List of build automation software

Build automation involves scripting or automating the process of compiling computer source code into binary code. Below is a list of notable tools associated with automating build processes

Make-based tools

• GNU make, a widely used make implementation with a large set of extensions
• make, a classic Unix build tool
• mk, developed originally for Version 10 Unix and Plan 9, and ported to Unix as part of plan9port
• MPW Make, developed for Mac OS Classic and similar to but not compatible with Unix make; OS X comes with both GNU make and BSD make; available as part of Macintosh Programmer's Workshop as a free, unsupported download from Apple
• nmake
• PVCS-make, basically follows the concept of make but with a noticeable set of unique syntax features^[1]

Non-Make-based tools

• Apache Ant, popular for Java platform development and uses an XML file format
• Apache Buildr, open-source build system, Rake-based, gives full power of scripting in Ruby with integral support for most abilities wanted in a build system
• Apache Maven, a Java platform tool for project management and automated software build
• ASDF LISP buildsystem for building LISP projects
• A-A-P, a Python based build tool
• Buck, a build system developed and used by Facebook
• BitBake, a Python-based tool with the special focus of distributions and packages for embedded Linux cross compilation
• Boot, a Java build and dependency management tool written in Clojure
• Cabal, common architecture for building applications and libraries in the programming language Haskell
• Cake, Cake (C# Make) is a cross platform build automation system with a C# DSL
• FinalBuilder, for Windows software developers. FinalBuilder provides a graphical IDE to both create and run build projects in a single application. Final builder also includes the ability the execute unit test, deploy web projects or install and test applications.
• Flowtracer
• Bazel (software), Google's own build tool, now publicly available in Beta.
• Gradle, an open-source build and automation system with a Groovy-based domain specific language (DSL), combining features of Apache Ant and Apache Maven with additional features like a reliable incremental build
• IncrediBuild
• Leiningen, a tool providing commonly performed tasks in Clojure projects, including build automation
• MSBuild, the Microsoft build engine
• NAnt, a tool similar to Ant for the .NET Framework
• Octopus Deploy, an automated deployment and release management server for deployment of ASP.NET applications, Windows Services and databases
• Perforce Jam, a generally enhanced, ground-up tool which is similar to Make
• Psake, domain-specific language and build automation tool written in PowerShell
• Rake, a Ruby-based build tool
• sbt (Scala Build Tool), a build tool built on a Scala-based DSL
• SCons, Python-based, with integrated functionality similar to autoconf/automake
• Stack, a tool to build Haskell projects, manage their dependencies (compilers and libraries), and for testing and benchmarking.
• Tup, Lua based, make-like DSL with a pure focus on speed and scalability
• Tweaker, allowing task definitions to be written in any languages (or intermixed languages) while providing a consistent interface for them all
• Visual Build, a graphical user interface software for software builds
• Waf is a Python-based tool for configuring, compiling and installing applications. It is a replacement for other tools such as Autotools, Scons, CMake or Ant

Build script generation tools

• BuildAMation, a multi-platform tool, using a declarative syntax in C# scripts, that builds C/C++ code in a terminal using multiple threads, or generates project files for Microsoft Visual Studio, Xcode or MakeFiles.
• configure
• CMake, a cross-platform tool that generates files for the native build environment, such as makefiles for Unix or Workspace files for Visual Studio
• GNU Build System (aka autotools), a collection of tools for portable builds. These in particular include Autoconf and Automake, cross-platform tools that together generate appropriate localized makefiles.
• GYP (Generate Your Projects) - Created for Chromium; it is another tool that generates files for the native build environment
• imake
• Meson build system, a multi-platform build system optimized for performance and usability
• OpenMake Software Meister
• Premake, a Lua-based tool for making makefiles, Visual Studio files, Xcode projects, and more
• qmake

Continuous integration tools

• AnthillPro, build automation with pipeline support for deployment automation and testing. Cross-platform, cross-language
• Bamboo, continuous integration software
• Apache Continuum
• Buildbot, a Python-based software development continuous integration tool which automates the compile/test cycle
• BuildIT, a free graphical build or task tool for Windows with an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use
• Buildout, a Python-based build system for creating, assembling and deploying applications from multiple parts
• CABIE Continuous Automated Build and Integration Environment, open source, written in Perl
• CircleCI
• CruiseControl, for Java and .NET
• GitLab CI
• DeployBot, a hosted continuous integration service
• Hudson, an extensible continuous integration engine
• Jenkins, an extensible continuous integration engine, forked from Hudson
• Sanelotto, a Python-based extensible continuous integration tool
• Team Foundation Server, an extensible continuous integration engine from Microsoft
• TeamCity
• Travis CI, a hosted continuous integration service

Configuration management tools

• Ansible (Python-based)
• CFEngine
• Chef (Ruby-based)
• Distelli
• OpenMake Software Release Engineer
• Otter
• Puppet (Ruby-based)
• Salt (Python-based)
• Rex (Perl-based)

Meta-build tools

A meta-build tool is capable of building many different projects using a subset of existing buildtools. Since these usually provide a list of packages to build, they are also often called package managers.

