xmake-io Xmake Basics
Xmake is a cross-platform build utility based on Lua. A project is driven by a single xmake.lua file at the repository root.
Installation
- macOS:
brew install xmake - Linux:
curl -fsSL https://xmake.io/shget.text | bash - Windows: download the installer from https://xmake.io or
scoop install xmake
Verify with xmake --version.
Creating a project
xmake create -l c++ -P hello # C++ console app
xmake create -l c -t static hello # C static library
Templates: console (default), static, shared, binary. List with xmake create --list.
Minimal xmake.lua
add_rules("mode.debug", "mode.release")
target("hello")
set_kind("binary")
add_files("src/*.cpp")
That is enough to build with xmake and run with xmake run hello.
Build modes
mode.debug / mode.release are built-in rules. Switch with:
xmake f -m debug # or release
xmake
Typical layout
myproject/
xmake.lua
src/
main.cpp
include/
tests/
add_files("src/*.cpp") globs source files; add_includedirs("include") exposes headers.
When to branch out
- Target options (kind, deps, flags) → see
xmake-targets - Adding a 3rd-party library → see
xmake-packages - User-configurable options → see
xmake-options - Cross-compilation / alternative compilers → see
xmake-toolchains