Xmake

Judgement

What it is

Developer tool

What it does

A C and C++ build tool configured in Lua that builds directly, generates project files and fetches dependencies from its own package repository.

Adopt it when

You start a C or C++ project and want simpler build files and built-in package handling than CMake plus vcpkg.

Watch out

Most C++ libraries and IDEs assume CMake, so you may still need CMake integration for third-party code.

Ready for

Production-ready

Runs as

Command line

Built with

Lua and C

How established

Established: started 11 years ago, latest release v3.1.2.

What the license allows

You can build it into a product you sell, as long as you keep its copyright notice.

Judged on 2026-11-06 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.

Built from

Follow it down: Xmake → Lua → GCC → LLVM project → runs on a microchip

How compilers were built, back to punched paper tape

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