iBrowe Windows Build Preparation Guide

Adapted from Chromium and Brave sources. Rebranded and refactored for the iBrowe project.

Initial Setup

To prepare your system for building iBrowe on Windows, follow these steps, stopping before the “Get the code” phase of Chromium’s official build guide.

✅ System Requirements

Ensure your machine meets the prerequisites outlined in Chromium’s system requirements.

🛡️ Antivirus

Add exclusions for the working directories used during the build process. Windows Defender is active by default and may interfere with build tools.

🛠️ Visual Studio

Install Visual Studio Community 2022, preferably version 17.8.3. While newer versions might work, compatibility with Chromium is critical.

Include:

  • Desktop Development with C++
  • Windows 11 SDK (also works on Windows 10)

Refer to Omaha Build Guide for additional compatibility details.

🔄 Git

Install Git v2.41+.
⚠️ Do not use the Git version bundled in depot_tools. It is incompatible with iBrowe’s patch system.

After installation, follow Chromium’s Git configuration steps from the “Get the Code” section (especially git config --global commands).

🌐 Node.js

Install Node.js v20 LTS.
This is the only supported version for building iBrowe.

🐍 Python

Install Python 3.x for Windows.
Python is also bundled with depot_tools, but:

  • Some legacy scripts require Python 2.7
  • Conflicts may occur if your system PATH prioritizes depot_tools’ Python

✅ Setup Complete

You’re now ready to proceed to the iBrowe-specific build steps in the internal documentation or wiki.

🚀 Build Acceleration

Internal iBrowe developers may optionally configure remote build execution. Contact the build infrastructure team for credentials and setup instructions.

⚙️ .env Configuration

Refer to the internal iBrowe/.env.build.example file for environment variables and channel-specific build options.

▶️ Running iBrowe

Always run iBrowe builds from cmd.exe or via Windows Explorer.
Avoid shells like Git Bash, Cygwin, or other non-standard terminals—debug builds may fail due to logging issues via stderr.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Check Chromium’s official guide for Windows: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/HEAD/docs/windows_build_instructions.md

Topics include:

  • Build acceleration
  • Fixing slow builds
  • Common configuration issues

📂 Cloning Tips

Clone the iBrowe repository to a shallow path like:


C:\iBrowe\\

Avoid:

  • Deep directory structures (>256 characters)
  • Paths with spaces (e.g., C:\Users\John Doe\)

These issues can break Chromium’s build scripts.

📚 Related Resources

📝 Source: Adapted from Brave’s internal Windows build instructions, now restructured and rebranded for the iBrowe project.