View source for Software:Build automation

{{Short description|Building software via an unattended fashion}}
{{Software development process}}
'''Build automation''' is the practice of [[Software build|building]] software systems in a relatively unattended fashion. The build is configured to run with minimized or no [[Software developer|software developer]] interaction and without using a developer's personal computer. Build automation encompasses the act of configuring the build system as well as the resulting system itself.

Build automation encompasses both sequencing build operations via [[Command-line interface|non-interactive interface]] tools and running builds on a shared [[Server (computing)|server]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ceruzzi |first=Paul E. |date=2003 |title=A history of Modern computing |publisher=The MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-53203-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernc00ceru_0 }}</ref>

== Tools ==
Build automation tools allow for sequencing the tasks of building software via a non-interactive interface. A '''build system''' or '''build automation tool'''<ref>{{cite journal|last=Maudoux|first=Guillaume|title=Correct, Efficient and Tailored: The Future of Build Systems|journal=IEEE Software|date=2018|volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=32–37 |doi=10.1109/MS.2018.111095025 |url=https://dial.uclouvain.be/pr/boreal/object/boreal%3A189586/datastream/PDF_01/view|access-date=2025-02-15|url-access=subscription|hdl=2078.1/189586|hdl-access=free}}</ref> is a [[Software:Programming tool|tool]] or [[Software:List of build automation software|set of tools]] that [[Software:Build automation|automate]] the [[Compiler|compilation]] and [[Linker (computing)|linking]] of [[Source code|source code]] into an [[Executable|executable]] [[Software|program]] or [[Library (computing)|library]]. They streamline the [[Software development|software development]] process by managing dependencies, resolving conflicts, and ensuring consistent [[Software build|builds]] across different environments.

When software projects grow complex, their build steps may involve multiple programming languages or compilation units, making manual build processes increasingly cumbersome.  Dependencies between code components necessitate careful ordering and potentially different tools for each piece. Managing these dependencies manually can quickly lead to version conflicts, stale binaries, and difficulty tracking updates, making solutions such as [[Shell script|shell scripts]] too difficult to maintain.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why a Build System?|url=https://bazel.build/basics/build-systems|publisher=[[Software:Bazel|Bazel]]|access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref>

While individual developers might [[Compiler|compile]] code directly, a robust build system is foundational to efficient software development in large organizations and teams, where [[Software:Build automation|automated builds]] become commonplace and most builds are triggered automatically rather than manually.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why a Build System?|url=https://bazel.build/basics/build-systems|publisher=[[Software:Bazel|Bazel]]|access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref> Given the essential role of build systems, it is said that they act as "repositories of essential build knowledge".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Maudoux|first=Guillaume|title=Correct, Efficient and Tailored: The Future of Build Systems|journal=IEEE Software|date=2018|volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=32–37 |doi=10.1109/MS.2018.111095025 |url=https://dial.uclouvain.be/pr/boreal/object/boreal%3A189586/datastream/PDF_01/view|access-date=2025-02-15|url-access=subscription|hdl=2078.1/189586|hdl-access=free}}</ref> They effectively eliminate roadblocks and accelerate development velocity by enabling engineers to share resources and results.<ref>{{cite web|title=Build Basics|url=https://bazel.build/basics|publisher=[[Software:Bazel|Bazel]]|access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref>

=== Incremental build ===
An incremental build is a process within a build system where build tools use an [[Incremental compiler|incremental compiler]] to [[Compiler|recompile]] only the parts of a [[Software|software]] project that have changed since the last build, rather than rebuilding everything from scratch. This optimization reduces build time by leveraging dependency tracking, [[Cache (computing)|caching]], and selective compilation.<ref name="gradle">{{cite web |title=Incremental build |url=https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/incremental_build.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |publisher=Gradle User Manual}}</ref>

Incremental builds are especially valuable in large-scale software projects, where recompiling the entire codebase can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. By identifying and compiling only the modified components—such as [[Source code|source files]], [[Library (computing)|libraries]], or [[Modular programming|modules]]—the build system ensures faster iteration cycles, enabling developers to test and [[Debugging|debug]] changes more efficiently.

The process relies on a [[Dependency graph|dependency graph]], which maps relationships between files, modules, or components in the project. When a change is detected, the build system traverses this graph to determine which parts of the project are affected and need to be recompiled. Modern build tools, such as [[Software:Make|Make]], [[Software:Gradle|Gradle]] and [[Software:Bazel|Bazel]], often incorporate incremental build capabilities to streamline development workflows.<ref>{{cite web |title=Incremental build |url=https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/incremental_build.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |publisher=Gradle User Manual}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Maudoux |first=Guillaume |date=2015 |title=A Sound and Optimal Incremental Build System with Dynamic Dependencies |url=https://pace-erc.eu/assets/preprint/Erdweg%20et%20al.%20-%202015%20-%20A%20Sound%20and%20Optimal%20Incremental%20Build%20System%20with%20.pdf |journal=ACM SIGPLAN Notices |access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref>

