Bazel vs Please: What are the differences?

Introduction

Bazel and Please are both build systems used in software development, but they have several key differences. This markdown code highlights those differences in a concise and specific manner.

1. Scalability: Bazel is designed for large-scale projects with hundreds or thousands of targets, making it suitable for organizations with extensive and complex codebases. Please, on the other hand, is simpler and more suited for smaller projects with fewer targets.

2. Rule Language: Bazel uses its own rule language called Starlark, which is a dialect of Python and provides more flexibility in defining build rules. Please, on the other hand, uses a simpler, more declarative rule language that may be easier for beginners to understand and use.

3. Build Caching: Bazel has built-in support for caching build outputs, which can dramatically improve build times, especially when multiple developers or build machines are involved. Please does not have native build caching, although it can be integrated with other caching solutions.

4. Language Support: Bazel supports a wide range of programming languages, including Java, C++, Python, and many others. Please focuses primarily on supporting Python projects, although it can also be used with other languages.

5. Community and Ecosystem: Bazel has a larger and more active community, with extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources available. It is also developed and maintained by Google, which provides additional credibility and resources. Please, while it does have a community, may have less extensive support and resources available.

6. Ease of Use: Please aims to be simple and easy to use, with a focus on reducing complexity and providing a straightforward build system for smaller projects. Bazel, while powerful and scalable, can be more complex to set up and configure, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with its concepts.

In summary, Bazel is highly scalable and suited for large projects, supports multiple languages, has built-in build caching, and has a large and active community. Please, on the other hand, is simpler, easier to use, primarily focuses on Python projects, and may have a smaller community and ecosystem.