Build DeepDetect From Source On Ubuntu 24.04

June 12, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

This guide documents the current source build flow used by build.sh and the Dockerfiles. It is written as copy-pasteable steps for humans and automation agents.

Supported build paths in this document:

  • Torch CPU: training and inference on CPU.
  • Torch GPU: training and inference with CUDA.
  • TensorRT GPU: optimized inference from exported or compatible models.

Retired backends are not buildable. Do not pass USE_CAFFE, USE_CAFFE2, USE_TF, or USE_TF_CPU_ONLY; CMake rejects those options. Use Torch or ONNX/TensorRT instead.

Build Layout

Run all commands from the repository root unless a step says otherwise:

cd /path/to/deepdetect

The main server binary is produced at:

build/main/dede

build.sh is the recommended entry point. It configures CMake with the same flags used by the Docker builds and uses prebuilt Torch by default.

Common Ubuntu 24.04 Dependencies

Install CMake from Kitware and the system packages used by the Ubuntu 24.04 Docker builds:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates gpg wget curl

wget -O - https://apt.kitware.com/keys/kitware-archive-latest.asc \
  | gpg --dearmor \
  | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/kitware-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null

echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/kitware-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apt.kitware.com/ubuntu/ noble main' \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kitware.list >/dev/null

sudo apt-get update
sudo rm -f /usr/share/keyrings/kitware-archive-keyring.gpg
sudo apt-get install -y kitware-archive-keyring
sudo apt-get install -y cmake

Install build dependencies:

sudo apt-get install -y \
  git \
  ccache \
  automake \
  build-essential \
  default-jdk \
  pkg-config \
  zip \
  g++ \
  gcc \
  zlib1g-dev \
  libgoogle-glog-dev \
  libgflags-dev \
  libeigen3-dev \
  libopencv-dev \
  libboost-dev \
  libboost-filesystem-dev \
  libboost-thread-dev \
  libboost-system-dev \
  libboost-iostreams-dev \
  libboost-program-options-dev \
  libboost-test-dev \
  libboost-regex-dev \
  libboost-date-time-dev \
  libboost-chrono-dev \
  libboost-stacktrace-dev \
  libssl-dev \
  libcurlpp-dev \
  libcurl4-openssl-dev \
  libopenblas-dev \
  libhdf5-dev \
  libleveldb-dev \
  libsnappy-dev \
  liblmdb-dev \
  libutfcpp-dev \
  rapidjson-dev \
  libmapbox-variant-dev \
  autoconf \
  libtool-bin \
  python3-numpy \
  python3-yaml \
  swig \
  unzip \
  python3-setuptools \
  python3-dev \
  python3-pip \
  python3-venv \
  python3-six \
  libgoogle-perftools-dev \
  libarchive-dev \
  libtcmalloc-minimal4 \
  bash-completion \
  libomp-dev \
  libomp5

Create a Python environment for the PyTorch package that CMake will discover:

python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install typing_extensions pyyaml numpy

Set the CMake compatibility policy used by the Docker builds:

export CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5

Torch CPU Build

Install CPU PyTorch and torchvision. DeepDetect currently builds against PyTorch 2.12.0 and torchvision 0.27.0.

. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install \
  torch==2.12.0 \
  torchvision==0.27.0 \
  --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cpu

Build DeepDetect:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DEEPDETECT_ARCH=cpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=default \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
USE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
../build.sh

cd ..

Verify the binary:

./build/main/dede --help

Torch GPU Build

Install the NVIDIA driver and CUDA toolkit before building. The default GPU variant follows docker/gpu.Dockerfile: CUDA 13.0.2, PyTorch CUDA index cu130, and GPU architectures 7.5;8.0;8.6;8.9;9.0;10.0;12.0.

Install CUDA PyTorch and torchvision:

. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install \
  torch==2.12.0 \
  torchvision==0.27.0 \
  --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu130

Make CUDA tools and libraries visible:

export PATH="/usr/local/cuda/bin:${PATH}"
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/usr/local/cuda/lib64:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}"

Build DeepDetect:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DD_CUDA_VERSION=13.0.2 \
DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=default \
DEEPDETECT_GPU_VARIANT=default \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
USE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
../build.sh

cd ..

