[[bootstrap]]
=== Bootstrapping

Debian cares about supporting new ports or flavours.  The new ports or flavours
require https://wiki.debian.org/DebianBootstrap[bootstrapping] operation for
the cross-build of the initial minimal native-building system.  In order to avoid
build-dependency loops during bootstrapping, the build-dependency needs to be
reduced using the https://wiki.debian.org/BuildProfileSpec[profile] builds
feature.

TIP: If a core package `foo` build depends on a package `bar` with deep build
dependency chains but `bar` is only used in the *test* target in `foo`, you can
safely mark the `bar` with *<!nocheck>* in the *Build-depends* of `foo` to
avoid build loops.
