makepkg:tldr:9e9ee

The makepkg --syncdeps command is used in Arch Linux to build a package and automatically install any dependencies required by that package.

When you run makepkg --syncdeps, it first checks the PKGBUILD file in the current directory to determine the build instructions for the package. The PKGBUILD file contains information such as the source URL, package name, version, build process, and dependencies.

If there are any external dependencies required by the package, makepkg --syncdeps will automatically download and install them before proceeding with the build process. It uses the package manager Pacman to resolve and install the required dependencies.

Once all the necessary dependencies are installed, the build process specified in the PKGBUILD file is executed. This typically involves compiling source code, applying patches, and creating the package files.

Finally, when the build is complete, a package file (in the format of a .pkg.tar.zst file) is generated, which can be installed on the system using Pacman.

The --syncdeps flag is optional but recommended because it simplifies the process by automatically handling the package's dependencies, ensuring that they are installed before the build starts.