Topic: Howto :: Building Apache httpd Windows from GitHub sources

[guischulz]

This is an alternative to the existing guide for building Apache with CMake.

The main objectives of this approach:
- use GitHub sources for all packages
- provide a script for batch building
- keep things simple, making the batch script kind of self-explanatory
- use existing build mechanisms, leave original sources untouched
- result should be similar to the Apache Lounge distribution
- use Makefile.win (not CMake) for Apache httpd build

The following tools are required:
Visual Studio 2019 Community
CMake for Windows
Git for Windows (MinGit distribution is sufficient)
Strawberry Perl or ActiveState Perl
Netwide Assembler (NASM)
AWK for Windows (the "One True AWK" by Brian Kernighan, we can compile it from source)

Dependend packages (can all be found on GitHub):
zlib, openssl, pcre, libxml2, libexpat, brotli, jansson, curl, lua, nghttp2, apr, apr-iconv, apr-util

The full URLs to these packages can be found in the provided batch 'build_httpd.bat'

Build instructions:

a. Create a base directory for the third-party dependencies, e.g. D:\work\apache_build\3rdparty

b. Clone all the required repositories below the created base directory

c. Clone the Apache 'httpd' repository from Github into a new directory, e.g. D:\work\apache_build\httpd

d. Create directory junctions in [..]httpd\srclib\ directory

The Apache build script expects all dependent packages in the 'srclib' directory. Using directory junctions makes it possible to keep the sources at a different location and still use 'git clean -xfd', as with current Git versions NTFS junctions are not followed.
Create junctions for all cloned source directories. Only for 'lua' the junction must be created in 'httpd\srclib\src' (create 'src' directory first)

Example: mklink /j D:\work\apache_build\httpd\srclib\curl D:\work\apache_build\3rdparty\curl

e. If you do not have AWK, clone the "One True AWK" project from danfuzz on GitHub

f. Get the batch from https://gist.github.com/guischulz/9599a7116435517a3073c32520a867f2 or use the code block at the end of this post

g. Edit the batch build script to match your environment and your requirements (tools, directories, versions, options, ...)

Note: you may notice unusual modifications to some ".lib" names in the batch file, like copying a library to an other dir with changed name or use of 'lua51.lib' instead of 'lua53.lib'. This is required to use the unmodified "Makefile.win" and to fulfil some naming assumptions of the build mechanism to find libraries.

h. Run and wait, the script will install the result to c:\Apache24

build_httpd.bat

[Steffen]

Thanks for contributing.

Hope that Gregg continues to maintain the .mak etc files.


Win32 ?

[guischulz]

I have updated the batch script and added the required changes for a Win32 build as REM comments.

- initialize MSVC build tools with x86 32-bit target architecture (vcvars32.bat)
- zlib: modified nmake command (use x86 ASM code)
- openssl: run configure with VC-WIN32
- httpd: modified compiler and linker options

[admin]

Thanks.

Moved to the forum : How-to's & Documentation & Tips

[nono303]

Hi @guischulz,
Thx for your batch
Fyi, I've Just updated mine (with same main objectives as yours) https://github.com/nono303/win-build-scripts/tree/1.3.0 for openssl3 & vs17.

Don't hesitate to make PR or tickets if you see some improvements!

[ranemstsage]

I love this, though I would love to understand how to compile AWK for windows. been having a heck of a time. so far I ended merging this guide with the other excluding awk. so i can get a build but would be interested to get full compatibility for windows.