CMake is an open-source, cross-platform family of tools designed to build, test and package software.
CMake is used to control the software compilation process using simple platform and compiler independent configuration files, and generate native makefiles and workspaces that can be used in the compiler environment of your choice.
The suite of CMake tools were created by Kitware in response to the need for a powerful, cross-platform build environment for open-source projects such as ITK and VTK.
CMake is designed to support complex directory hierarchies and applications dependent on several libraries. For example, CMake supports projects consisting of multiple toolkits (i.e., libraries), where each toolkit might contain several directories, and the application depends on the toolkits plus additional code. CMake can also handle situations where executables must be built in order to generate code that is then compiled and linked into a final application.
Because CMake is open source, and has a simple, extensible design, CMake can be extended as necessary to support new features. Using CMake is simple. The build process is controlled by creating one or more CMakeLists.txt files in each directory (including subdirectories) that make up a project. Each CMakeLists.txt consists of one or more commands. Each command has the form COMMAND (args…) where COMMAND is the name of the command, and args is a white-space separated list of arguments.
CMake provides many pre-defined commands, but if you need to, you can add your own commands. In addition, the advanced user can add other makefile generators for a particular compiler/OS combination.
Website: cmake.org
Support: GitLab Code Repository
Developer: Kitware, Inc. and Contributors
License: New BSD
CMake is written in C and C++. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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Read our verdict in the software roundup.
| Alternatives to make | |
|---|---|
| CMake | Build system generator |
| SCons | Software construction tool |
| Maven | Build automation tool used primarily for Java projects |
| Premake | Simple build configuration |
| Ninja | Small build system with a focus on speed |
| just | Save and run project-specific commands |
| pdpmake | Public domain implementation of make which follows the POSIX standard |
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