The FreeBSD Ports and Packages Collection offers a simple way for users and administrators to install applications. Each ``port'' listed here contains any patches necessary to make the original application source code compile and run on FreeBSD. Installing an application is as simple as downloading the port, unpacking it and typing make in the port directory. The Makefile automatically fetches the application source code, either from a local disk, CDROM or via ftp, unpacks it on your system, applies the patches, and compiles. If all went well, a simple make install will install the application and register it with the package system.
For most ports, a precompiled package also exists, saving the user the work of having to compile anything at all. Each port contains a link to its corresponding package and you may either simply download that file and then run the pkg_add command on it or you can simply grab the link location and hand it straight to pkg_add since it's capable of accepting FTP URLs as well as filenames.
For more information about using ports, see The ports collection. For information about creating new ports, see Porting applications. Both are part of the FreeBSD Handbook.
The ports listed on these web pages are continually being updated. Consequently, you may need to update a few files on your FreeBSD system to make use of ports developed after your version of FreeBSD was released. If you are a 2.2.1-release user, please install the 2.2.1 to 2.2-stable ports upgrade kit; if you are a 2.2.2-release user, please install the 2.2.2 to 2.2-stable ports upgrade kit; if you are a 2.2.5-release user, please install the 2.2.5 to 2.2-stable ports upgrade kit; if you are a 2.2.6, 2.2.7 or 3.0-release user, please install the 2.2.7 to 2.2-stable ports upgrade kit. (These are FreeBSD packages; please use pkg_add to install them.) That should enable you to use all the ports listed here. Note that it will only change just enough files to enable ports/packages to be used; for a full upgrade to 2.2-stable, please refer to the synchronizing your source tree section of the handbook. A full upgrade is recommended, especially if you are still using 2.2.1-release or 2.2.2-release.
Many of the ports require the X Window System to compile and run. We compile and test our ports on XFree86. Their current release is -3.3.2. Some ports may not work with older releases.
+3.3.3. Some ports may not work with older releases.For more information about new, changed or removed ports/packages, or if you wish to search for a specific application to see if it's available as a port/package, please see the FreeBSD Ports Changes page.