Ninja Build vs GNU Make

Struggling to choose between Ninja Build and GNU Make? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Ninja Build is a Development solution with tags like compiler, build-system, cc.

It boasts features such as Fast build system, Built-in dependency analysis, Parallel execution, Minimal project configuration, Cross-platform support and pros including Very fast build times, Simple and easy to use, Good for small to medium sized projects, Active development and support.

On the other hand, GNU Make is a Development product tagged with build, automation, make, compiler.

Its standout features include Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files, Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously, Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks, Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively, Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching, Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles, and it shines with pros like Widely used and well-supported, Mature and stable, Powerful dependency tracking, Built-in parallelism, Portable across platforms, Integrates well with other tools.

Feature	Ninja Build	GNU Make
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Ninja Build

Description: Ninja is a small, fast build system designed for compiling code quickly. It focuses on speed and supports parallel execution for very fast builds using multiple CPU cores.

GNU Make

Description: GNU Make is a utility that automatically builds executable programs and libraries from source code by reading files called Makefiles which specify how to derive the target program. It allows users to easily compile large projects without manually issuing the compilation commands.

Key Features Comparison

Ninja Build Features

• Fast build system
• Built-in dependency analysis
• Parallel execution
• Minimal project configuration
• Cross-platform support

GNU Make Features

• Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files
• Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously
• Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks
• Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively
• Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching
• Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles

Pros & Cons Analysis

Ninja Build

Pros

• Very fast build times
• Simple and easy to use
• Good for small to medium sized projects
• Active development and support

Cons

• Limited features compared to larger build tools
• Less customizable than other build tools
• Lacks GUI or IDE integration

GNU Make

Pros

• Widely used and well-supported
• Mature and stable
• Powerful dependency tracking
• Built-in parallelism
• Portable across platforms
• Integrates well with other tools

Cons

• Cryptic syntax
• Difficult for complex builds
• Only rebuilds out-of-date targets
• Not suitable for all project types
• Limited to makefile build process

Pricing Comparison

Ninja Build

• Open Source

GNU Make

• Open Source