xmake

A cross-platform build utility based on Lua

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Introduction (中文)

xmake is a lightweight cross-platform build utility based on Lua. It uses xmake.lua to maintain project builds. Compared with makefile/CMakeLists.txt, the configuration syntax is more concise and intuitive. It is very friendly to novices and can quickly get started in a short time. Let users focus more on actual project development.

It can compile the project directly like Make/Ninja, or generate project files like CMake/Meson, and it also has a built-in package management system to help users solve the integrated use of C/C++ dependent libraries.

If you want to know more, please refer to: Documents, Github and Gitee

Installation

via curl

bash <(curl -fsSL https://xmake.io/shget.text)

via wget

bash <(wget https://xmake.io/shget.text -O -)

via powershell

Invoke-Expression (Invoke-Webrequest 'https://xmake.io/psget.text' -UseBasicParsing).Content

Simple description

Package dependences

An official xmake package repository: xmake-repo

Build project

$ xmake

Run target

$ xmake run console

Debug target

$ xmake run -d console

Configure platform

$ xmake f -p [windows|linux|macosx|android|iphoneos ..] -a [x86|arm64 ..] -m [debug|release]
$ xmake

Menu configuration

$ xmake f --menu

Build as fast as ninja

The test project: xmake-core

Multi-task parallel compilation

buildsystem	Termux (8core/-j12)	buildsystem	MacOS (8core/-j12)
xmake	24.890s	xmake	12.264s
ninja	25.682s	ninja	11.327s
cmake(gen+make)	5.416s+28.473s	cmake(gen+make)	1.203s+14.030s
cmake(gen+ninja)	4.458s+24.842s	cmake(gen+ninja)	0.988s+11.644s

Single task compilation

buildsystem	Termux (-j1)	buildsystem	MacOS (-j1)
xmake	1m57.707s	xmake	39.937s
ninja	1m52.845s	ninja	38.995s
cmake(gen+make)	5.416s+2m10.539s	cmake(gen+make)	1.203s+41.737s
cmake(gen+ninja)	4.458s+1m54.868s	cmake(gen+ninja)	0.988s+38.022s

Package management

Download and build

Processing architecture

Supported platforms

• Windows (x86, x64)
• macOS (i386, x86_64)
• Linux (i386, x86_64, cross-toolchains ..)
• *BSD (i386, x86_64)
• Android (x86, x86_64, armeabi, armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a)
• iOS (armv7, armv7s, arm64, i386, x86_64)
• WatchOS (armv7k, i386)
• MSYS (i386, x86_64)
• MinGW (i386, x86_64)
• Cygwin (i386, x86_64)
• Cross (cross-toolchains ..)

Supported toolchains

$ xmake show -l toolchains
xcode         Xcode IDE
vs            VisualStudio IDE
yasm          The Yasm Modular Assembler
clang         A C language family frontend for LLVM
go            Go Programming Language Compiler
dlang         D Programming Language Compiler
gfortran      GNU Fortran Programming Language Compiler
zig           Zig Programming Language Compiler
sdcc          Small Device C Compiler
cuda          CUDA Toolkit
ndk           Android NDK
rust          Rust Programming Language Compiler
llvm          A collection of modular and reusable compiler and toolchain technologies
cross         Common cross compilation toolchain
nasm          NASM Assembler
gcc           GNU Compiler Collection
mingw         Minimalist GNU for Windows
gnu-rm        GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain
envs          Environment variables toolchain
fasm          Flat Assembler
tinyc         Tiny C Compiler
emcc          A toolchain for compiling to asm.js and WebAssembly

Supported Languages

• C
• C++
• Objective-C and Objective-C++
• Swift
• Assembly
• Golang
• Rust
• Dlang
• Fortran
• Cuda
• Zig (Experimental)

Supported Projects

• Static Library
• Shared Library
• Console
• Cuda Program
• Qt Application
• WDK Driver (umdf/kmdf/wdm)
• WinSDK Application
• MFC Application
• iOS/MacOS Application
• Framework and Bundle Program (iOS/MacOS)

More Examples

Debug and release modes:

add_rules("mode.debug", "mode.release")

target("console")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.c")
    if is_mode("debug") then
        add_defines("DEBUG")
    end

Custom scripts:

target("test")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.c")
    after_build(function (target)
        print("hello: %s", target:name())
        os.exec("echo %s", target:targetfile())
    end)

