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CMake

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CMake vs Pants: What are the differences?

<Write Introduction here>
  1. Build System: CMake is a versatile cross-platform build system that generates build files based on the platform being used, providing flexibility in configuring and building projects. On the other hand, Pants is specifically designed for Python projects, focusing on optimizing the build process for Python codebases.

  2. Language Support: CMake supports a wide range of programming languages beyond Python, such as C, C++, and Java, making it suitable for multi-language projects. In contrast, Pants is tailored for Python projects and offers specialized tools and features optimized for Python development.

  3. Dependency Management: CMake relies on manual specification of dependencies using CMakeLists.txt files, requiring users to explicitly define dependencies between components. In contrast, Pants automates dependency management for Python projects by analyzing the codebase and automatically resolving dependencies, streamlining the build process.

  4. Configuration: CMake uses a CMake-specific syntax for configuring build settings, which may require users to learn a new configuration language. Pants, being focused on Python projects, provides intuitive configuration options that align with Python development practices, reducing the learning curve for users familiar with Python.

  5. Build Performance: CMake's performance can vary depending on the complexity of the project and the configuration of the build system, potentially leading to longer build times for large projects. Pants, optimized for Python projects, prioritizes build performance by utilizing caching mechanisms and dependency analysis to improve build times for Python codebases.

  6. Community Ecosystem: CMake has a large and diverse community with extensive resources, plugins, and community-maintained modules available for users to leverage. In comparison, Pants, being more specialized for Python projects, has a focused community that offers tailored support and resources specifically for Python development needs.

In Summary, CMake and Pants differ in their versatility, language support, dependency management, configuration, build performance, and community ecosystem, catering to diverse project requirements and developer preferences.
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Pros of CMake
Pros of Pants
  • 1
    Has package registry
  • 6
    Creates deployable packages
  • 4
    Runs on Linux
  • 4
    Runs on OS X
  • 4
    BUILD files
  • 4
    Runs tests
  • 4
    Scales
  • 2
    Flexibility
  • 2
    Extensible

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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 Pants?

Pants is a build system for Java, Scala and Python. It works particularly well for a source code repository that contains many distinct projects.

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What companies use CMake?
What companies use Pants?
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What tools integrate with CMake?
What tools integrate with Pants?
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    What are some alternatives to CMake and Pants?
    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.
    Git
    Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
    GitHub
    GitHub is the best place to share code with friends, co-workers, classmates, and complete strangers. Over three million people use GitHub to build amazing things together.
    See all alternatives