Building headless Bitcoin and Bitcoin-qt on Windows

[BanzaiBTC]

Are you Dutch irritant? If so, I can try and help you in Dutch I am not a pro coder.. But I have seen a lot of compile issues the last few weeks/months


Next step for me is compiling with Qt 5.3.2. Hope I can work this out... Things go a little bit different in the newer source.. instead of a .pro I only see autogen.sh and confgure.ac.. Diving back into the tutorial and sourcecode.. Fingers crossed  


Cheers,

Banzai

EDIT: Well that was easy.. Only had one error with upnp.. After I disabled it in bitcoin_config.h everything went great 

[mahi4ever]

Had never tried qt client.
I will make a try.
Didnt worked for me.
Shall give a once more try.

[dscotese]

After a pauze of 5-6 weeks... (all this code really drove me insane after a while) I finally managed to compile bitcoin and litecoin qt static.. Works like a charm  

After failing over and over again on windows 7 (never again ), I tried windows 8.1. And after the first try it was already done. Very happy with this

Thanks a lot for this guide, and all the help from the other members  

Cheers,


Banzai

Teach Me! I am using Windows 10! I am trying to compile Crave! (PM If Possible)

PM is not an ideal way to help.  All the problems are undoubtedly going to affect others.  If you keep it public then everyone can see the solutions.

I think if you want someone to teach you, offering an hourly rate - even "just for starters, to see if I like how you teach" would work well for both parties.

If you can explain a specific problem that you run into, then someone here will provide an answer.  Some people might just answer RTFM, and if they have any sense, they'll also provide you with a link (to TFM) and maybe even some terms you could use in a search engine to find other links.

My best advice (other than the general stuff I just wrote above) is to compile bitcoin according to Nitro's OP first.  If you've already got that working, then copy the src and start altering it to be like the other thing you're trying to compile - baby steps - so when you hit a change that causes a problem, you'll know what difference caused the problem.

[fabula]

@nitrogenetics:
Any hints to compile qt5.4.2 shared builds afaik?

[nitrogenetics]

Last time I checked the build system was not yet qt 5.4 aware.
Have a look at https://github.com/theuni/bitcoin/commits/qt54

Any specific reason to compile it shared?

[l8nit3]

Hello, First i want to say, great tutorial! Sadly im having a small issue with the dependency portion of the install. Im quite used to linux, and actually recognize quite a few of these dependencies from previous linux wallet builds. However with this windows install i keep getting stuck at the qr deps section. The error im receiving is:

Code:

$ make
rm -f pnglibconf.c pnglibconf.tf[45]
gawk -f ./scripts/options.awk out=pnglibconf.tf4 version=search\
            ./pngconf.h ./scripts/pnglibconf.dfa\
            ./pngusr.dfa  1>&2
gawk -f ./scripts/options.awk out=pnglibconf.tf5 pnglibconf.tf4 1>&2
options.awk: bad line (10): com
make: *** [pnglibconf.c] Error 1

[/color]
Any ideas how to fix this? after a google search ive found a few similar questions.... however the answers provided are for osx, and involve symlinking /usr/include pointed to /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.9.sdk/usr/include ..... which is no help to me lol.

[fabula]

Last time I checked the build system was not yet qt 5.4 aware.
Have a look at https://github.com/theuni/bitcoin/commits/qt54

Any specific reason to compile it shared?

Need try to compile QTwebengine.
Qtwebkit is a little obsolete for some multimedia stuff.

[l8nit3]

Hello, First i want to say, great tutorial! Sadly im having a small issue with the dependency portion of the install. Im quite used to linux, and actually recognize quite a few of these dependencies from previous linux wallet builds. However with this windows install i keep getting stuck at the qr deps section. The error im receiving is:

Code:

$ make
rm -f pnglibconf.c pnglibconf.tf[45]
gawk -f ./scripts/options.awk out=pnglibconf.tf4 version=search\
            ./pngconf.h ./scripts/pnglibconf.dfa\
            ./pngusr.dfa  1>&2
gawk -f ./scripts/options.awk out=pnglibconf.tf5 pnglibconf.tf4 1>&2
options.awk: bad line (10): com
make: *** [pnglibconf.c] Error 1

[/color]
Any ideas how to fix this? after a google search ive found a few similar questions.... however the answers provided are for osx, and involve symlinking /usr/include pointed to /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.9.sdk/usr/include ..... which is no help to me lol.

anyone....... anyone...... bueller.... bueller....

