Bazel vs CMake

Struggling to choose between Bazel and CMake? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Bazel is a Development solution with tags like build-tool, incremental-builds, multilanguage.

It boasts features such as Fast, incremental builds, Scales to very large codebases, Language-agnostic, Hermetic and reproducible builds, Supports multiple platforms and pros including Very fast build times, Easily build large projects, Reproducible builds, Language-agnostic, Active open source community.

On the other hand, CMake is a Development product tagged with build, compile, crossplatform, open-source.

Its standout features include Cross-platform build system, Generate native makefiles and workspaces, Support multiple compilers and IDEs, Modular architecture, Customizable and extensible, and it shines with pros like Simplifies build process across platforms, Compiler-independent builds, Large user and developer community, Widely used and well-supported, Highly customizable.

Feature	Bazel	CMake
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Bazel

Description: Bazel is an open-source build and test tool similar to Make, Maven, or Gradle. It is optimized for building large, multi-language software projects efficiently by incrementally building only what has changed.

CMake

Description: CMake is an open-source, cross-platform tool designed to build, test, and package software. It works by generating native makefiles and workspaces to automate the build process using a compiler-independent method.

Key Features Comparison

Bazel Features

• Fast, incremental builds
• Scales to very large codebases
• Language-agnostic
• Hermetic and reproducible builds
• Supports multiple platforms

CMake Features

• Cross-platform build system
• Generate native makefiles and workspaces
• Support multiple compilers and IDEs
• Modular architecture
• Customizable and extensible

Pros & Cons Analysis

Bazel

Pros

• Very fast build times
• Easily build large projects
• Reproducible builds
• Language-agnostic
• Active open source community

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Requires buy-in from entire team
• Not as feature-rich as alternatives like Gradle

CMake

Pros

• Simplifies build process across platforms
• Compiler-independent builds
• Large user and developer community
• Widely used and well-supported
• Highly customizable

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Complex syntax and concepts
• Poor documentation
• Limited IDE integration on some platforms
• Build times can be slow for large projects

Pricing Comparison

Bazel

• Open Source

CMake

• Open Source