Is Windows Supported for Local Builds?

[8bitdev0x8]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to this project and trying to understand the build process.

I’m currently working on a Windows machine and wanted to check whether the project supports building locally on Windows. I tried going through the repository, but I’m not entirely clear on the expected steps for setting up and generating a build.

Could someone please clarify:

Is it possible to take a build on Windows?
Are there any platform-specific requirements or limitations I should be aware of?

Any guidance or documentation pointers would be really helpful.

[cmbartschat]

Hi there! Which build are you looking to generate?

General setup instructions can be found here - https://github.com/8thwall/8thwall?tab=contributing-ov-file#local-development, but depending on what you're planning to work on, you may not need the full setup.

If there is anything you get stuck on, I can certainly try to assist, and update the instructions as needed.

Otherwise, using Windows Subsystem for Linux is a way to get a more unix-y environment which may be more compatible with the various build logic/scripts that may be involved.

[cmbartschat]

Spent some time looking into windows support today. On base windows, I was able to get some stuff building, but unfortunately not enough to build the desktop app for example.

This diagram illustrates my understanding of what build dependencies each project depends on, and what's working.

Saved my WIP branch here: https://github.com/8thwall/8thwall/compare/christoph9-windows for the workarounds

Projects that depend only on "normal node install" might be where we ask Windows-only developers to contribute.

The other option is WSL - I was able to successfully build ecs and the engine on there, but not the electron app.

My current thinking is:

• Short term: Try to fix the remaining issues to enable Desktop App development, leaving engine/ecs development unsupported unless WSL is used
• Long term: Migrate to Bazel Modules, paying attention to windows support as we make the migration