While incremental builds offer significant [[Computer performance|performance]] advantages, they also introduce challenges, such as ensuring the accuracy of dependency tracking and avoiding stale or inconsistent build artifacts. To address these issues, some build systems provide mechanisms for "clean builds," which rebuild the entire project from scratch to guarantee correctness when necessary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cleaning outputs |url=https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/command_line_interface.html#cleaning_outputs |access-date=2025-02-15 |publisher=Gradle User Manual}}</ref> Because of this issue, incremental builds are rarely used in [[Continuous integration|continuous integration]] systems, where correctness is preferred to compilation speed.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Maudoux |first=Guillaume |date=2017 |title=Bringing Incremental Builds to Continuous Integration |url=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2070/paper-01.pdf |journal=ICTEAM |access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref>

=== Key features ===
Most build systems include features that make building large projects easier:
* Dependency management: Resolving and tracking dependencies between components.
* Incremental builds: Only rebuilding what has changed.
* Cross-platform support: Building for multiple environments (e.g., [[Software:Windows|Windows]], [[Software:Linux|Linux]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]]).
* [[Parallel computing|Parallel]] builds: Speeding up builds by running tasks concurrently.
* Extensibility: Supporting [[Plug-in (computing)|plugins]] or custom scripts.

===Example tools===
Tools such as [[Software:Make|Make]] can be used via custom configuration file or using the [[Command-line interface|command-line]]. Custom tools such as [[Shell script|shell scripts]] can also be used, although they become increasingly cumbersome as the codebase grows more complex.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why a Build System?|url=https://bazel.build/basics/build-systems|publisher=[[Software:Bazel|Bazel]]|access-date=2025-02-15}}</ref>

Some tools, such as [[Shell script|shell script]]s, are task-oriented [[Declarative programming|declarative programming]]. They encode sequences of commands to perform with usually minimal conditional logic.

Some tools, such as Make are product-oriented. They build a product, a.k.a. target, based on configured dependencies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clark |first=Mike |date=2004 |title=Pragmatic Project Automation: How to Build, Deploy, and Monitor Java Apps  |publisher= The Pragmatic Programmers. |isbn=978-0-9745140-3-1}}</ref>

== Servers ==

A build server is a [[Server (computing)|server]] setup to run [[Software build|builds]]. As opposed to a [[Engineering:Personal computer|personal computer]], a server allows for a more consistent and available build environment.

Traditionally, a build server was a local computer dedicated as a shared resource instead of used as a personal computer. Today, there are many [[Cloud computing|cloud computing]], [[Software as a service|software as a service]] (SaaS) [[Website|websites]] for building.

Without a build server, developers typically rely on their personal computers for building, leading to several drawbacks, such as (but not limited to):

* Developers who know how to build might be unavailable (e.g., on vacation).
* Issues with a developer's machine could prevent building.
* Conflicting software on a developer's machine may hinder proper building.

A [[Continuous integration|continuous integration]] server is a build server that is setup to build in a relatively frequent way {{endash}} often on each code [[Commit (version control)|commit]]. A build server may also be incorporated into an ARA tool or [[Application lifecycle management|ALM]] tool.

Typical build triggering options include:

* '''On-demand:''' requested by a user.
* '''Scheduled:''' such as a nightly build.
* '''On-commit:''' building on every [[Commit (version control)|commit]] to a [[Version control|version control]] system.

== Continuous integration and continuous delivery ==

Automating the build process is a required step for implementing [[Continuous integration|continuous integration]] and [[Continuous delivery|continuous delivery]] (CI/CD) {{endash}} all of which are considered [[Best practice|best practice]]s for software development.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bashan |first1=Shmuel |last2=Bellagio |first2= David E. |date=2011 |title=Work Item Management with IBM Rational ClearQuest and Jazz: A customization Guide  |publisher= IBM Press |isbn=978-0-13-700179-8}}</ref>{{how|date=January 2018}}

== Advantages ==

Pluses of build automation include:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denverjug.org/meetings/files/200410_automation.pdf |title=Pragmatic Project Automation|access-date=2025-02-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522061319/http://www.denverjug.org/meetings/files/200410_automation.pdf|archive-date=2006-05-22}}</ref>

* Can save time and money in the long run
* Enables [[Continuous integration|continuous integration]], delivery and testing
* More consistent build process
* Can optimize the build process, reducing time and redundant tasks
* Reduces dependency on key personnel and their personal computers
* Can automate collection of build history

== See also ==

* {{Annotated link|Application-release automation}}

* {{Annotated link|Continuous configuration automation}}
* {{Annotated link|Continuous integration}}
* {{Annotated link|Continuous delivery}}
* {{Annotated link|Continuous testing}}
* {{Annotated link|DevOps}}
* {{Annotated link|Incremental compiler}}
* {{Annotated link|List of build automation software}}
* {{Annotated link|Product family engineering}}
* {{Annotated link|Release engineering}}
* {{Annotated link|Software configuration management}}
* {{Annotated link|Unit testing}}
* [[Vibe coding]] – AI-assisted coding using natural language

== References ==
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[[Category:Build automation| ]]
[[Category:Types of tools used in software development]]

{{Sourceattribution|Build automation}}