• Pkgsrc, package manager of NetBSD and other operating systems.
• Portage, package manager of the Gentoo Linux distribution
• Nix, functional package manager for the Nixos Linux distribution

Other tools

• checkinstall, checkinstall is a program that monitors an installation procedure, and creates a standard package for your distribution.
• Open Build Service, a hosted service to help build packages for various Linux distributions

Comparison of build automation software

Tool name	Operating system	Build language	Description language	License
A-A-P	Unix, Windows, OS X	C	recipe	GNU GPL
Ant	cross-platform	Java	XML	Apache License 2.0
AnthillPro	cross-platform	cross-language	Wraps Make, Ant, Maven, MsBuild, Nant, etc. for controlled build, deploy, test processes.	Proprietary
Bamboo	cross-platform	cross-language	continuous integration	Proprietary
BuildAMation	Windows, OSX, Linux	C, C++, Objective-C	C# for build scripts, XML for high level dependencies	New BSD License
Buildr	cross-platform	Java	Ruby	Apache License 2.0
Boot	cross-platform	Clojure, Java	Clojure	Eclipse Public License
Cake	cross-platform	cross-language	C# DSL	MIT
Capistrano	cross-platform	Ruby	XML	MIT License
CMake	cross-platform	cross-language	uses CMakeLists.txt file	New BSD License
Continuum	cross-platform	Java	?	Apache License 2.0
CruiseControl	cross-platform	cross-language	XML	BSD-style license
ElectricCommander	cross-platform	cross-language	flexible including gmake, bmake, emake and ant scripts	Proprietary
FinalBuilder	Windows	cross-language	graphical IDE with support for Ant/NAnt, MSBuild, JScript, VBScript, IronPython, PowerShell	Proprietary
Gradle	cross-platform	cross-language	Groovy based DSL	Apache License 2.0
Jenkins	cross-platform	cross-language	continuous integration	MIT License
Leiningen	cross-platform	Clojure-Java	Clojure	Eclipse Public License
make	cross-platform	cross-language	uses Makefile	Various
Maven	cross-platform	Java	Project Object Model	Apache License 2.0
Meson build system	cross-platform	cross-language	custom DSL	Apache License 2.0
MPW Make	Mac OS Classic	?	?	?
MSBuild	Windows	cross-language	XML	MIT
NAnt	cross-platform	.NET	XML	GNU GPL
nmake	Unix, Linux, Windows/Interix	cross-language	uses Makefile	?
Open Build Service	Unix, Linux, Windows	cross-language	uses various package and image description formats (spec, dsc, ARCH, kiwi)	GNU GPL
OpenMake Software Meister	Unix, Linux, Windows, z/OS	multi-language (Java, C, C++, C#, database, 4GL, Cobol, Assembler)	ActivePerl	Proprietary with free license (Artistic License) for small teams
Perforce Jam	cross-platform	cross-language	uses Jamfile	Proprietary, free license for open source projects
Rake	cross-platform	Ruby	Ruby	MIT License
Sanelotto	cross-platform	Python	JSON	MIT License
sbt (Simple Build Tool)	cross-platform	Scala, Java	Scala based DSL	New BSD License
SCons	cross-platform	cross-language	Python	MIT License
Team Foundation Server (Team Build (vNext) - Post-2015)	cross-platform	cross-language	MSBuild, Windows Presentation Foundation, JSON - REST interfaces, Programmatic (Can generate definitions through code)	Proprietary
Team Foundation Server (Team Build - Pre-2015)	Windows	cross-language	MSBuild, Windows Presentation Foundation	Proprietary
Tweaker (build tool)	cross-platform	cross-language	Any (Ant, bash, batch, C, Erlang, Java, SQL, and VBScript by default, with 3rd party interface for extensions)	GNU GPLv3
Visual Build	Windows	cross-language	XML	Proprietary
Waf	cross-platform	cross-language	Python	New BSD License
Tool name	Operating system	Build language	Description language	License

References

1. mailing list discussion about porting PVCS-make scripts to GNU-make, From: Paul D. Smith, Subject: Re: PVCS to GNU, Date: 2003-02-25

External Links

• List of build automation software on Software Wiki, an external wiki