Nothing

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Build from Source ​

Build Nothing Browser from source code. Useful for development, custom modifications, or when pre-built binaries aren't available for your platform.

Requirements ​

All Platforms ​

RequirementVersionNotes
GitLatestFor cloning repository
CMake3.20+Build system
C++ CompilerC++17 compatibleGCC, Clang, or MSVC
Java17+For YouTube tab (NewPipe Extractor)
Qt66.4+Qt6 WebEngine required

Platform-Specific ​

PlatformDependencies
LinuxQt6 WebEngine development packages, build-essential
macOSXcode Command Line Tools, Qt6 via Homebrew
WindowsVisual Studio 2022, Qt6 (Qt Installer)

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) ​

Install Dependencies ​

bash
# Install Qt6 WebEngine and build tools
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
    build-essential \
    cmake \
    git \
    openjdk-17-jre \
    qt6-base-dev \
    qt6-webengine-dev \
    libqt6webenginewidgets6 \
    libqt6webenginecore6

# Verify installations
cmake --version
qmake6 --version
java -version

Clone and Build ​

bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser.git
cd nothing-browser

# Create build directory
mkdir build && cd build

# Configure with CMake
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

# Build (use all CPU cores)
make -j$(nproc)

# Run the built browser
./nothing-browser

Install System-Wide ​

bash
# After building, install
sudo make install

# Run from anywhere
nothing-browser

Build .deb Package ​

bash
# From the build directory
cpack -G DEB

# Install the generated .deb
sudo dpkg -i nothing-browser_*.deb

Linux (Arch Linux) ​

Install Dependencies ​

bash
# Install required packages
sudo pacman -S \
    base-devel \
    cmake \
    git \
    java-openjdk \
    qt6-base \
    qt6-webengine

# Or install via AUR (recommended)
yay -S nothing-browser

Build from Source (Arch) ​

bash
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser.git
cd nothing-browser
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make -j$(nproc)
./nothing-browser

macOS ​

Install Dependencies ​

bash
# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Qt6 and dependencies
brew install qt6 cmake git openjdk@17

# Add Qt6 to PATH
echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/qt6/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Verify
cmake --version
qmake --version
java -version

Build ​

bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser.git
cd nothing-browser

# Create build directory
mkdir build && cd build

# Configure (adjust Qt path if needed)
cmake .. \
    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
    -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/opt/homebrew/opt/qt6

# Build
make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)

# Run
./nothing-browser.app/Contents/MacOS/nothing-browser

Create .dmg Package ​

bash
# From build directory
cpack -G DragNDrop

# Output: nothing-browser-*.dmg

Windows ​

Install Dependencies ​

  1. Visual Studio 2022

  2. Qt6

    • Download from qt.io/download
    • Select "Qt 6.4.0 or later"
    • Select "MSVC 2022 64-bit" component
    • Select "Qt WebEngine" component

  3. CMake

  4. Java 17

  5. Git

Set Environment Variables ​

powershell
# Set Qt6 path (adjust to your installation)
setx QT6_DIR "C:\Qt\6.4.0\msvc2022_64"

# Verify
echo %QT6_DIR%

Build ​

Open Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022:

batch
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser.git
cd nothing-browser

# Create build directory
mkdir build
cd build

# Configure
cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

# Build
cmake --build . --config Release --parallel

# Run
.\Release\nothing-browser.exe

Using Build Script ​

batch
# From the repository root
scripts\build-windows.bat

Docker Build ​

dockerfile
# Dockerfile
FROM ubuntu:22.04

RUN apt update && apt install -y \
    build-essential \
    cmake \
    git \
    openjdk-17-jre \
    qt6-base-dev \
    qt6-webengine-dev \
    libgl1-mesa-dev \
    libxkbcommon-x11-0

WORKDIR /app
RUN git clone https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser.git .

RUN mkdir build && cd build && \
    cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release && \
    make -j$(nproc)

CMD ["./build/nothing-browser"]
bash
# Build Docker image
docker build -t nothing-browser .

# Run
docker run --rm -it nothing-browser

Build Options ​

CMake Options ​

OptionDefaultDescription
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPEDebugRelease for production
-DBUILD_TESTSONBuild unit tests
-DBUILD_NEWPIPE_BRIDGEONBuild YouTube Java bridge
-DUSE_SYSTEM_QTONUse system Qt6 libraries

Example with Options ​

bash
cmake .. \
    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
    -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF \
    -DBUILD_NEWPIPE_BRIDGE=ON

Troubleshooting ​

Qt6 WebEngine Not Found ​

Error:

Could not find a package configuration file provided by "Qt6WebEngine"

Solution:

bash
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install qt6-webengine-dev

# Arch
sudo pacman -S qt6-webengine

# macOS
brew install qt6

# Windows
# Ensure Qt6 path is set correctly

Java Not Found ​

Error:

Could not find Java. Please install Java 17+

Solution:

bash
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install openjdk-17-jre

# Arch
sudo pacman -S jdk17-openjdk

# macOS
brew install openjdk@17

# Windows
# Download from adoptium.net and add to PATH

CMake Version Too Old ​

Error:

CMake 3.20 or higher is required

Solution:

bash
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt remove cmake
wget -qO- "https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v3.27.0/cmake-3.27.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz" | sudo tar --strip-components=1 -xz -C /usr/local

# macOS
brew upgrade cmake

# Windows
# Download latest from cmake.org

Build Fails with Missing Headers ​

Solution:

bash
# Clean build directory and retry
rm -rf build
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
make clean
make -j$(nproc)

Build Outputs ​

PlatformBinary LocationPackage Output
Linuxbuild/nothing-browser.deb or .tar.gz
macOSbuild/nothing-browser.app.dmg or .tar.gz
Windowsbuild/Release/nothing-browser.exe.zip or .exe

CI/CD with GitHub Actions ​

The project uses GitHub Actions for automated builds:

yaml
# .github/workflows/build.yml (simplified)
name: Build

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  build:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
    
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Install Qt6
        uses: jurplel/install-qt-action@v3
        with:
          version: '6.4.0'
          modules: 'qtwebengine'
      
      - name: Build
        run: |
          mkdir build && cd build
          cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
          cmake --build . --config Release
      
      - name: Package
        run: cpack --config build/CPackConfig.cmake
      
      - name: Upload
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: nothing-browser-${{ matrix.os }}
          path: build/*.tar.gz

Next Steps ​

Nothing Ecosystem · Ernest Tech House · Kenya · 2026

MIT Licensed | Built by Ernest Tech House · Kenya · 2026

Copyright © 2026 Ernest Tech House