diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d0ba95bc..a320e9c9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 - Bump github.com/opencontainers/runc to 1.1.12
 - Dynamically calculate version and release from Git. #1162
 - Update quickstarts to configure firewalld for dhcp. #1133
+- Omit building the API on EL7. #1171
 
 ### Fixed
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3bec429f..3d8cf23a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@ include Variables.mk
 include Tools.mk
 
 .PHONY: build
-build: wwctl wwclient wwapid wwapic wwapird etc/defaults.conf etc/bash_completion.d/wwctl
+build: wwctl wwclient etc/defaults.conf etc/bash_completion.d/wwctl
+
+.PHONY: api
+api: wwapid wwapic wwapird
 
 .PHONY: docs
 docs: man_pages reference
@@ -21,15 +24,18 @@ tidy:
 fmt:
 	go fmt ./...
 
-config = etc/wwapic.conf \
-	etc/wwapid.conf \
-	etc/wwapird.conf \
-	include/systemd/warewulfd.service \
+config = include/systemd/warewulfd.service \
 	internal/pkg/config/buildconfig.go \
 	warewulf.spec
 .PHONY: config
 config: $(config)
 
+apiconfig = etc/wwapic.conf \
+	etc/wwapid.conf \
+	etc/wwapird.conf
+.PHONY: apiconfig
+apiconfig: $(apiconfig)
+
 %: %.in
 	sed -ne "$(foreach V,$(VARLIST),s,@$V@,$(strip $($V)),g;)p" $@.in >$@
 
@@ -43,13 +49,13 @@ update_configuration: $(config) $(call godeps,cmd/update_configuration/update_co
 	go build -X 'github.com/warewulf/warewulf/internal/pkg/node.ConfigFile=./etc/nodes.conf'" \
 	    -mod vendor -tags "$(WW_GO_BUILD_TAGS)" -o update_configuration cmd/update_configuration/update_configuration.go
 
-wwapid: $(config) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapid/wwapid.go)
+wwapid: $(config) $(apiconfig) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapid/wwapid.go)
 	go build -o ./wwapid internal/app/api/wwapid/wwapid.go
 
-wwapic: $(config) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapic/wwapic.go)
+wwapic: $(config) $(apiconfig) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapic/wwapic.go)
 	go build -o ./wwapic  internal/app/api/wwapic/wwapic.go
 
-wwapird: $(config) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapird/wwapird.go)
+wwapird: $(config) $(apiconfig) $(call godeps,internal/app/api/wwapird/wwapird.go)
 	go build -o ./wwapird internal/app/api/wwapird/wwapird.go
 
 .PHONY: man_pages
@@ -109,9 +115,6 @@ install: build docs
 	# wwctl genconfig to get the compiled in paths to warewulf.conf
 	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/warewulf.conf || ./wwctl --warewulfconf etc/warewulf.conf genconfig warewulfconf print> $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/warewulf.conf
 	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/nodes.conf || install -m 0644 etc/nodes.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
-	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapic.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapic.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
-	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapid.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapid.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
-	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapird.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapird.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
 	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(DATADIR)/warewulf/defaults.conf || install -m 0644 etc/defaults.conf $(DESTDIR)$(DATADIR)/warewulf/defaults.conf
 	for f in etc/examples/*.ww; do install -m 0644 $$f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/examples/; done
 	for f in etc/ipxe/*.ipxe; do install -m 0644 $$f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/ipxe/; done
@@ -129,9 +132,6 @@ install: build docs
 	chmod 0750 $(DESTDIR)$(WWOVERLAYDIR)/host/rootfs
 	install -m 0755 wwctl $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
 	install -m 0755 wwclient $(DESTDIR)$(WWOVERLAYDIR)/wwinit/rootfs/$(WWCLIENTDIR)/wwclient
-	install -m 0755 wwapic $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
-	install -m 0755 wwapid $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
-	install -m 0755 wwapird $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
 	install -m 0644 include/firewalld/warewulf.xml $(DESTDIR)$(FIREWALLDDIR)
 	install -m 0644 include/systemd/warewulfd.service $(DESTDIR)$(SYSTEMDDIR)
 	install -m 0644 LICENSE.md $(DESTDIR)$(WWDOCDIR)
@@ -139,6 +139,15 @@ install: build docs
 	for f in docs/man/man1/*.1.gz; do install -m 0644 $$f $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)/man1/; done
 	for f in docs/man/man5/*.5.gz; do install -m 0644 $$f $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)/man5/; done
 
