Re - a modern build system for the future

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Re is a project aiming to create what C++ hasn't ever had - a lightweight, easy-to-use build system that lets you focus on writing code and not on writing build scripts. Check out our examples folder to see it for yourself!

Some of Re's notable features are:

• Declarative format: with Re, you don't write build logic. The entire build process is governed by simple, declarative YAML configs. This simplifies the project structure a lot, even if it sacrifices some use cases and in some cases forces you to restructure your project a bit.
• Trivial setup: the simplest Re project is literally just two lines of configuration.
• CMake support: Re supports loading (most) CMake targets as its own, allowing you to depend on any CMake libraries as if they were using Re. (You can run re inside of a CMake project directory too!)
• Easy dependencies: Re provides a unified interface for dependencies in the config file and supports Git, GitHub and vcpkg dependencies out of the box. See for yourself how easy it is!
• Out-of-the-box CI: Re supports GitHub Actions out of the box and lets you automate unit-testing, artifact creation and publishing releases right away. (example 1 - artifacts and releases, example 2 - unit testing)
• Cross-platform support: Re projects build the same way on Windows, Linux and macOS. If you haven't used any platform-specific features, your project will always get built just fine via invoking re on all three platforms.
• Self-build support: Re is built using, you guessed it, Re. An older version of Re is used to "bootstrap" the build. As Re is quite extensive, its ability to build itself proves its capabilities.

WARNING: Re is still under development, and problems may very well arise. Please create an issue if something goes wrong or create a pull request if you wanna make something right.

So why Re?

It just works

Building Re projects doesn’t require you to configure them, write build scripts or really do anything else — just type in “re” in your command line and you’re all set!

It likes company

Re integrates with Microsoft's vcpkg package manager, allowing you to access tons of useful packages from the get-go. No special setup needed - it's available out of the box!

As well as that, Re supports first-class C++ development inside of Visual Studio Code with the help of one tiny plugin, making your development experience comfortable from the get-go.

It's not stupid

Re automatically gathers the source tree and the dependencies for every project you build, allowing you to focus on the actual important part of software development - writing code.

It's quite fast

Despite its extensive features, Re does not struggle to perform and does its job at an acceptable speed. (TODO: performance comparisons!)

How does Re work?

You define your project by creating a YAML file named re.yml. This file defines everything that's needed to build your code: build options, dependencies, actions, you name it.

Example Project

re.yml

type: executable
name: hello-world

deps:
    - vcpkg:fmt

main.cpp

#include <fmt/format.h>

int main()
{
    fmt::print("Hello World from Re!\n");
}

Build Instructions

Create the above-described files in a separate directory and run re. Yes, that's it.

NOTE: If you're running Windows, you will need to have at least Visual Studio Build Tools installed to use Re.

TIP: Re provides an easy way to create a bare-bones re.yml: just type in re new <type> <path>!

Goals

1. Create an awesome C++ build system.
2. See Goal #1.

Non-goals

1. Cover ALL use cases: while Re strives to be feature-rich, it's probably not a good choice for cross-compiling Android native applications from a Raspberry Pi.
2. Be the fastest: Re's focus is usability, not extreme optimization. You'd be better off with a raw Makefile if you need to build your project in a tenth of a second.
3. Support other languages: while it's technically possible to support languages other than C++, currently the focus is on doing C++ right.

TODO

Unfortunately, Re is not yet a finished project. Some notable features are still missing, namely:

• Sourcing the code in targets from remote locations for easier ports
• "Developer dependencies" for reusable tooling steps and whatnot
• Smarter dependency version resolution
• More documentation coverage

If you're willing to help us out, feel free to create a pull request and add those missing features - or propose your own!