Resolving Protobuf Configuration Issue Without Sudo Access

When compiling projects that depend on the Protocol Buffers (protobuf) library, you may encounter configuration errors if the library is not found. In environments where you don't have sudo privileges, the solution requires a bit more effort.

Problem Description

During the CMake build configuration process, you might encounter an error like:

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Could NOT find Protobuf (missing: Protobuf_LIBRARIES Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIR)

This suggests that CMake is unable to locate the protobuf libraries and include directories.

Solution

1. Download Protobuf Source

First, obtain the Protobuf source code from the official repository:

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wget https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v3.17.3/protobuf-all-3.17.3.tar.gz

Note: Adjust the version number and URL based on the version you need.

2. Extract and Build Protobuf

Extract the downloaded source and build it:

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tar xvf protobuf-all-3.17.3.tar.gz
cd protobuf-3.17.3
./configure --prefix=$HOME/local
make
make install

This compiles and installs protobuf in a local directory within your home directory.

3. Adjust Environment Variables

Update your environment variables to ensure tools and libraries can find your local protobuf installation:

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export PATH=$HOME/local/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$HOME/local/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$HOME/local/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH

To make these changes permanent, add the above lines to your .bashrc or .bash_profile.

4. Re-run CMake

Navigate back to your project's build directory and run CMake:

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cd /path/to/your/build/directory
cmake ..

If CMake is still unable to find Protobuf, you can specify the paths manually:

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cmake -DProtobuf_INCLUDE_DIR=$HOME/local/include -DProtobuf_LIBRARIES=$HOME/local/lib ..