<edit> does anyone know if i can build the qt-wallet from scratch for windows.. but on a linux box?? im far more familiar with a linux term then a windows cmd. and im pretty sure all of these dependancies are available for linux. could it be as easy as using a cross compiling toolchain and setting --build to something like i686-windows?? </edit>

[cinnamon_carter]

If you want to build bitcoin for windows in a linux environment use gitian ...

See here .... https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/gitian-building.md

I used debian running in virtual box as suggested here

Personally I have been able to succeed in this method for bitcoin however to use gitian for an altcoin I found more difficult.

There are so many different versions and changes made to various clones along the way you really have to know what you are doing to get it to work.

I have had some success doing this but since building linux on linux is so easy and building win-qt or bitcoind or for altcoins on win is something I have mastered I have never spent the time to perfect gitian for another coin/system/altcoin..

[l8nit3]

If you want to build bitcoin for windows in a linux environment use gitian ...

See here .... https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/gitian-building.md

I used debian running in virtual box as suggested here

Personally I have been able to succeed in this method for bitcoin however to use gitian for an altcoin I found more difficult.

There are so many different versions and changes made to various clones along the way you really have to know what you are doing to get it to work.

I have had some success doing this but since building linux on linux is so easy and building win-qt or bitcoind or for altcoins on win is something I have mastered I have never spent the time to perfect gitian for another coin/system/altcoin..

awesome thank you so much for the answer ill definitely take a look into gitian. I would love to be able do accomplish this with windows, however i keep running into a pnglibconf error, which stops me dead in my tracks.

[MystPhysX]

Blackcoin Compile is always dynamic not static!!!

I have the same issue with https://github.com/Metalde/MetalCoin

I've patched the .pro as stated in the OP. Adding the static flag and everything.
All my libraries are static as well (OP's instructions).

Can something else be forcing a dynamic compile?

[altcoinex]

Hey I saw this and thought this could definitely be a good solution : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Voyo-Mini-PC-Windows-8-1-2GB-64GB-Intel-Z3735F-Quad-Core-Activated-Windows-with-bing/32381104507.html

One of these seem good for the Bitcoin-qt full node on windows and has 64gb of storage, while the os is an annoying 8.1 with bing there are similar ones for a little more to get a better 8.1 experience.

Should not have to buy a new computer to compile bitcoin.... I often buy a 4$ a month shell for a few hours at ~10 cents total cost to do it on, let alone any computer from the past 10-15 years....

[cinnamon_carter]

also, for windows users you can download a free iso image of win 7 from microsoft to use in virtual box

you may get better results with that, following nitrogenetics directions to the letter than fooling around on a new system


one thing you may want to do is to to control pannel, user accounts, change user control settings and pull this slide all the way down.

Hey I saw this and thought this could definitely be a good solution : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Voyo-Mini-PC-Windows-8-1-2GB-64GB-Intel-Z3735F-Quad-Core-Activated-Windows-with-bing/32381104507.html

One of these seem good for the Bitcoin-qt full node on windows and has 64gb of storage, while the os is an annoying 8.1 with bing there are similar ones for a little more to get a better 8.1 experience.

Should not have to buy a new computer to compile bitcoin.... I often buy a 4$ a month shell for a few hours at ~10 cents total cost to do it on, let alone any computer from the past 10-15 years....

[TransaDox]

Hey I saw this and thought this could definitely be a good solution : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Voyo-Mini-PC-Windows-8-1-2GB-64GB-Intel-Z3735F-Quad-Core-Activated-Windows-with-bing/32381104507.html

One of these seem good for the Bitcoin-qt full node on windows and has 64gb of storage, while the os is an annoying 8.1 with bing there are similar ones for a little more to get a better 8.1 experience.

Should not have to buy a new computer to compile bitcoin.... I often buy a 4$ a month shell for a few hours at ~10 cents total cost to do it on, let alone any computer from the past 10-15 years....

If they just compiled libbitcoin binaries for Windows devs they would see an explosion of applications for bitcoin on Windows. You won't get Windows devs looking at bitcoin software until you supply these binaries in the same way people do for OpenSSL or SQLite. Then you would see header translations and workspaces for Codeblocks, Lazarus and Visual Studio.

We are not going to go through 500 pages of Linux speak, install Linux or a Linux emulator/VM and search far and wide for esoteric packages that noone has ever heard of just to compile your library, which will probably be unsuccessful after 2 days of getting it set up because you already had a dependency that you didn't notice!

[BanzaiBTC]

Hey I saw this and thought this could definitely be a good solution : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Voyo-Mini-PC-Windows-8-1-2GB-64GB-Intel-Z3735F-Quad-Core-Activated-Windows-with-bing/32381104507.html

One of these seem good for the Bitcoin-qt full node on windows and has 64gb of storage, while the os is an annoying 8.1 with bing there are similar ones for a little more to get a better 8.1 experience.

