Install

www needs git.

make install links build/www into ~/.local/bin.

Debian packages

make deb builds a Debian package in build/, such as www_0~git20261015223930.20f02fd_amd64.deb, versioned by the last commit’s UTC time and hash. It depends on git. For another architecture, pass ARCH, eg make deb ARCH=arm64.

make deb-syntax builds www-syntax, the syntax tree helper, as a package of its own beside it, since the helper needs cgo and libc while www is static. The main package recommends it and the helper depends on www, each at the same version, because www reads the helper’s output. For another architecture it needs a C cross compiler, eg make deb-syntax ARCH=arm64 CC=aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc.

make install-deb builds both packages while sudo asks for the password, then installs them with sudo apt install, which pulls in git. It first removes the ~/.local/bin link from make install, which would otherwise shadow the package’s binary. Run it again to replace an installed build, even of the same commit. make uninstall-deb removes both.

Debian’s needrestart lists the services that use old libraries after the install instead of asking which to restart. None of them is www.

Port 80

The package grants /usr/bin/www one capability, cap_net_bind_service, so it can bind port 80 while running as the user. getcap /usr/bin/www shows it.

With it www serves on port 80 and URLs carry no port. Without it, as after make install, the port is 8080. www also takes port 80 where the machine lets every user bind low ports.

Locks in git

Add *.*.*.*-*.lock and *.*.*.*-*.LOCK to ~/.config/git/ignore so locks stay out of git status.