# xmake-io/xmake

🔥 A cross-platform build utility based on Lua

Repository: https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/xmake
Homepage: https://xmake.io
Language: Lua
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: lua, build-tool, visual-studio, xmake, package-manager, tbox, c, c-plus-plus, objective-c, makefile, cross-toolchains, wdk, cmake, build, linux
Last push: 2026-08-26T15:06:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4150, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 7, "gap_med": 43.5, "n_releases_24m": 17}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 12165, forks 948 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:51.893983+00:00)

## What it is
Xmake is a cross-platform build utility based on Lua that builds C/C++ (and other language) projects directly or generates project files for IDEs like CMake/Meson. It includes a built-in package manager for integrating C/C++ dependencies and supports caching, parallel builds, and distributed compilation.

## Use cases
- build a cross-platform c++ project without writing cmake
- manage c++ library dependencies like conan or vcpkg
- generate visual studio or xcode project files from a build script
- replace makefiles with a simpler lua-based build script
- set up distributed or remote compilation for a large codebase
- build mixed-language projects including cuda and objective-c

## When to choose
- you want a modern, lightweight alternative to CMake or Make for C/C++
- you need integrated dependency management in your build tool
- you want fast builds with caching and parallel compilation
- you prefer a simple, readable Lua-based build configuration

## When to avoid
- your team and toolchain are already deeply invested in CMake or Bazel
- you need a build system with a large ecosystem of third-party integrations
- your project only targets a single platform with simple build needs

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, package-manager, cli, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: lua, c-plus-plus, cmake-alternative, dependency-management, ide-project-generation, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- xmake-io/xmake (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:51.893983+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 2026-08-29T17:14:53.261926+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:51.893983+00:00, sha d80a294552d4)
  - homepage: https://xmake.io (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.852605+00:00, sha c9621f3499f1)
  - site_page: https://xmake.io/about/contact.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.854935+00:00, sha 10de2fa6f049)
  - site_page: https://xmake.io/about/who_is_using_xmake.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.856493+00:00, sha 213da0d8b354)
  - site_page: https://xmake.io/about/team.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.858301+00:00, sha 57895d68d93c)
  - site_page: https://xmake.io/about/author.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.859851+00:00, sha aa9037830413)
  - site_page: https://xmake.io/about/sponsor.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:12:06.861377+00:00, sha a69438131ddf)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.