For older GPUs that need compute capability 6.1 through 9.0, use the legacy GPU variant and a CUDA 12.6 PyTorch wheel:

. .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install \
  --force-reinstall \
  torch==2.12.0 \
  torchvision==0.27.0 \
  --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu126

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DD_CUDA_VERSION=12.6.3 \
DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=default \
DEEPDETECT_GPU_VARIANT=legacy61 \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
USE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
../build.sh

cd ..

TensorRT Inference Build

TensorRT builds are GPU inference builds. The build.sh TensorRT profile uses:

  • DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu
  • DEEPDETECT_BUILD=tensorrt
  • USE_TENSORRT=ON
  • USE_TORCH=OFF
  • USE_CUDA_CV=ON

You need CUDA, TensorRT headers, TensorRT libraries, and an OpenCV 4 build with CUDA support.

The Docker build uses docker/gpu_tensorrt.Dockerfile, based on NVIDIA's TensorRT image. This is the most reproducible way to build TensorRT support:

export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1

docker build \
  -t jolibrain/deepdetect_gpu_tensorrt \
  -f docker/gpu_tensorrt.Dockerfile \
  .

Native Host TensorRT Build

If building directly on Ubuntu 24.04, install TensorRT first using NVIDIA's packages. The build.sh TensorRT profile expects TensorRT in the default system paths:

  • NvInfer.h and NvInferVersion.h
  • libnvinfer.so
  • libnvinfer_plugin.so
  • libnvonnxparser.so

For x86_64 Ubuntu system packages, those paths are normally:

/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu

If TensorRT is installed from an SDK tarball or another non-system directory, use the Manual TensorRT CMake commands so you can pass TENSORRT_DIR, TENSORRT_LIB_DIR, or TENSORRT_INC_DIR explicitly.

Build with OpenCV CUDA support enabled. This makes build.sh download and build OpenCV 4.13.0 under build/opencv before configuring DeepDetect:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=tensorrt \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
BUILD_OPENCV=ON \
../build.sh

cd ..

If TensorRT version detection fails, pass it explicitly:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=tensorrt \
DEEPDETECT_TENSORRT_VERSION=v10.12 \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
BUILD_OPENCV=ON \
../build.sh

cd ..

If you already have a CUDA-enabled OpenCV 4 build, use it instead of BUILD_OPENCV=ON:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DEEPDETECT_ARCH=gpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=tensorrt \
DEEPDETECT_OPENCV4_BUILD_PATH=/path/to/opencv-4.13.0/build \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
../build.sh

cd ..

Do not set both BUILD_OPENCV and DEEPDETECT_OPENCV4_BUILD_PATH; build.sh rejects that combination.

Manual CMake Equivalents

Use these only when an agent needs exact CMake control. build.sh is preferred for normal builds.

Manual Torch CPU

. .venv/bin/activate
export CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(python - <<'PY'
import torch
print(torch.utils.cmake_prefix_path)
PY
)"

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build \
  -DUSE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
  -DUSE_TORCH=ON \
  -DUSE_CPU_ONLY=ON \
  -DUSE_TORCH_CPU_ONLY=ON \
  -DUSE_XGBOOST=OFF \
  -DUSE_SIMSEARCH=OFF \
  -DUSE_TSNE=OFF \
  -DUSE_NCNN=OFF \
  -DRELEASE=OFF \
  -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF

cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"

Manual Torch GPU

. .venv/bin/activate
export CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(python - <<'PY'
import torch
print(torch.utils.cmake_prefix_path)
PY
)"
export PATH="/usr/local/cuda/bin:${PATH}"

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build \
  -DUSE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
  -DUSE_TORCH=ON \
  -DUSE_CUDNN=ON \
  -DUSE_FAISS=OFF \
  -DUSE_XGBOOST=OFF \
  -DUSE_SIMSEARCH=OFF \
  -DUSE_TSNE=OFF \
  -DUSE_OPENCV_VERSION=4 \
  -DCUDA_ARCH="7.5;8.0;8.6;8.9;9.0;10.0;12.0" \
  -DCUDA_ARCH_FLAGS="-gencode arch=compute_75,code=sm_75 -gencode arch=compute_80,code=sm_80 -gencode arch=compute_86,code=sm_86 -gencode arch=compute_89,code=sm_89 -gencode arch=compute_90,code=sm_90 -gencode arch=compute_100,code=sm_100 -gencode arch=compute_120,code=sm_120" \
  -DRELEASE=OFF \
  -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF

cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"