+.PHONY: installapi
+installapi:
+	install -m 0755 wwapic $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
+	install -m 0755 wwapid $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
+	install -m 0755 wwapird $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
+	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapic.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapic.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
+	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapid.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapid.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
+	test -f $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)/wwapird.conf || install -m 0644 etc/wwapird.conf $(DESTDIR)$(WWCONFIGDIR)
+
 .PHONY: init
 init:
 	systemctl daemon-reload
diff --git a/warewulf.spec.in b/warewulf.spec.in
index e1c252b7..71e6bbf2 100644
--- a/warewulf.spec.in
+++ b/warewulf.spec.in
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 %global debug_package %{nil}
 
+%global api 1
+%if 0%{?rhel} && 0%{?rhel} <= 7
+%global api 0
+%endif
+
 %if 0%{?suse_version}
 %global tftpdir /srv/tftpboot
 %else
@@ -69,7 +74,9 @@ Requires: dhcp
 
 BuildRequires: git
 BuildRequires: make
+%if %{api}
 BuildRequires: libassuan-devel gpgme-devel
+%endif
 
 %description
 Warewulf is a stateless and diskless container operating system provisioning
@@ -100,6 +107,9 @@ make defaults \
     WWCLIENTDIR=/warewulf \
     IPXESOURCE=/usr/share/ipxe
 make
+%if %{api}
+make api
+%endif
 
 
 %install
@@ -107,6 +117,10 @@ export OFFLINE_BUILD=1
 export NO_BRP_STALE_LINK_ERROR=yes
 make install \
     DESTDIR=%{buildroot}
+%if %{api}
+make installapi \
+    DESTDIR=%{buildroot}
+%endif
 
 %if 0%{?suse_version} || 0%{?sle_version}
 yq e '
@@ -140,7 +154,6 @@ getent group %{wwgroup} >/dev/null || groupadd -r %{wwgroup}
 %defattr(-, root, %{wwgroup})
 %dir %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf
 %config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/warewulf.conf
-%config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/wwapi*.conf
 %config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/examples
 %config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/ipxe
 %config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/grub
@@ -157,7 +170,6 @@ getent group %{wwgroup} >/dev/null || groupadd -r %{wwgroup}
 %attr(-, root, root) %{_sharedstatedir}/warewulf/overlays/*/rootfs
 
 %attr(-, root, root) %{_bindir}/wwctl
-%attr(-, root, root) %{_bindir}/wwapi*
 %attr(-, root, root) %{_prefix}/lib/firewalld/services/warewulf.xml
 %attr(-, root, root) %{_unitdir}/warewulfd.service
 %attr(-, root, root) %{_mandir}/man1/wwctl*
@@ -167,8 +179,16 @@ getent group %{wwgroup} >/dev/null || groupadd -r %{wwgroup}
 %dir %{_docdir}/warewulf
 %license %{_docdir}/warewulf/LICENSE.md
 
+%if %{api}
+%attr(-, root, root) %{_bindir}/wwapi*
+%config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/warewulf/wwapi*.conf
+%endif
+
 
 %changelog
+* Wed Apr 17 2024 Jonathon Anderson <janderson@ciq.com>
+- Don't build the API on EL7
+
 * Sat Mar 9 2024 Jonathon Anderson <janderson@ciq.com> - 4.5.0-1
 - Update source to github.com/warewulf
 - Fix ownership of overlay files