\fR=\fISCM\fR
.RS 4
Select the \fISCM\fR to use with \fB%autosetup\fR, if one is not set in the
spec file.\& Note that not all values for \fISCM\fR, e.\&g.\&, \fBpatch\fR (the
default) and \fBgendiff\fR, \fBgit\fR, or \fBquilt\fR work interchangeably
with all other patches and options stated in the %autosetup line,
especially option \fB\-p\fR\fBN\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-short\-circuit\fR
.RS 4
Skip straight to specified stage (i.\&e.\&, skip all stages leading up
to the specified stage).\& Only valid with \fB\-bc\fR, \fB\-bi\fR, and
\fB\-bb\fR.\& Useful for local testing only.\& Packages built this way will
be marked with an unsatisfiable dependency to prevent their
accidental use.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-with\fR \fIOPTION\fR
.RS 4
Enable configure \fIOPTION\fR for build.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB\-\-without\fR \fIOPTION\fR
.RS 4
Disable configure \fIOPTION\fR for build.\&
.PP
.RE
See \fBrpm\-common\fR(8) for the options common to all operations.\&
.PP
.SH BUILD PROCESS
.PP
Packages are built in a number of logical steps, outlined below.\& The steps are
executed from top to bottom, skipping any that aren'\&t applicable to the spec.\&
.PP
Those steps that produce (intermediate) build artifacts or diagnostic output are
called \fIstages\fR.\& They are denoted by a single\-letter identifier in parentheses.\&
You can tell \fBrpmbuild\fR to stop the build process at any stage (see \fBOPERATIONS\fR
for details).\&
.PP
Some steps are implemented as build scriptlets whose contents is dumped in the
\fBrpmbuild\fR output for diagnostic purposes.\& Their names are shown in parentheses
following any stage identifier, prefixed with \fB%\fR if they correspond to a spec
section or directive.\&
.PP
Binary packages are produced separately for one or more platforms, called \fIbuild
targets\fR.\& By default, the current platform is the only build target.\& This can be
overridden with \fB\-\-target\fR or by declaring a \fBBuildArch\fR in the spec.\& See also
\fBBUGS\fR for some related known issues.\&
.PP
.PD 0
.IP \(bu 4
Unpack source package or tar archive if either is given
.IP \(bu 4
Determine build targets and repeat following steps for each in turn
.IP \(bu 4
Load \fBrpm\-config\fR(5), \fBrpm\-rpmrc\fR(5) and \fBrpmbuild\-config\fR(5) files for next
build target
.IP \(bu 4
Parse spec file
.IP \(bu 4
Check static build dependencies
.IP \(bu 4
Setup build workspace
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
Create build directory and set \fB%builddir\fR to its path (\fBmkbuilddir\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Export build environment to \fB%builddir\fR/\fIrpmbuild.\&env\fR file
.RE
.IP \(bu 4
Execute build scriptlets to populate \fB%buildroot\fR
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
Unpack sources and apply any patches (\fBp\fR, \fB%prep\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Generate dynamic build dependencies (\fBd\fR, \fB%generate_buildrequires\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Check dynamic build dependencies
.IP \(bu 4
Configure sources (\fBf\fR, \fB%conf\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Compile sources (\fBc\fR, \fB%build\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Install binaries into \fB%buildroot\fR (\fBi\fR, \fB%install\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Read dynamic spec parts
.IP \(bu 4
Execute tests (\fBk\fR, \fB%check\fR)
.RE
.IP \(bu 4
Process files to be packaged
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
Populate file list for source packages
.IP \(bu 4
Populate file list for binary packages based on \fB%files\fR manifest(s)
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
Add regular entries from \fB%buildroot\fR
.IP \(bu 4
Copy special entries to \fB%buildroot\fR (\fB%doc\fR, \fB%license\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Add special entries from \fB%buildroot\fR
.RE
.IP \(bu 4
Perform file classification
.IP \(bu 4
Generate runtime dependencies using \fBrpm\-dependency\-generators\fR(7)
.IP \(bu 4
