Ethereum: How to Install Berkeley DB 4.8 on Linux
As a developer working with Ethereum smart contracts, you’ve probably come across the need to store data in a structured format, such as JSON or binary. In this article, we’ll explain how to install Berkeley DB 4.8 on your Linux system.
What is Berkeley DB?
Berkeley Database (Berkeley DB) is an open-source relational database management system that allows you to store and query structured data in a flexible, self-contained format. It is widely used in a variety of applications, including databases, caching, and data warehousing.
Why do I need Berkeley DB 4.8 on Linux?
To install Ethereum, you’ll likely be working with JSON-based data structures or binary files stored in a “wallet” directory. However, some older versions of Ethereum (up to version 1.3) required a specific version of Berkeley DB 4.6 to work properly.
Fortunately, a newer version of Berkeley DB has been released: 4.8. We will show you how to install it on Linux.
Installing Berkeley DB 4.8 on Linux
Ubuntu and Debian (with libdb-dev packages)
If you are using Ubuntu or Debian, you can easily install the required libdb-dev package along with Berkeley DB 4.8:
”bash
sudo apt-get install libdb-dev libdb++-dev
After installation, you will need to link against the Berkeley DB library for your specific project:
''bash
g++ -o example example.cpp -I/usr/include/berkeley-db
`
Alternative method using Docker
For a more convenient and reproducible experience, consider using Docker. You can create a Docker image with Berkeley DB 4.8 and its dependencies installed:
FROM ubuntu:latest
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libdb-dev libdb++-dev
WORKDIR /app
COPY /app/
CMD ["g++", "-o", "example", "example.cpp"]
Once the image is created, you can pull it and run the project:
”bash
docker pull berkeley-db-4.8-image
docker run -it berkeley-db-4.8-image-example
Installing Berkeley DB 4.8 on a non-standard Linux distribution
If you are using a different Linux distribution (e.g. Fedora, CentOS) or you have not installed the libdb-dev package, you will need to manually install Berkeley DB 4.8:
- Download the Berkeley DB 4.8 source code from the official website: <
- Extract the ZIP file using "tar xzf bdb-4.8.tar.gz"
- Create a new project directory and go to it:
''bash
mkdir myproject
cd myproject
- Place the extracted Berkeley DB 4.8 source code into the current working directory.
- Use the following command to build Berkeley DB 4.8:
cd bdb-4.8
./configure --prefix=/usr/local/bdb-4.8
make
sudo make install
- Verify that Berkeley DB 4.8 is installed by checking that it is in the /usr/bin and lib/ directories.
You are now ready to use Berkeley DB 4.8 with your Ethereum smart contract project!