ninja

Ninja is a command-line tool used primarily for building software projects. It is designed to be fast, efficient, and highly scalable.

Ninja uses a build-file format known as the "build.ninja" file, which is written in a simple syntax that is easy to read and write.

Ninja focuses on minimizing unnecessary rebuilds by only rebuilding the necessary parts of the project, based on dependencies and file timestamps. This ensures faster builds and reduces overall build times.

One of the key features of Ninja is its parallel execution capability. It can distribute the build tasks across multiple cores or machines, enabling faster builds on systems with multiple processors.

Ninja is known for its clarity and simplicity, making it popular amongst developers who prefer a straightforward build system. The build files are usually concise and easy to understand, which helps in maintaining and troubleshooting projects.

Ninja is frequently used in conjunction with other build systems like CMake or GCC to improve build performance. It can integrate seamlessly with these tools to provide a more efficient build process.

It is popular in large-scale software projects where build times can be a bottleneck. Ninja's efficient incremental build process helps in reducing the time and effort required to rebuild a project.

Ninja supports various features like custom rules, command-line variables, build configuration flags, and build-time dependency generation. This flexibility makes it adaptable to different project requirements.

Ninja is an open-source tool available on multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. It has an active and supportive community, providing constant updates, bug fixes, and new features.

Overall, Ninja is a powerful and efficient command-line tool that simplifies the build process, improves project scalability, and reduces build times, making it a popular choice among developers.