Getting Started

Step-by-step guide to build, test, and install Flox on your machine.

Prerequisites

Tool / Library	Recommended Version	Notes
C++ compiler	C++20 (GCC ≥ 13)	Clang 15+ also works
CMake	3.22 or newer	Ninja generator optional
Git	Latest stable	—
Linux	x86-64	Other POSIX may work
GoogleTest	latest	For unit tests
Google Benchmark	latest	For micro-benchmarks
clang-format	18.1.8	Ensures CI style compliance

Clone & Build

git clone https://github.com/eeiaao/flox.git
cd flox
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)
````

---

## Installing Dependencies

If `gtest` and `benchmark` are **not** available system-wide:

```bash
# -------- GoogleTest --------
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/google/googletest.git
cmake -B gtest-build -S googletest
cmake --build gtest-build --target gtest gtest_main gmock gmock_main
sudo cmake --install gtest-build

# -------- Google Benchmark --------
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/google/benchmark.git
cmake -B benchmark-build -S benchmark \
      -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      -DBENCHMARK_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON
cmake --build benchmark-build -j$(nproc)
sudo cmake --install benchmark-build

If your package manager already provides these libraries, skip the manual steps.

clang-format 18

CI enforces code style with clang-format 18:

sudo apt install -y wget gnupg lsb-release software-properties-common
wget https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh
chmod +x llvm.sh
sudo ./llvm.sh 18
sudo apt install -y clang-format-18
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/clang-format clang-format /usr/bin/clang-format-18 100

Custom CMake Options

Option	Default	Effect
`ENABLE_TESTS`	ON	Build unit tests
`ENABLE_BENCHMARK`	ON	Build performance benchmarks

Disable options:

cmake .. -DENABLE_TESTS=OFF -DENABLE_BENCHMARK=OFF

Running Tests

cd build
ctest --output-on-failure

Running Benchmarks

cd build
./benchmarks/full_order_book_benchmark

Any other binary in benchmarks/ can be executed the same way.

Install System-Wide

sudo make install

Contributing

Follow existing directory layout and naming conventions.
Add tests, benchmarks, and docs for new features.
Code must pass clang-format 18; a .clang-format file is provided.

A pre-commit hook that auto-formats changed files is installed by default when you run cmake ... To install manually:

cp scripts/pre-commit .git/hooks/pre-commit
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit

Using Flox in Your Project

Flox is a set of reusable low-latency building blocks. Link the library, include the headers you need, and compose subsystems to build your own HFT engine or market-data infrastructure.