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CMake vs SCons: What are the differences?
Introduction
This article compares and highlights the key differences between CMake and SCons, two popular build system tools used in software development.
- Language and Syntax: CMake uses its own scripting language based on the C programming language, while SCons uses Python as its configuration and build scripting language. This means that CMake scripts are written in a C-like syntax, while SCons scripts use Python syntax.
- Configuration Files: CMake uses "CMakeLists.txt" files to define the project structure and build process, organizing targets and dependencies. On the other hand, SCons uses a "SConstruct" file, which is a build configuration file written in Python that defines the build process and dependencies.
- Platform Support: CMake is designed to be platform-independent, allowing developers to generate build systems for various platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.) using the same configuration files. SCons, however, requires Python to be installed on the target system, limiting its cross-platform capabilities.
- Build Performance: CMake uses a two-step process where it first generates platform-specific build files (e.g., Makefiles) and then uses the underlying build tool (e.g., make) to perform the actual build. This separation can reduce the build performance compared to SCons, which directly executes the build commands without the need for an intermediate step.
- Customization and Extensibility: CMake provides a wide range of modules, commands, and variables that can be used to customize the build process and integrate with external libraries or tools. SCons, on the other hand, leverages the full power of the Python scripting language, allowing developers to extend and customize the build system in a more flexible and versatile manner.
- Ecosystem and Adoption: CMake has been adopted by a large number of projects, libraries, and frameworks across different programming languages and platforms, making it more popular and supported. SCons, although widely used in certain domains, does not enjoy the same level of widespread adoption and ecosystem as CMake.
In summary, the key differences between CMake and SCons lie in their scripting languages, configuration files, platform support, build performance, customization capabilities, and adoption.
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What is CMake?
It 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 the user's choice.
What is SCons?
It is an Open Source software construction tool—that is, a next-generation build tool. Think of it as an improved, cross-platform substitute for the classic Make utility with integrated functionality similar to autoconf/automake and compiler caches such as ccache. In short, it is an easier, more reliable and faster way to build software.
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What companies use CMake?
What companies use SCons?
What companies use CMake?
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What tools integrate with CMake?
What tools integrate with SCons?
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What are some alternatives to CMake and SCons?
Make
The GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Toolchain (Binutils, GDB, GLIBC)
Bazel
Bazel is a build tool that builds code quickly and reliably. It is used to build the majority of Google's software, and thus it has been designed to handle build problems present in Google's development environment.
Apache Maven
Maven allows a project to build using its project object model (POM) and a set of plugins that are shared by all projects using Maven, providing a uniform build system. Once you familiarize yourself with how one Maven project builds you automatically know how all Maven projects build saving you immense amounts of time when trying to navigate many projects.
Gradle
Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. If you are building, testing, publishing, and deploying software on any platform, Gradle offers a flexible model that can support the entire development lifecycle from compiling and packaging code to publishing web sites.
Sonatype Nexus
It is an open source repository that supports many artifact formats, including Docker, Java™ and npm. With the Nexus tool integration, pipelines in your toolchain can publish and retrieve versioned apps and their dependencies