> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/LadybirdBrowser/ladybird/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick start

> Get Ladybird up and running quickly on your system

This guide will help you build and run Ladybird Browser on your machine. For detailed build options, see the [complete build instructions](/building/build-instructions).

<Note>
  Ladybird is in pre-alpha state and only suitable for developers. You'll need to build from source.
</Note>

## Prerequisites

Before building Ladybird, ensure you have:

* **C++23-capable compiler**: gcc-14 or clang-21 (see [build instructions](/building/build-instructions) for minimum versions)
* **CMake 3.30 or newer**
* **Rust toolchain** (install via [rustup](https://rustup.rs/))
* **Qt6 development packages**
* **Build tools**: nasm, ninja, git

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Debian/Ubuntu">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo apt install autoconf autoconf-archive automake build-essential ccache cmake curl \
      fonts-liberation2 git libdrm-dev libgl1-mesa-dev libtool nasm ninja-build pkg-config \
      python3-venv qt6-base-dev qt6-tools-dev-tools qt6-wayland tar unzip zip
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Arch Linux">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo pacman -S --needed autoconf-archive base-devel ccache cmake curl git less libgl \
      nasm ninja python qt6-base qt6-tools ttf-liberation tar unzip zip
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    ```bash theme={null}
    brew install nasm autoconf autoconf-archive automake ninja cmake llvm@18 ccache pkg-config
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Fedora">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo dnf install autoconf-archive automake ccache cmake curl git libdrm-devel \
      liberation-sans-fonts libglvnd-devel libtool nasm ninja-build qt6-qtbase-devel \
      qt6-qttools-devel qt6-qtwayland-devel tar unzip zip
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Build and run

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone the repository">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/LadybirdBrowser/ladybird
    cd ladybird
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build with the helper script">
    The `ladybird.py` script automates the build process:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Build with default options
    ./ladybird.py build

    # Build and run
    ./ladybird.py run ladybird
    ```

    <Info>
      By default, this builds a debug configuration. For better performance, use `./ladybird.py build --release`.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch Ladybird">
    After building, run the browser:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ./ladybird.py run ladybird
    ```

    Or directly execute the binary:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ./Build/release/bin/Ladybird
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Build configurations

### Debug vs Release

```bash theme={null}
# Debug build (default) - includes debugging symbols
./ladybird.py build

# Release build - optimized for performance
./ladybird.py build --release
```

### User interface options

Ladybird supports multiple UI backends:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Qt (default) theme={null}
  ./ladybird.py build
  ```

  ```bash AppKit (macOS) theme={null}
  ./ladybird.py build --ui AppKit
  ```

  ```bash Android theme={null}
  ./ladybird.py build --ui Android
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build instructions" icon="hammer" href="/building/build-instructions">
    Detailed build options and platform-specific instructions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="sitemap" href="/architecture/overview">
    Learn about Ladybird's multi-process architecture
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contributing" icon="code-pull-request" href="/development/contributing">
    Start contributing to the project
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/building/troubleshooting">
    Resolve common build issues
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<Accordion title="Build fails with CMake version error">
  Install CMake 3.30 or newer. On Ubuntu, use [Kitware's apt repository](https://apt.kitware.com/).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Compiler not supported">
  Ladybird requires gcc-14 or clang-21 minimum. See the [build instructions](/building/build-instructions#build-prerequisites) for installation.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Qt6 not found">
  Ensure Qt6 development packages are installed. On macOS, you may need to install Qt6 via Homebrew.
</Accordion>

For more troubleshooting help, see the [troubleshooting guide](/building/troubleshooting) or ask in the [Discord server](https://discord.gg/nvfjVJ4Svh).