Download and use packages in xmake-repo or third-party repositories:

add_requires("tbox >1.6.1", "libuv master", "vcpkg::ffmpeg", "brew::pcre2/libpcre2-8")
add_requires("conan::OpenSSL/1.0.2n@conan/stable", {alias = "openssl", optional = true, debug = true}) 
target("test")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.c")
    add_packages("tbox", "libuv", "vcpkg::ffmpeg", "brew::pcre2/libpcre2-8", "openssl")

Qt QuickApp Program:

target("test")
    add_rules("qt.quickapp")
    add_files("src/*.cpp")
    add_files("src/qml.qrc")

Cuda Program:

target("test")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.cu")
    add_cugencodes("native")
    add_cugencodes("compute_35")

WDK/UMDF Driver Program:

target("echo")
    add_rules("wdk.driver", "wdk.env.umdf")
    add_files("driver/*.c") 
    add_files("driver/*.inx")
    add_includedirs("exe")

target("app")
    add_rules("wdk.binary", "wdk.env.umdf")
    add_files("exe/*.cpp")

More wdk driver program examples (umdf/kmdf/wdm), please see WDK Program Examples

iOS/MacOS Application:

target("test")
    add_rules("xcode.application")
    add_files("src/*.m", "src/**.storyboard", "src/*.xcassets")
    add_files("src/Info.plist")

Framework and Bundle Program (iOS/MacOS):

target("test")
    add_rules("xcode.framework") -- or xcode.bundle
    add_files("src/*.m")
    add_files("src/Info.plist")

Plugins

Generate IDE project file plugin（makefile, vs2002 - vs2019 .. ）

$ xmake project -k vsxmake -m "debug;release" # New vsproj generator (Recommended)
$ xmake project -k vs -m "debug;release"
$ xmake project -k cmake
$ xmake project -k ninja
$ xmake project -k compile_commands

Run the custom lua script plugin

$ xmake l ./test.lua
$ xmake l -c "print('hello xmake!')"
$ xmake l lib.detect.find_tool gcc
$ xmake l
> print("hello xmake!")
> {1, 2, 3}
< { 
    1,
    2,
    3 
  }

More builtin plugins, please see: Builtin plugins

Please download and install more other plugins from the plugins repository xmake-plugins.

IDE/Editor Integration

• xmake-vscode

• xmake-sublime

• xmake-idea

• xmake.vim (third-party, thanks @luzhlon)

XMake Gradle Plugin (JNI)

We can uses xmake-gradle plugin to compile JNI library in gradle.

plugins {
  id 'org.tboox.gradle-xmake-plugin' version '1.0.6'
}

android {
    externalNativeBuild {
        xmake {
            path "jni/xmake.lua"
        }
    }
}

The xmakeBuild will be injected to assemble task automatically if the gradle-xmake-plugin has been applied.

$ ./gradlew app:assembleDebug
> Task :nativelib:xmakeConfigureForArm64
> Task :nativelib:xmakeBuildForArm64
>> xmake build
[ 50%]: ccache compiling.debug nativelib.cc
[ 75%]: linking.debug libnativelib.so
[100%]: build ok!
>> install artifacts to /Users/ruki/projects/personal/xmake-gradle/nativelib/libs/arm64-v8a
> Task :nativelib:xmakeConfigureForArmv7
> Task :nativelib:xmakeBuildForArmv7
>> xmake build
[ 50%]: ccache compiling.debug nativelib.cc
[ 75%]: linking.debug libnativelib.so
[100%]: build ok!
>> install artifacts to /Users/ruki/projects/personal/xmake-gradle/nativelib/libs/armeabi-v7a
> Task :nativelib:preBuild
> Task :nativelib:assemble
> Task :app:assembleDebug

Technical Support

We also provide paid technical support to help users quickly solve related problems. For details, please click the image link below:

Or you can also consider sponsoring us to get technical support services, [Become a sponsor]

Project Examples

Some projects using xmake:

• tbox
• gbox
• vm86
• more

Contacts

• Email：waruqi@gmail.com
• Homepage：tboox.org
• Community：/r/xmake on reddit
• ChatRoom：Char on telegram, Chat on gitter
• Source Code：Github, Gitee
• QQ Group: 343118190(Technical Support), 662147501
• Wechat Public: tboox-os

Thanks

This project exists thanks to all the people who have contributed:

• TitanSnow: provide the xmake logo and install scripts
• uael: provide the semantic versioning library sv
• OpportunityLiu: improve cuda, tests and ci