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The TurtleBot3 workspace uses colcon as its build system. This guide covers building packages and using build aliases.

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Quick build with aliases

The environment includes pre-configured aliases for common build tasks:
AliasCommandDescription
cbcd /workspace/turtlebot3_ws && colcon build --symlink-installBuild workspace
sbsource /workspace/turtlebot3_ws/install/setup.bashSource workspace
1

Navigate to workspace

cd /workspace/turtlebot3_ws
2

Build all packages

cb
Or use the full command:
colcon build --symlink-install
3

Source the workspace

After building, source the workspace to use the packages:
sb
Or use the full command:
source install/setup.bash

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Build options

The --symlink-install flag creates symbolic links instead of copying files. This allows you to modify Python scripts and launch files without rebuilding: 
colcon build --symlink-install
Note: C++ code changes still require a rebuild.

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Build specific packages

Build only one package: 
colcon build --packages-select turtlebot3_gazebo
Build a package and its dependencies: 
colcon build --packages-up-to turtlebot3_gazebo

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Verbose output

Show detailed build output for debugging: 
colcon build --event-handlers console_direct+

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Release build

Build with optimizations enabled: 
colcon build --symlink-install --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
This is the default configuration used in post-start.sh.

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Clean build

When you need to rebuild everything from scratch:
1

Remove generated directories

cd /workspace/turtlebot3_ws
rm -rf build install log
2

Rebuild workspace

colcon build --symlink-install
3

Source the workspace

source install/setup.bash

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Automatic build on startup

The container automatically builds the workspace when it starts via post-start.sh: 
# From .devcontainer/post-start.sh
colcon build --symlink-install --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
First-time builds take 2-3 minutes. Subsequent builds are faster when packages haven’t changed.

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Build verification

Verify the build succeeded by listing installed packages: 
ros2 pkg list | grep turtlebot3
Expected output includes:
  • turtlebot3_cartographer
  • turtlebot3_description
  • turtlebot3_gazebo
  • turtlebot3_navigation2
  • turtlebot3_node
  • turtlebot3_teleop
And more TurtleBot3 packages.

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Troubleshooting build issues

If the build fails:
1

Check for error messages

Review the build output for specific errors:
colcon build --symlink-install --event-handlers console_direct+
2

Install missing dependencies

rosdep update
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
3

Clean and rebuild

cd /workspace/turtlebot3_ws
rm -rf build install log
colcon build --symlink-install
4

Check build logs

Review detailed logs if issues persist:
cat /workspace/turtlebot3_ws/log/latest*/events.log

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