CMake vs Bazel

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

CMake is a Development solution with tags like build, compile, crossplatform, open-source.

It boasts features such as Cross-platform build system, Generate native makefiles and workspaces, Support multiple compilers and IDEs, Modular architecture, Customizable and extensible and pros including Simplifies build process across platforms, Compiler-independent builds, Large user and developer community, Widely used and well-supported, Highly customizable.

On the other hand, Bazel is a Development product tagged with build-tool, incremental-builds, multilanguage.

Its standout features include Fast, incremental builds, Scales to very large codebases, Language-agnostic, Hermetic and reproducible builds, Supports multiple platforms, and it shines with pros like Very fast build times, Easily build large projects, Reproducible builds, Language-agnostic, Active open source community.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

CMake

CMake

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.

Categories:
Development Build Tools
build compile crossplatform open-source

CMake Features

  1. Cross-platform build system
  2. Generate native makefiles and workspaces
  3. Support multiple compilers and IDEs
  4. Modular architecture
  5. Customizable and extensible

Pricing

  • Open Source

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

Bazel

Bazel

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.

Categories:
Development Build Tools
build-tool incremental-builds multilanguage

Bazel Features

  1. Fast, incremental builds
  2. Scales to very large codebases
  3. Language-agnostic
  4. Hermetic and reproducible builds
  5. Supports multiple platforms

Pricing

  • Open Source

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