Fastmake
| Developer(s) | Vitaly Grechko |
|---|---|
| Written in | C++ |
| Engine | |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Build automation |
| License | GPL (free software) |
| Website | www.fastmake.org |
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Fastmake[1] is a program primarily used by software developers to maintain software build processes. Fastmake is one of the make program family. The most similar "make" program is "GNU make".[2] Fastmake differs from "GNU make" in that it contains additional features that extend Makefile syntax and improve program speed.
Fastmake began in 2005 as a replacement for the "dmake" build tool. At that time, the Makefile syntax was the same as in "dmake". In 2008, Fastmake was released and became available for download. Since then, Makefile syntax has been moving towards "GNU make". This is because "GNU make" is widely used, increasing the likelihood of Fastmake's usefulness.
The key starting point of Fastmake's performance optimization is operating within a single operating system process. Where a classic make program needs to restart itself, launching a new operating system process, Fastmake calls a function that creates a new context within the same process. This allows for effective caching of the entire build tree. Also, Fastmake offers faster replacements for common shell tools like "cp", "echo", and so on.
One of the tasks in the software build process is determining dependencies. Fastmake has an integrated dependency scanner for C/C++ source files.
Syntax improvements aim to solve essential build automation tasks that are difficult with "GNU make". These tasks include combined or parallel compilation, automatic dependency tracking, and avoiding the use of the "TAB" character in Makefiles, which is problematic in many editors.
Fastmake is an open-source and free program, meaning it is free of charge with the source code available.
Fastmake is written in the C++ programming language. The GNU bison program is used to generate the parser module. The Flex lexical analyser program generates the lexeme generator.
