# felixrieseberg/windows-build-tools

:package: Install C++ Build Tools for Windows using npm

Repository: https://github.com/felixrieseberg/windows-build-tools
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/windows-build-tools
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: npm, windows, node-gyp, nodejs, build-tool, vcc, microsoft, python
Archived: true
Last push: 2021-06-20T20:01:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3735, "days_push": 1900, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3408, forks 232 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:03.178338+00:00)

## What it is
An npm package that installs the Visual C++ Build Tools (and optionally Python) on Windows so native Node.js modules can be compiled via node-gyp. It is now deprecated in favor of the official Node.js Windows installer, which handles this automatically.

## Use cases
- install c++ build tools on windows via npm
- compile native node modules on windows
- set up node-gyp build environment on windows
- install python and vc++ toolchain for node-gyp
- fix node-gyp missing build tools error on windows

## When to choose
- you are stuck on an older Windows/Node setup where the official Node.js installer cannot install build tools
- you need a scripted, npm-based way to provision the VC++ toolchain on legacy machines

## When to avoid
- you are on a modern Node.js version - the official Node.js Windows installer installs build tools automatically
- you need actively maintained tooling - the project has not been updated since 2021
- you are not on Windows - this tool is Windows-only

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: abandoned
- function: build-tool, developer-tools, cli
- domain: developer-tools, windows
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: node-gyp, native-modules, visual-cpp-build-tools, npm-installer, deprecated, command-line, nodejs

## Member repositories
- felixrieseberg/windows-build-tools (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:03.178338+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 2026-08-29T18:38:33.033408+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/felixrieseberg/windows-build-tools (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:03.178338+00:00, sha 61576a65a04d)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/windows-build-tools (fetched 2026-08-29T09:32:35.985866+00:00, sha caa951ebc824)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.