SCons vs SBT

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

SCons is a Development solution with tags like build, automation, python.

It boasts features such as Dependency tracking, Parallel builds, Caching, Extensible with Python scripts, Cross-platform and pros including Fast incremental builds, Easily customizable, Good dependency management, Built-in support for many languages.

On the other hand, SBT is a Development product tagged with scala, java, build-tool, dependency-management, testing.

Its standout features include Incremental compilation to avoid recompiling unchanged code, Built-in support for testing frameworks like ScalaTest and JUnit, Integration with Scala REPL for interactively testing code, Ability to build and package projects into JARs, Dependency management for automatically downloading libraries, Plugin ecosystem for extending functionality, Cross-platform and cross-Scala version support, and it shines with pros like Very fast incremental builds, Concise and powerful DSL for build definitions, Seamless Scala integration, Active community behind it, Highly customizable and extensible.

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.

SCons

SCons

SCons is an open source software construction tool that is used to build software applications and libraries. It is written in Python and uses Python scripts for its configuration files making it easy to customize and extend.

Categories:
build automation python

SCons Features

  1. Dependency tracking
  2. Parallel builds
  3. Caching
  4. Extensible with Python scripts
  5. Cross-platform

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Fast incremental builds

Easily customizable

Good dependency management

Built-in support for many languages

Cons

Steep learning curve

Limited adoption compared to Make/CMake

Less flexible than general purpose build tools like Make


SBT

SBT

SBT is a build tool for Scala and Java projects. It allows managing library dependencies, running tests, packaging projects, and other build-related tasks. SBT uses Scala syntax for its configuration files, making it easy to customize for Scala developers.

Categories:
scala java build-tool dependency-management testing

SBT Features

  1. Incremental compilation to avoid recompiling unchanged code
  2. Built-in support for testing frameworks like ScalaTest and JUnit
  3. Integration with Scala REPL for interactively testing code
  4. Ability to build and package projects into JARs
  5. Dependency management for automatically downloading libraries
  6. Plugin ecosystem for extending functionality
  7. Cross-platform and cross-Scala version support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very fast incremental builds

Concise and powerful DSL for build definitions

Seamless Scala integration

Active community behind it

Highly customizable and extensible

Cons

Steep learning curve

Build files can be complex for large projects

Limited adoption outside of Scala community