flatpak-builder

Build a Flatpak and export to a new repository

$ flatpak-builder [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json]

$ flatpak-builder --repo [repository_name] [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json]

$ flatpak-builder --install [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json]

$ flatpak-builder --gpg-sign [key_id] --repo [repository_name] [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json]

$ flatpak-builder --run [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json] sh

$ flatpak-builder --show-deps [path/to/manifest.json]

$ flatpak-builder --ccache [path/to/build_directory] [path/to/manifest.json]

flatpak-builder [options] directory manifest
flatpak-builder --run [options] directory manifest command
flatpak-builder --show-deps [options] manifest

Flatpak-builder is a build automation tool that constructs Flatpak applications from manifest files. It wraps the core flatpak build command, providing a streamlined workflow for compiling applications and their dependencies within the Flatpak sandbox.
The tool processes JSON or YAML manifests that define application metadata, runtime requirements, and module build instructions. It follows the standard ./configure && make && make install pattern automatically and caches intermediate results for efficient incremental builds.
Build stages include: downloading sources, initializing the application directory, building and installing each module, cleanup, and finalization. Results are cached per-module, allowing quick rebuilds when only specific components change.

--repo name

Export the build to the specified repository

Install the built application locally for the current user

Sign the commit with the specified GPG key

Specify target architecture

Enable compiler caching for faster rebuilds

Disable build cache, forcing full rebuild

Erase previous build directory contents

Run a command inside the build sandbox

Open interactive shell at specified module for debugging

Stop build after completing specified module

Display dependencies required by the manifest

Display the processed manifest

Requires a valid Flatpak runtime and SDK to be installed. Large applications with many dependencies can take significant time and disk space on first build. The --run option provides a sandboxed environment that may not have full system access. Manifests must correctly specify all dependencies or builds will fail.

Flatpak-builder was developed alongside Flatpak by Alexander Larsson at Red Hat, with initial releases around 2015-2016. It emerged from the xdg-app project and became the standard tool for building Flatpak applications from source, enabling reproducible builds across different Linux distributions.

flatpak(1), flatpak-build(1), flatpak-install(1)