Which operating systems does Luakit support and how do I install it?

Updated

Luakit runs natively on Linux, BSD, Solaris, and HURD. Windows 10 is not natively supported — you can only run it there through WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). On Linux and BSD you can usually install a prebuilt package; otherwise you build from source, which is quick because Luakit is only around 9,000 lines of code.

Supported operating systems

OS Support status Install route
Linux Actively supported Distro package or build from source
BSD Actively supported Package (FreeBSD, OpenBSD) or source
Solaris Known to work Build from source
HURD Known to work Build from source
Windows 10 Not actively supported, known to work via WSL Install WSL, then build from source

The site notes that Solaris, HURD, and Windows 10 are not actively supported but are known to work. Windows is excluded from native support because WebKitGTK+ does not natively support Windows.

Installing on Linux

  • Arch Linux: install the luakit community package, or luakit-git from the AUR.
  • Other distributions: download and build from source. A Debian package is described as "in the works," so at the time of writing Debian users also build from source.

Installing on BSD

  • FreeBSD and OpenBSD: install the luakit package.
  • OpenBSD from source: build with clang instead of GCC. The GCC version shipped with OpenBSD is outdated and will cause compilation errors.

Installing on Windows 10

  1. Install the Windows Subsystem for Linux if you have not already done so.
  2. Download, build, and install Luakit from source, following the source instructions below.

Building from source

Install these required dependencies first:

  • GTK 3
  • WebKitGTK+ (webkit2gtk)
  • Lua 5.1 or LuaJIT
  • lfs (Lua File System)
  • SQLite 3

Then download the source and build it. The process is usually very fast given the small codebase.

Before you install: check your WebKitGTK+ version

Luakit is built on the WebKit web content engine and the GTK+ toolkit, and its security depends on the WebKitGTK+ version your distribution packages. The project warns that not all Linux distributions ship an up-to-date WebKitGTK+, and some package outdated versions with known vulnerabilities.

As of September 2019, Arch, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, and Ubuntu all had the latest version of WebKitGTK+, while OpenSUSE shipped an outdated and vulnerable version in its stable channel. If you browse with Luakit, the project states it is your responsibility to ensure your distribution packages an up-to-date WebKitGTK+.

Who this is for

Luakit is a configurable browser framework licensed under GNU GPLv3, extensible with Lua, and targeted at power users, developers, and anyone who wants fine-grained control over their browser's behaviour and interface. If you want a browser you configure rather than one you just use, the install path above is the starting point; if you need native Windows support, Luakit is not the right fit.