# nodejs/node-gyp

Node.js native addon build tool

Repository: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/node-gyp
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: node-gyp, gyp, node-addon, nodejs, node
Last push: 2026-08-26T14:03:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5325, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 7, "gap_med": 26, "n_releases_24m": 18}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 10685, forks 1878 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:43.765916+00:00)

## What it is
node-gyp is a cross-platform command-line tool for compiling native addon modules for Node.js, built on a vendored copy of gyp-next. It downloads the appropriate Node.js headers and drives the platform build toolchain (make/GCC, Xcode/clang, or Visual Studio).

## Use cases
- compile a native C++ addon for Node.js
- build node-gyp modules on Windows with Visual Studio
- target a specific Node.js version when building native addons
- install a package with native bindings from npm
- cross-platform build configuration for Node native modules

## When to choose
- you are developing or installing Node.js native addons written in C/C++
- you need to build against multiple Node.js versions or platforms
- your npm package ships native code and needs a standard build tool

## When to avoid
- you only write pure JavaScript/TypeScript with no native dependencies
- you want to build Node.js itself (node-gyp does not do that)
- you prefer N-API packages with prebuilt binaries that skip compilation

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, cli, compiler
- domain: developer-tools, backend, cross-platform
- platform: cli, cross-platform, windows
- tags: node-addon, gyp, native-modules, c-plus-plus, npm, nodejs, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- nodejs/node-gyp (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:43.765916+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 2026-08-29T17:18:10.961873+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:43.765916+00:00, sha 236ded123ff6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.