# cake-build/cake

:cake: Cake (C# Make) is a cross platform build automation system.

Repository: https://github.com/cake-build/cake
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cake
Homepage: https://cakebuild.net
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: c-sharp, cake, dotnet, dotnetcore, continuous-integration, nuget, xunit, nunit, unit-testing, build-tool, build-automation, cake-build, build-automation-tool, orchestration, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-07-17T13:09:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 87/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 73, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4485, "days_push": 47, "days_rel": 103, "gap_med": 60.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4186, forks 775 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:38.669704+00:00)

## What it is
Cake (C# Make) is a cross-platform build automation system that lets developers write build scripts in C# using a DSL built on the Roslyn compiler. It supports compiling code, running unit tests, copying and compressing files, and building NuGet packages, with runners for the .NET Tool, Cake Frosting, and Cake.Sdk.

## Use cases
- automate dotnet build and test pipelines
- write build scripts in C# instead of PowerShell or MSBuild XML
- run unit tests and package NuGet artifacts in CI
- create a cross-platform build script for Windows, Linux and macOS
- orchestrate build tasks with dependencies and setup/teardown
- integrate builds with GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines, or Jenkins

## When to choose
- your team is on the .NET ecosystem and wants type-safe, IDE-supported build scripts
- you need the same build behavior locally and on CI servers
- you want built-in aliases for MSBuild, .NET CLI, xUnit, NUnit, NuGet, and more
- you prefer a large addin ecosystem and active community

## When to avoid
- your stack is not .NET-based (consider Gradle, Make, or npm scripts)
- you need a minimal zero-dependency build setup
- your team is unwilling to maintain C# build script code

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, ci-cd, cli, testing, package-manager
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: windows, dotnet, cli, cross-platform
- tags: build-automation, csharp-dsl, roslyn, nuget, continuous-integration, cake-frosting, cake-sdk, msbuild, devops, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- cake-build/cake (main) score 87

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:38.669704+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:22:37.601486+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/cake-build/cake (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:38.669704+00:00, sha d01a2b6e7022)
  - homepage: https://cakebuild.net (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.751455+00:00, sha 32c0fdba7976)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.760578+00:00, sha 73586dad341a)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.762590+00:00, sha 4a69af7e7851)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/running-builds/runners/cake-sdk (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.764351+00:00, sha 806b31387986)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/running-builds/runners/cake-frosting (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.766303+00:00, sha c4bf07be900e)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/running-builds/runners/dotnet-tool (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.768587+00:00, sha b72848f4832c)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/running-builds/runners (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.771584+00:00, sha ade35689fc7e)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/integrations/editors (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.773576+00:00, sha 92d974c28d5e)
  - site_page: https://cakebuild.net/docs/integrations/build-systems/azure-pipelines (fetched 2026-08-29T09:13:11.775254+00:00, sha 6a74a1017585)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.