Gaming Linux® From Scratch - Version #154e

Chapter 3. Shared Dependencies

Pipewire-1.2.6

Introduction to Pipewire

The pipewire package contains a server and userspace API to handle multimedia pipelines. This includes a universal API to connect to multimedia devices, as well as sharing multimedia files between applications.

Package Information

Pipewire Dependencies

Recommended

BlueZ, dbus-1.14.10 - Pass 2, gstreamer-1.24.9, gst-plugins-base-1.24.9, PulseAudio-17.0, SBC, v4l-utils, and Wireplumber-0.5.6 (runtime)

Optional

alsa-lib-1.2.13, libdrm-2.4.123 (for one example and libcamera support), libxcb-1.17.0, libsndfile-1.2.2, Opus-1.5.2, SDL2-2.30.9 (for some examples), Vulkan-Loader-1.3.301, and Xorg Libraries

[Note]

Note

These are not the only optional dependencies. Check BLFS' Pipewire for a complete list.

Installation of Pipewire

Install pipewire by running the following commands: 

mkdir build &&
cd    build &&

meson setup ..                 \
      --prefix=/usr            \
      --buildtype=release      \
      -D session-managers="[]" &&

ninja

To test the result, issue: ninja test.

Now, as the root user: 

ninja install

Command Explanations

--buildtype=release: Specify a buildtype suitable for stable releases of the package, as the default may produce unoptimized binaries.

-D session-managers="[]": This switch allows specifying the session managers to build as subprojects. We specify an empty list to prevent meson from downloading any external copy of the session managers. A Pipewire session manager recommended by the PipeWire developers for general use, Wireplumber-0.5.6, is available as a separate GLFS package. Build it after installing Pipewire if you need to run the Pipewire daemon.

-D ffmpeg=enabled: This switch enables using ffmpeg for audio conversion as a SPA backend.

-D vulkan=enabled: This switch enables using Vulkan for video rendering as a SPA backend.

Contents

Installed Programs: pipewire, pw-cat, pw-cli, pw-config, pw-dot, pw-dump, pw-jack, pw-link, pw-loopback, pw-metadata, pw-mididump, pw-mon, pw-profiler, pw-reserve, pw-top, pw-v4l2, spa-acp-tool, spa-inspect, spa-json-dump, spa-monitor, spa-resample, and pipewire-aes67, pipewire-avb, pipewire-pulse (symlinks to pipewire), pw-dsdplay, pw-encplay, pw-midiplay, pw-midirecord, pw-play, pw-record (symlinks to pw-cat)
Installed Libraries: libpipewire-0.3.so and 60 modules below /usr/lib/pipewire-0.3 and /usr/lib/spa-0.2
Installed Directories: /usr/include/pipewire-0.3, /usr/include/spa-0.2, /usr/lib/alsa-lib, /usr/lib/pipewire-0.3, /usr/lib/spa-0.2, /usr/share/alsa-card-profile, /usr/share/pipewire, and /usr/share/spa-0.2

Short Descriptions

pipewire

is a service that allows access to multimedia devices and allows sharing of multimedia files between applications

pipewire-pulse

starts a Pulseaudio-compatible version of the pipewire service

pw-cat

allows you to play or record media using a pipewire instance

pw-cli

allows you to interact with a pipewire instance

pw-config

allows you to interact with pipewire's configuration system for debugging purposes or syntax checking

pw-dot

lists all of the daemons and objects in use by pipewire

pw-dump

dumps debug messages from a local or remote pipewire instance to the console

pw-jack

runs JACK applications on a pipewire instance

pw-link

links pipewire ports together

pw-loopback

initializes a loopback link between two different pipewire ports. This is useful for testing and debugging

pw-metadata

inspects, adds, and removes metadata for objects

pw-mididump

dumps MIDI messages from a file to the screen

pw-mon

allows you to monitor pipewire instances

pw-profiler

tracks memory usage and API calls used by pipewire

pw-reserve

reserves or monitors a device via D-Bus

pw-top

displays real-time performance information from pipewire

pw-v4l2

runs v4l2 applications on a pipewire instance

spa-acp-tool

inspects the card profile of a given sound card

spa-inspect

allows you to inspect pipewire plugins

spa-json-dump

dumps the current pipewire configuration in JSON format

spa-monitor

allows you to monitor pipewire plugins

spa-resample

resamples a given file

libpipewire-0.3.so

contains API functions for handling multimedia pipelines