Check file list against \fB%buildroot\fR (\fBl\fR)
.RE
.IP \(bu 4
Create packages
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
Write binary packages to disk (\fBb\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Write source packages to disk (\fBs\fR)
.RE
.IP \(bu 4
Clean up
.RS 4
.IP \(bu 4
OBSOLETE: Perform explicit clean up (\fB%clean\fR)
.IP \(bu 4
Perform implicit clean up (\fBrmbuild\fR)
.PD
.PP
.RE
For more information on the syntax, see \fBrpm\-spec\fR(5).\&
.PP
.SH DYNAMIC BUILD DEPENDENCIES
When the \fB%generate_buildrequires\fR stage runs and some of the newly
generated BuildRequires are not satisfied, \fBrpmbuild\fR creates an
intermediate source package ending in \fIbuildreqs.\&nosrc.\&rpm\fR, which has
the new BuildRequires, and exits with code 11.\& This package can then be
used in place of the original source package to resolve and install the
missing build dependencies in the usual way, such as with
\fBdnf\-builddep\fR(8).\&
.PP
Multiple layers of dynamic build dependencies may exist in a spec file;
the presence of specific BuildRequires on the system may yield new
BuildRequires next time a build is performed with the same source
package.\& The easiest way to ensure that all dynamic build dependencies
are satisfied is to run the \fB\-br\fR option, install the new
dependencies of the \fIbuildreqs.\&nosrc.\&rpm\fR package and repeat the whole
procedure until \fBrpmbuild\fR no longer exits with code 11.\&
.PP
If the \fB\-br\fR option is coupled with \fB\-\-nodeps\fR, exit code 11 is
always returned and a \fIbuildreqs.\&nosrc.\&rpm\fR package is always created.\&
.PP
.SH ENVIRONMENT
\fBRPM_BUILD_NCPUS\fR
.RS 4
Overrides autodetection for the number of CPUs to use for
parallelized sections of the build.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH EXIT STATUS
On success, 0 is returned, a nonzero failure code otherwise.\&
.PP
Packages with a \fB%generate_buildrequires\fR section will return with code 11
when there are unmet \fBDYNAMIC BUILD DEPENDENCIES\fR.\&
.PP
.SH EXAMPLES
\fBrpmbuild \-\-rebuild hello\-1.\&0\-1.\&src.\&rpm\fR
.RS 4
Build binary and source packages from the \fIhello\-1.\&0\-1.\&src.\&rpm\fR
source package.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmbuild \-bb \-\-nocheck \-\-with openssl hello.\&spec\fR
.RS 4
Build binary packages from the \fIhello.\&spec\fR spec file,
skipping the \fB%check\fR stage if present and enabling support for
\fBopenssl\fR build conditional (assuming one is specified in the spec).\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmbuild \-ta hello\-2.\&0.\&tar.\&gz\fR
.RS 4
Build binary and source packages from the compressed
\fIhello\-2.\&0.\&tar.\&gz\fR tarball, assuming the archive contains a
legitimate spec file (see \fITAR_ARCHIVE\fR for details).\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmbuild \-bc hello.\&spec\fR
.RS 4
Build \fIhello.\&spec\fR up to and including the \fB%build\fR stage,
ie.\& without producing actual packages.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmbuild \-bi \-\-short\-circuit hello.\&spec\fR
.RS 4
Only execute the \fB%install\fR stage of \fIhello.\&spec\fR, skipping all
previous stages.\& This assumes a preceding run of at least up to
the \fB%build\fR stage, see previous example.\& Useful to avoid full
rebuilds when working on the \fB%files\fR section of a package.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH FILES
See \fBrpm\-common\fR(8)
.PP
.SH BUGS
.PP
Building a spec that declares a \fBBuildArch\fR may cause unexpected behavior, in
particular:
.PP
.PD 0
.IP \(bu 4
Macros defined before the \fBBuildArch\fR line will be expanded twice, which can
yield unexpected results with \fB%global\fR in particular
.PD
.PP
.PD 0
.IP \(bu 4
Using a \fB\-\-target\fR that disagrees with the \fBBuildArch\fR results in undefined
behavior
.PD
.PP
.SH SEE ALSO
\fBgendiff\fR(1), \fBpopt\fR(3), \fBrpm\fR(8), \fBrpm\-common\fR(8), \fBrpmbuild\-config\fR(5),
\fBrpm2cpio\fR(1), \fBrpmkeys\fR(8), \fBrpmspec\fR(1), \fBrpmsign\fR(1),
\fBrpm\-setup\-autosign\fR(1) \fBrpm\-macros\fR(7)
.PP
\fBhttp://www.\&rpm.\&org/\fR