Documentation
🧑‍đŸŗ Development
Compiling RF Swift from Source

Compiling RF Swift from Source

Building RF Swift from Source

This guide explains how to compile RF Swift from source code, allowing you to customize the binary, contribute to development, or build for specific architectures.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your system has sufficient resources:

  • At least 2GB of RAM
  • At least 4GB of free disk space
  • Internet connection (for downloading dependencies)
  • Administrator/root access for installation

Compilation Process

Clone the Repository

First, clone the RF Swift source code from the official repository:

git clone https://github.com/PentHertz/RF-Swift.git
cd RF-Swift

Build Using Installation Scripts

RF Swift provides platform-specific scripts to handle the entire build process:

Linux/macOS

Use the install.sh script which handles all dependencies and compilation:

./install.sh

The script will:

  1. Check for and install required dependencies (Docker, BuildX, Go)
  2. Compile the RF Swift binary for your architecture
  3. Offer to create a system-wide alias for the rfswift command
  4. Provide options for building or pulling container images

Windows

For Windows systems, use the build-windows.bat script:

build-windows.bat

This script will set up the required dependencies and compile the RF Swift binary for Windows.

Special Platform: Steam Deck

The Linux installation script includes special handling for Steam Deck:

./install.sh
[+] Checking Docker installation
Are you installing on a Steam Deck? (yes/no): yes

Selecting “yes” will:

  • Unlock Steam OS from read-only mode
  • Configure Steam Deck-specific settings
  • Install appropriate dependencies for the Steam Deck hardware

Configure Your Installation

During installation, you’ll be prompted with several configuration options:

Do you want to create an alias for the binary? (yes/no): yes

Creating an alias allows you to run RF Swift from any directory using the rfswift command.

After compilation completes, you’ll be asked whether to build or pull container images:

Docker is already installed. Moving on.
Docker Buildx is already installed. Moving on.
Docker Compose v2 is already installed. Moving on.
[+] Installing Go
golang is already installed in /usr/local/go/bin. Moving on.
[+] Building RF Swift Go Project
RF Swift Go Project built successfully.
Do you want to build a Docker container, pull an existing image, or exit?
1) Build Docker container
2) Pull Docker image
3) Exit
Choose an option (1, 2, or 3):

You can choose to:

  • Build a custom container image (option 1)
  • Pull an existing pre-built image from the repository (option 2)
  • Exit and handle images later (option 3)
ℹī¸
You can always build or pull images later using the RF Swift command-line interface.

Test Your Compilation

Once compiled, verify that your RF Swift binary works correctly:

# If you created an alias
rfswift --version

# Or using the direct path
./rfswift --version

This should display the version information and confirm the binary is functioning properly.

Manual Compilation

If you prefer to handle the compilation process manually or need more control over the build, you can follow these steps:

Install Dependencies

First, ensure you have all required dependencies:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git golang-go docker.io

# Fedora/CentOS/RHEL
sudo dnf install -y git golang docker

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S git go docker

# macOS (using Homebrew)
brew install go docker

Compile the Binary

Navigate to the cloned repository and compile the binary:

cd RF-Swift
go build -o rfswift

For cross-compilation (building for a different architecture):

# For ARM64 (e.g., Raspberry Pi)
GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build -o rfswift_arm64

# For Windows
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o rfswift.exe

# For macOS
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build -o rfswift_macos

Install the Binary

Move the compiled binary to a location in your PATH:

# Linux/macOS
sudo mv rfswift /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/rfswift

# Or for local user only
mv rfswift ~/bin/
chmod +x ~/bin/rfswift

Running RF Swift

After compiling RF Swift, you can start using it to manage containers:

Create and Run a Container

To create and run a container using an image:

# With sudo (Linux without Docker Desktop)
sudo rfswift run -i penthertz/rfswift:sdr_full -n my_sdr_container

# Without sudo (macOS, Windows, or Linux with Docker Desktop)
rfswift run -i penthertz/rfswift:sdr_full -n my_sdr_container

Resume Existing Containers

To resume work with previously created containers:

rfswift exec -c my_sdr_container

Troubleshooting Compilation Issues

If you encounter issues during compilation:

Go Module Issues 

# Reset the Go module cache
go clean -modcache
# Try building again
go build -o rfswift

Docker Permissions 

# Add your user to the docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Dependency Version Conflicts 

# Force use of specific versions in go.mod
go mod edit -require=github.com/some/[email protected]
go mod tidy

Next Steps

Now that you have successfully compiled RF Swift, you can:

Build Custom Images
Create your own specialized container images with custom tools
 Getting Started
Learn how to use RF Swift with pre-built images
 User Guide
Explore the complete RF Swift documentation
Last updated on
🧑‍đŸŗ DevelopmentHelper Functions Reference