LibreWolf
LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox which focuses on privacy and security. LibreWolf aims to be a private, secure, and freedom-expanding alternative browser. All telemetry, data collection, and annoyances of Firefox are removed.[1]
Installation
Prerequisites
Overlay
LibreWolf is not packaged in the main Gentoo repository, but an official overlay is available.
eselect
Using eselect repository, run this command to add the overlay:
root #eselect repository enable librewolfAnd then synchronize the repository:
root #emaint -r librewolf syncManual
Create a new repository file in /etc/portage/repos.conf:
/etc/portage/repos.conf/librewolf.conf[librewolf]
priority = 50
location = /var/db/repos/librewolf
sync-type = git
sync-uri = https://codeberg.org/librewolf/gentoo.git
auto-sync = Yes
And then synchronize the repository:
root #emaint -r librewolf syncUSE flags
The Gentoo www-client/firefox USE flags are listed below, but still apply to www-client/librewolf:
USE flags for www-client/firefox Firefox Web Browser
+X
|
Add support for X11 |
+clang
|
Use Clang compiler instead of GCC |
+gmp-autoupdate
|
Allow Gecko Media Plugins (binary blobs) to be automatically downloaded and kept up-to-date in user profiles |
+jumbo-build
|
Enable unified build - combines source files to speed up build process, but requires more memory |
+system-av1
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/dav1d and media-libs/libaom library instead of bundled |
+system-harfbuzz
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/harfbuzz and media-gfx/graphite2 instead of bundled |
+system-icu
|
Use the system-wide dev-libs/icu instead of bundled |
+system-jpeg
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/libjpeg-turbo instead of bundled |
+system-libevent
|
Use the system-wide dev-libs/libevent instead of bundled |
+system-libvpx
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/libvpx instead of bundled |
+system-webp
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/libwebp instead of bundled |
+telemetry
|
Send anonymized usage information to upstream so they can better understand our users |
dbus
|
Enable dbus support for anything that needs it (gpsd, gnomemeeting, etc) |
debug
|
Enable extra debug codepaths, like asserts and extra output. If you want to get meaningful backtraces see https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Quality_Assurance/Backtraces |
eme-free
|
Disable EME (DRM plugin) capability at build time |
geckodriver
|
Enable WebDriver support |
gnome-shell
|
Integrate with gnome-base/gnome-shell search |
hardened
|
Activate default security enhancements for toolchain (gcc, glibc, binutils) |
hwaccel
|
Force-enable hardware-accelerated rendering (Mozilla bug 594876) |
jack
|
Add support for the JACK Audio Connection Kit |
libproxy
|
Enable libproxy support |
lto
|
Enable Link-Time Optimization (LTO) to optimize the build |
openh264
|
Use media-libs/openh264 for H264 support instead of downloading binary blob from Mozilla at runtime |
pgo
|
Add support for profile-guided optimization for faster binaries - this option will double the compile time |
pulseaudio
|
Add sound server support via media-libs/libpulse (may be PulseAudio or Pipewire, or apulse if installed) |
screencast
|
Enable support for remote desktop and screen cast using PipeWire |
selinux
|
!!internal use only!! Security Enhanced Linux support, this must be set by the selinux profile or breakage will occur |
sndio
|
Enable support for the media-sound/sndio backend |
system-png
|
Use the system-wide media-libs/libpng instead of bundled (requires APNG patches) |
system-python-libs
|
Use system's python site instead of bundled python libraries |
valgrind
|
Enable annotations for accuracy. May slow down runtime slightly. Safe to use even if not currently using dev-debug/valgrind |
wayland
|
Enable dev-libs/wayland backend |
wifi
|
Enable necko-wifi for NetworkManager integration, and access point MAC address scanning for better precision with opt-in geolocation services |
Emerge
For localization support, review Localization before emerging. Changing the localization requires a full recompilation of the package, so it's important to get it right the first time.
Assuming the overlay is properly installed, use emerge to install www-client/librewolf:
root #emerge --ask www-client/librewolfFlatpak
LibreWolf is also available on Flathub. If you prefer to install LibreWolf as a Flatpak, follow the install instructions from the Flatpak wiki article including adding the Flathub repository. Then run this command:
user $flatpak install --user io.gitlab.librewolf-communityConfiguration
Since LibreWolf is based on Firefox, most of the configuration options in Firefox apply.
Files
- $HOME/.librewolf - Main configuration directory.
Running under Wayland
Recent versions of LibreWolf run on Wayland by default if the wayland USE flag is set. To verify this, see the Window Support field under about:support.
In the case that this doesn't work, see Firefox for forcing Wayland support.
Localization
www-client/librewolf respects the L10N variable. See the L10N in the localization guide.
Security
LibreWolf is hardened by default and includes uBlock Origin[2]. See the LibreWolf Documentation for a recommended list of add-ons and which ones to avoid.
Troubleshooting
See the official LibreWolf FAQ for LibreWolf-specific issues.
The LibreWolf Gentoo overlay is based off of the official Firefox overlay[3], and will inherit any issues that also affect www-firefox. Check out Firefox for details.
See also
- Firefox — Mozilla's web browser.
External resources
- LibreWolf Website - The LibreWolf main site.
- LibreWolf FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about LibreWolf.
- LibreWolf Gentoo installation - The LibreWolf installation for Gentoo Linux.
- LibreWolf Gentoo overlay - The official LibreWolf overlay for Gentoo Linux.