diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index abfc1fdd..5cb31626 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ your machine yet, you can download it [there](https://bitcoincore.org/en/downloa
 
 TODO: download links
 
-TODO: link to a longer-form document in the doc/ folder containing the different build methods.
+If you want to build the project from source, see [`doc/BUILD.md`](doc/BUILD.md).
 
 ### Setting up a wallet
 
diff --git a/doc/BUILD.md b/doc/BUILD.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..914a70f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/BUILD.md
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+# Building Liana
+
+We use [Cargo](https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/cargo/), the ubiquitous Rust package manager.
+Cargo takes care of downloading and compiling the projects dependencies, as well as compiling the
+project itself. Dependencies are specified in a [`Cargo.toml`](../Cargo.toml) file at the root of
+this repository. They are pinned in a [`Cargo.lock`](../Cargo.lock) file at the same place.
+
+We take security very seriously, and toolchain is a big part of that. We are moderatly conservative
+with dependencies and aim to target reasonable compiler versions that have had time to mature (ie
+that had the chance to be reviewed and distributed by third parties, as well as tested by the
+community).  The minimum supported Rust version for `lianad` currently is `1.48`, that is the
+version of [`rustc` shipped in Debian stable](https://packages.debian.org/stable/rustc). (It is also
+inferior to the latest version of `rustc` supported by
+[`mrustc`](https://github.com/thepowersgang/mrustc/) supported at the time of writing, `1.54`).
+
+
+## Getting `Cargo`
+
+### Through your system package manager
+
+Most package managers distribute a version of `Cargo` able to build this project. For instance on
+Debian-based systems (as root):
+```
+apt update && apt install cargo
+```
+
+### By manually downloading the latest stable version
+
+The ["other installation
+methods"](https://forge.rust-lang.org/infra/other-installation-methods.html#standalone-installers)
+page of the Rust website contains a list of archives for different architectures, along with
+signatures made with the ["Rust signing key"](https://static.rust-lang.org/rust-key.gpg.ascii):
+```
+pub   rsa4096/0x85AB96E6FA1BE5FE 2013-09-26 [SC]
+      Key fingerprint = 108F 6620 5EAE B0AA A8DD  5E1C 85AB 96E6 FA1B E5FE
+uid                   [ unknown] Rust Language (Tag and Release Signing Key) <rust-key@rust-lang.org>
+sub   rsa4096/0x8E9AA3F7AB3F5826 2013-09-26 [E]
+sub   rsa4096/0x5CB4A9347B3B09DC 2014-12-15 [S]
+```
+
+You can therefore pull the key from either the above or from a keyserver:
+```
+$ gpg --keyserver hkps://keys.openpgp.org --receive 0x85AB96E6FA1BE5FE
+```
+(Make sure to double check the whole key is the same, not just the fingerprint.)
+
+And then you can download the archive corresponding to your system and CPU architecture, verify the
+signature and use the `cargo` binary from this archive to build Liana. Here is an example for
+`amd64`:
+```
+$ curl -O https://static.rust-lang.org/dist/rust-1.65.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
+$ curl -O https://static.rust-lang.org/dist/rust-1.65.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz.asc
+$ gpg --verify rust-1.65.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz.asc
+$ tar -xzf rust-1.65.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
+$ ./rust-1.65.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/cargo/bin/cargo build --release
+```
+
+### Through `rustup`
+
+[`rustup`](https://rust-lang.github.io/rustup/) is a software for installing the Rust toolchain.
+
+Some package managers distribute a version of `rustup`. Failing that, you can always follow the
+"official" [installation method of `rustup`](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) (that is, a
+`curl`-`sh` pipe).
+
+
+## Building the project
+
+Once you've got Cargo installed, building the project is a simple `cargo` invocation away:
+```
+$ cargo build --release
+```
+Make sure not to forget the `--release`, or you would build without optimizations otherwise.
+
+The `lianad` and `liana-cli` binaries will be in the `target/` directory at the root of the
+repository:
+```
+$ ls target/release/
+build  deps  examples  incremental  liana-cli  liana-cli.d  lianad  lianad.d  libliana.d  libliana.rlib
+```
+
+To build the GUI, do the same but in the [`gui/`](../gui/) folder present at the root of the
+repository:
+```
+$ cd gui/
+$ cargo build --release
+$ ls target/release/
+build  deps  examples  incremental  liana-gui  liana-gui.d  libliana_gui.d  libliana_gui.rlib
+```