What is this?
Ninja is a small build system with a single focus: speed. It is a program that runs your project's build steps — compiling and linking — quickly.
Ninja is a small build system with a single focus: speed. It is a program that runs your project's build steps — compiling and linking — quickly.Is it a library I add to my code, or a program I run?A standalone executable you run. Ninja is explicitly not a library and has no public API — everything exposed in its code docs is internal.
A standalone executable you run. Ninja is explicitly not a library and has no public API — everything exposed in its code docs is internal.How do I get it onto my machine?Download a prebuilt binary from the project's GitHub releases and run it — there is no real install step, since the ninja file alone is all you need. ./ninja -h prints its options.
Download a prebuilt binary from the project's GitHub releases and run it — there is no real install step, since the ninja file alone is all you need. ./ninja -h prints its options.Do I need anything else installed to use it?No — the single ninja binary is the only required file. Optionally, copying files from the misc/ directory gets you Bash completion plus Emacs and Vim editing modes.
No — the single ninja binary is the only required file. Optionally, copying files from the misc/ directory gets you Bash completion plus Emacs and Vim editing modes.Does it run on Windows as well, or is it a Linux and macOS thing?All three: official binaries exist for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and the project's CI builds and tests on every one of them.
All three: official binaries exist for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and the project's CI builds and tests on every one of them.Where does Ninja get the instructions for building my project?From a build.ninja file in the project — Ninja's own build works exactly that way: a generator script produces a build.ninja that then compiles Ninja itself. For background on how it all fits together, the README points to the manual included in the distribution (doc/manual.asciidoc).
From a build.ninja file in the project — Ninja's own build works exactly that way: a generator script produces a build.ninja that then compiles Ninja itself. For background on how it all fits together, the README points to the manual included in the distribution (doc/manual.asciidoc).How do I turn on Bash completion or the Emacs and Vim editing modes?They are not part of the binary: copy the relevant files from the misc/ directory that ships with the distribution into the appropriate locations for your shell and editor.
They are not part of the binary: copy the relevant files from the misc/ directory that ships with the distribution into the appropriate locations for your shell and editor.Will I need Python or CMake as a regular user?No — end users only run the prebuilt ninja binary. Python (the custom generator script) and CMake are just the two supported ways to build Ninja itself, with optional GoogleTest-based unit tests for contributors.
No — end users only run the prebuilt ninja binary. Python (the custom generator script) and CMake are just the two supported ways to build Ninja itself, with optional GoogleTest-based unit tests for contributors.Which topics is it in?software-engineering, cmake, unix, build-tool, high-performance, compiler, cpp, c++, performance, command-line-tool, free, tool
software-engineering, cmake, unix, build-tool, high-performance, compiler, cpp, c++, performance, command-line-tool, free, tool