Manual TensorRT

Use this form when TensorRT is installed from an SDK directory:

export TENSORRT_DIR=/path/to/TensorRT
export PATH="/usr/local/cuda/bin:${PATH}"
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${TENSORRT_DIR}/lib:/usr/local/cuda/lib64:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}"

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build \
  -DUSE_TENSORRT=ON \
  -DUSE_TORCH=OFF \
  -DUSE_CUDA_CV=ON \
  -DUSE_OPENCV_VERSION=4 \
  -DTENSORRT_DIR="${TENSORRT_DIR}" \
  -DCUDA_ARCH="7.5;8.0;8.6;8.9;9.0;10.0;12.0" \
  -DCUDA_ARCH_FLAGS="-gencode arch=compute_75,code=sm_75 -gencode arch=compute_80,code=sm_80 -gencode arch=compute_86,code=sm_86 -gencode arch=compute_89,code=sm_89 -gencode arch=compute_90,code=sm_90 -gencode arch=compute_100,code=sm_100 -gencode arch=compute_120,code=sm_120" \
  -DRELEASE=OFF \
  -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF

cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"

If TensorRT is installed in system multi-arch paths, use explicit directories instead of TENSORRT_DIR:

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build \
  -DUSE_TENSORRT=ON \
  -DUSE_TORCH=OFF \
  -DUSE_CUDA_CV=ON \
  -DUSE_OPENCV_VERSION=4 \
  -DTENSORRT_LIB_DIR=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu \
  -DTENSORRT_INC_DIR=/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu \
  -DCUDA_ARCH="7.5;8.0;8.6;8.9;9.0;10.0;12.0" \
  -DCUDA_ARCH_FLAGS="-gencode arch=compute_75,code=sm_75 -gencode arch=compute_80,code=sm_80 -gencode arch=compute_86,code=sm_86 -gencode arch=compute_89,code=sm_89 -gencode arch=compute_90,code=sm_90 -gencode arch=compute_100,code=sm_100 -gencode arch=compute_120,code=sm_120" \
  -DRELEASE=OFF \
  -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF

cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"

Run The Server

Start the REST server:

./build/main/dede -host 0.0.0.0 -port 8080

In another terminal:

curl http://localhost:8080/info

Useful server options:

  • -host: address to bind, default localhost.
  • -port: HTTP port, default 8080.
  • -nthreads: number of HTTP threads, default 10.
  • -service_start_list: load services and optional predictions on startup.

Show all options:

./build/main/dede --help

Run Tests

Install test dependencies:

sudo apt-get install -y libgtest-dev python3-numpy

Build with tests:

rm -rf build
mkdir build
cd build

DEEPDETECT_ARCH=cpu \
DEEPDETECT_BUILD=default \
DEEPDETECT_RELEASE=OFF \
DEEPDETECT_DEFAULT_MODELS=false \
BUILD_TESTS=ON \
USE_PREBUILT_TORCH=ON \
../build.sh

ctest --output-on-failure

cd ..

Some tests download fixtures and can take a long time, especially on CPU-only machines.

Service Auto-Start

Pass a service startup list to dede:

./build/main/dede -service_start_list /path/to/services.txt

File format:

service_create;service_name;JSON string
service_predict;JSON string

The JSON string is the same request body used by the REST API, without external quotes.

Pure Command-Line JSON API

Use the same JSON API without running the HTTP server:

./build/main/dede --jsonapi 1 -info true

Show command-line JSON API options:

./build/main/dede --jsonapi 1 --help

Troubleshooting

  • Could not find Torch: activate .venv and verify python -c "import torch; print(torch.utils.cmake_prefix_path)".
  • USE_TORCH_CPU_ONLY=ON requires a CPU-only LibTorch package: install the CPU PyTorch wheel or remove CPU-only flags.
  • GPU Torch support requires a CUDA LibTorch package: install the CUDA PyTorch wheel that matches your CUDA variant.
  • Could not find TensorRT libnvinfer.so: set TENSORRT_DIR, or set both TENSORRT_LIB_DIR and TENSORRT_INC_DIR.
  • DEEPDETECT_GPU_VARIANT=default requires DD_CUDA_VERSION >= 13: use CUDA 13 or switch to DEEPDETECT_GPU_VARIANT=legacy61 with CUDA 12.x.
  • OpenCV CUDA build failures: use the Docker TensorRT build, or provide a known-good OpenCV build with DEEPDETECT_OPENCV4_BUILD_PATH.

Code Style

Run clang-format through CMake:

cmake --build build --target clang-format