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https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-runtime

A runtime environment for Steam applications
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-runtime

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A runtime environment for Steam applications

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README 

        
steam runtime SDK

=================



A binary compatible runtime environment for Steam applications on Linux.



Introduction

------------



The Linux version of Steam runs on many Linux distributions, ranging

from the latest rolling-release distributions like Arch Linux to older

LTS distributions like Ubuntu 14.04.

To achieve this, it uses a special library stack, the *Steam Runtime*,

which is installed in `~/.steam/root/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime`.

This is Steam Runtime version 1, codenamed `scout` after the Team

Fortress 2 character class.



The Steam client itself is run in an environment that adds the shared

libraries from Steam Runtime 1 'scout' to the library loading path,

using the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` environment variable.

This is referred to as the [`LD_LIBRARY_PATH` runtime][LD_LIBRARY_PATH runtime].

Most native Linux games available through Steam are also run in this

environment.



A newer approach to cross-distribution compatibility is to use Linux

namespace (container) technology, to run games in a more predictable

environment, even when running on an arbitrary Linux distribution which

might be old, new or unusually set up.

This is implemented as a series of Steam Play compatibility tools, and

is referred to as the Steam [container runtime][], or as the

*Steam Linux Runtime*.



The Steam Runtime is also used by the [Proton][] Steam Play compatibility

tools, which run Windows games on Linux systems.

Older versions of Proton (5.0 or earlier) use the same 'scout'

[`LD_LIBRARY_PATH` runtime][LD_LIBRARY_PATH runtime] as most native

Linux games.

Newer versions of Proton (5.13 or newer) use a [container runtime][]

with newer library versions: this is Steam Runtime version 2, codenamed

'soldier'.



More information about the

[`LD_LIBRARY_PATH` runtime][LD_LIBRARY_PATH runtime] and

[container runtime][] is available as part of the

[steam-runtime-tools documentation][].



[LD_LIBRARY_PATH runtime]: https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/steam-runtime-tools/-/blob/main/docs/ld-library-path-runtime.md

[container runtime]: https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/steam-runtime-tools/-/blob/main/docs/container-runtime.md

[Proton]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/

[steam-runtime-tools documentation]: https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/steam-runtime-tools/-/tree/main/docs



Reporting bugs and issues

-------------------------



Please report issues to the [steam-runtime issue tracker][].



The container runtimes have some [known issues][] which do not need to be

reported again.



The container runtime is quite complicated, so we will need

[additional information][reporting bugs] to be able to make progress

on resolving issues.



[steam-runtime issue tracker]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-runtime

[known issues]: doc/steamlinuxruntime-known-issues.md

[reporting bugs]: doc/reporting-steamlinuxruntime-bugs.md



Steam-runtime Repository

------------------------



The Steam-runtime SDK relies on an APT repository that Valve has created that holds the packages contained within the steam-runtime. A single package, steamrt-dev, lists all the steam-runtime development packages (i.e. packages that contain headers and files required to build software with those libraries, and whose names end in -dev) as dependencies. Conceptually, a base chroot environment is created in the traditional way using debootstrap, steamrt-dev is then installed into this, and then a set of commonly used compilers and build tools are installed. It is expected that after this script sets the environment up, developers may want to install other packages / tools they may need into the chroot environment.

If any of these packages contain runtime dependencies, then you will have to make sure to satisfy these yourself, as only the runtime dependencies of the steamrt-dev packages are included in the steam-runtime. 



Installation

------------



Steam Runtime version 1, 'scout' is automatically installed as part

of the [Steam Client for Linux][].



Each version of the Steam [container runtime][] is automatically

downloaded to your Steam library if you install a game or a version of

Proton that requires it.

They can also be downloaded by opening `steam://` links with Steam:



* Steam Linux Runtime 1.0 (scout): `steam steam://install/1070560`

* Steam Linux Runtime 2.0 (soldier): `steam steam://install/1391110`

* Steam Linux Runtime 3.0 (sniper): `steam steam://install/1628350`



All the software that makes up the Steam Runtime is available in both source and binary form in the Steam Runtime repository [https://repo.steampowered.com/steamrt](https://repo.steampowered.com/steamrt "")



Included in this repository are scripts for building local copies of the Steam Runtime for testing and scripts for building Linux chroot environments suitable for building applications.



[Steam Client for Linux]: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/



Building in the runtime

-----------------------



To prevent libraries from development and build machines 'leaking'

into your applications, you should build within a Steam Runtime container

or chroot environment.



We recommend using a

[Toolbx](https://containertoolbx.org/),

[rootless Podman](https://github.com/containers/podman/blob/main/docs/tutorials/rootless_tutorial.md)

or [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)

container for this:



    podman pull registry.gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/scout/sdk



or



    sudo docker pull registry.gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/scout/sdk



For more details, please consult the

[Steam Runtime SDK](https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/steamrt/scout/sdk/-/blob/steamrt/scout/README.md)

documentation.



### Using a debugger in the build environment



To get the detached debug symbols that are required for `gdb` and

similar tools, you can download the matching

`com.valvesoftware.SteamRuntime.Sdk-amd64,i386-scout-debug.tar.gz`,

unpack it (preserving directory structure), and use its `files/`

directory as the schroot or container's `/usr/lib/debug`.



For example, with Docker, you might unpack the tarball in

`/tmp/scout-dbgsym-0.20191024.0` and use something like:



    sudo docker run \

    --rm \

    --init \

    -v /home:/home \

    -v /tmp/scout-dbgsym-0.20191024.0/files:/usr/lib/debug \

    -e HOME=/home/user \

    -u $(id -u):$(id -g) \

    -h $(hostname) \

    -v /tmp:/tmp \

    -it \

    steamrt_scout_amd64:latest \

    /dev/init -sg -- /bin/bash



or with schroot, you might create

`/var/chroots/steamrt_scout_amd64/usr/lib/debug/` and move the contents

of `files/` into it.



Using detached debug symbols

----------------------------



Please see [doc/debug-symbols.md](doc/debug-symbols.md).