# Development setup

This is a guide to running the Zulip desktop app from a source tree,
in order to contribute to developing it.

## Prerequisites

To build and run the app from source, you'll need the following:

* [Git](http://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git)
* [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) >= v6.9.0
  * [NPM](https://www.npmjs.com/get-npm) and
    [node-gyp](https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp#installation),
    if they don't come bundled with your Node.js installation
* [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2713/)
  (v2.7.x recommended)
* A C++ compiler compatible with C++11
* Development headers for the libXext, libXtst, and libxkbfile libraries

### Debian/Ubuntu and friends

On a system running Debian, Ubuntu, or another Debian-based Linux
distribution, you can install all dependencies through the package
manager (see [here][nodesource-install] for more on the first command):

```sh
$ curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_6.x | sudo -E bash -
$ sudo apt install git nodejs python build-essential libxext-dev libxtst-dev libxkbfile-dev
```

[nodesource-install]: https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager/#debian-and-ubuntu-based-linux-distributions

### Other OSes

Other developers run the app on Windows, macOS, and possibly other OSes.
PRs to add specific instructions to this doc are welcome!

On Windows, your C++ compiler should be Visual Studio 2015 or later.

## Download, build, and run

Clone the source locally:
```sh
$ git clone https://github.com/zulip/zulip-electron
$ cd zulip-electron
```

Install project dependencies:
```sh
$ npm install
```

Start the app:
```sh
$ npm start
```

Start and watch changes:
```sh
$ npm run dev
```

## Troubleshooting

If you have any problems running the app, see the [most common
issues](./troubleshooting.md).

## Making a release

To package the app into an installer:
```
npm run dist
```

This command will produce distributable packages or installers for the
operating system you're running on:
* on Windows, a Windows installer file
* on macOS, a `.dmg` file
* on Linux, a plain `.zip` file as well as a `.deb` file and an
  `AppImage` file.
To generate all three types, you will need all three operating
systems.

The output files appear in the `dist/` directory.