Should not have to buy a new computer to compile bitcoin.... I often buy a 4$ a month shell for a few hours at ~10 cents total cost to do it on, let alone any computer from the past 10-15 years....

If they just compiled libbitcoin binaries for Windows devs..........

Thank you for that link   Interesting stuff

After a pauze of 5-6 weeks... (all this code really drove me insane after a while) I finally managed to compile bitcoin and litecoin qt static.. Works like a charm  

After failing over and over again on windows 7 (never again ), I tried windows 8.1. And after the first try it was already done. Very happy with this

Thanks a lot for this guide, and all the help from the other members  

Cheers,


Banzai

Teach Me! I am using Windows 10! I am trying to compile Crave! (PM If Possible)

I noticed crave is using secp256k1.  I could not compile Crave either. (I can on ubuntu though)

I thought bitcoin also uses this? or is it included in the source and executed with the autogen/configure/make files? Crave only has a .pro you can alter, so you have to add the libs paths in the .pro . It did not work for me though. Anyone else with a suggestion? Not really about bitcoin qt.. I know..

[phelix]

I once again automated nitrogenetics instructions in EasyWinBuilder: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=252931.0

Differences I am aware of because of build troubles:
* OpenSSL small config does not yet work
* different Boost version

Comments appreciated.

[old c coder]

...

...

If they just compiled libbitcoin binaries for Windows devs they would see an explosion of applications for bitcoin on Windows. You won't get Windows devs looking at bitcoin software until you supply these binaries in the same way people do for OpenSSL or SQLite. Then you would see header translations and workspaces for Codeblocks, Lazarus and Visual Studio.

We are not going to go through 500 pages of Linux speak, install Linux or a Linux emulator/VM and search far and wide for esoteric packages that noone has ever heard of just to compile your library, which will probably be unsuccessful after 2 days of getting it set up because you already had a dependency that you didn't notice!

Bravo!,

But have you seen:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=149479.msg5937160#msg5937160
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=349094.0;all
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytoaHvG3H1y9CnxZS819eQ

and I agree with you on windows, since there are ~9 times more of them than all the others combined! I've posted this llive link before, but here it is again.
http://www.netmarketshare.com/ choose Operating Systems -> Desktop Share and Desktop Share by Version

Ron

[dscotese]

If they we just compiled libbitcoin binaries for Windows devs they we would see an explosion of applications for bitcoin on Windows. You won't get Windows devs looking at bitcoin software until you we supply these binaries in the same way people do for OpenSSL or SQLite. Then you we would see header translations and workspaces for Codeblocks, Lazarus and Visual Studio.

We I am not going to go through 500 pages of Linux speak, install Linux or a Linux emulator/VM and search far and wide for esoteric packages that noone has ever heard of just to compile your that library, which will probably be unsuccessful after 2 days of getting it set up because you it already had a dependency that you they didn't notice!

FTFY

Windows devs are often careless enough to compile stuff with hidden backdoors (at least I was until a few years ago), and using precompiled binaries as suggested invites that.  However, just as the Windows Satoshi client has signatures from core devs, libbitcoin binaries could do the same thing, so it's a minor problem... at least if the signing developers have a reputation to protect.

[Callahan]

Im installing win7, if i use this script, i only need click the .bat file?

[TransaDox]

If they we just compiled libbitcoin binaries for Windows devs they we would see an explosion of applications for bitcoin on Windows. You won't get Windows devs looking at bitcoin software until you we supply these binaries in the same way people do for OpenSSL or SQLite. Then you we would see header translations and workspaces for Codeblocks, Lazarus and Visual Studio.

We I am not going to go through 500 pages of Linux speak, install Linux or a Linux emulator/VM and search far and wide for esoteric packages that noone has ever heard of just to compile your that library, which will probably be unsuccessful after 2 days of getting it set up because you it already had a dependency that you they didn't notice!

FTFY

Windows devs are often careless enough to compile stuff with hidden backdoors (at least I was until a few years ago), and using precompiled binaries as suggested invites that.  However, just as the Windows Satoshi client has signatures from core devs, libbitcoin binaries could do the same thing, so it's a minor problem... at least if the signing developers have a reputation to protect.

No. You didn't FTFY. Windows devs are generally application developers. In the same way that web developers don't compile Apache or PHP, Windows devs don't compile reuse libraries . Linus Torvalds gets it but few from Linux seem to listen to him.

Windows devs are often careless enough to compile stuff with hidden backdoors (at least I was until a few years ago),

That's just nonsense.