Install on Debian or Ubuntu

This page installs doona from its .deb package and honk-core from the same doona release on Debian, Ubuntu and other APT-based systems. After the last step, continue with Minimal configuration.

Before you start

Linux 6.12 or later and the kernel options listed in Requirements. Check the kernel with uname -r.
A user account with sudo, or a root shell. Commands that need root have a sudo tab and a root tab; pick the one that matches your shell.
Access to github.com.
Run every step in the same terminal: later steps use the VERSION, BASE and TARGET variables that earlier steps set.

1. Install curl and CA certificates

honk downloads subscriptions and geodata over HTTPS and stops at startup without CA certificates.

sudo

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl ca-certificates

root

apt update
apt install curl ca-certificates

2. Download doona

Set the release version, then download the package and the checksum file into the current directory.

VERSION=0.1.0-beta.12
BASE=https://github.com/Zakkaus/doona/releases/download/v$VERSION
curl -fL -O "$BASE/doona_${VERSION}-1_all.deb" -O "$BASE/SHA256SUMS"

3. Verify the download

grep " doona_${VERSION}-1_all.deb\$" SHA256SUMS | sha256sum -c -

You should see:

doona_0.1.0-beta.12-1_all.deb: OK

4. Install doona

The doona package is optional when you use ui: embedded with the honk-core builds attached to doona 0.1.0-beta.12; see Minimal configuration.

sudo

sudo apt install ./doona_${VERSION}-1_all.deb
ls -l /usr/share/doona/index.html

root

apt install ./doona_${VERSION}-1_all.deb
ls -l /usr/share/doona/index.html

ls prints a line ending in /usr/share/doona/index.html. The package holds only doona’s web files; it installs no service.

Optional: the doona-fonts package adds the Noto Sans TC and SC fonts for the Chinese interface.

sudo

curl -fL -O "$BASE/doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb"
grep " doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb\$" SHA256SUMS | sha256sum -c -
sudo apt install ./doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb

root

curl -fL -O "$BASE/doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb"
grep " doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb\$" SHA256SUMS | sha256sum -c -
apt install ./doona-fonts_${VERSION}-1_all.deb

5. Choose the honk-core build

uname -m

The release carries eight honk-core archives, named honk-core-debug-<target>.tar.gz. Build the target from the machine type and the C library:

`uname -m` prints	Target starts with
`x86_64`	`x86_64-unknown-linux-`
`aarch64`	`aarch64-unknown-linux-`

Target ends with	Choose it when
`musl`	Unsure. Statically linked, so the system’s glibc version does not matter.
`gnu`	The system has glibc 2.39 or later, such as Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04. On Debian 12 it stops with `GLIBC_2.38' not found`.
`-stock` suffix	Memory matters more than speed, as on a small device. Uses the system allocator instead of mimalloc.

For example, x86_64-unknown-linux-musl, aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu or x86_64-unknown-linux-musl-stock.

6. Download and verify honk-core

Set TARGET to the build you chose, then download it from the same release and check it against the same SHA256SUMS.

TARGET=x86_64-unknown-linux-musl
curl -fL -O "$BASE/honk-core-debug-$TARGET.tar.gz"
grep " honk-core-debug-$TARGET.tar.gz\$" SHA256SUMS | sha256sum -c -

You should see:

honk-core-debug-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz: OK

7. Install honk-core

The archive holds one directory with the honk-core binary. Install it as /usr/local/bin/honk-core, the path the service in Service management starts.

sudo

tar -xzf honk-core-debug-$TARGET.tar.gz
sudo install -m 0755 honk-core-debug-$TARGET/honk-core /usr/local/bin/honk-core
/usr/local/bin/honk-core --version

root

tar -xzf honk-core-debug-$TARGET.tar.gz
install -m 0755 honk-core-debug-$TARGET/honk-core /usr/local/bin/honk-core
/usr/local/bin/honk-core --version

The last command prints the honk build, for example:

honk-core debug.2026.9.30.native-api.5

HONK-SOURCE.txt in the same release names the build it carries.

Next: Minimal configuration.

If it doesn’t work

You see	Cause and fix
`curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 404`	The version or file name is wrong. Check `VERSION` against the releases.
`sha256sum: 'standard input': no properly formatted checksum lines found`	`grep` found no line for that file: `VERSION` or `TARGET` was not set in this terminal, or it has a typo.
`FAILED` and `WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match`	The download is damaged or incomplete. Delete the file and download it again.
`version 'GLIBC_2.38' not found`	The `gnu` build needs a newer glibc. Use the `musl` build.

For problems after installation, see Troubleshooting.