CMake Reference Documentation — CMake 4.0.20250503-g4dc6924 Documentation (original) (raw)

Introduction

CMake is a tool to manage building of source code. Originally, CMake was designed as a generator for various dialects of Makefile, today CMake generates modern buildsystems such as Ninja as well as project files for IDEs such as Visual Studio and Xcode.

CMake is widely used for the C and C++ languages, but it may be used to build source code of other languages too.

People encountering CMake for the first time may have different initial goals. To learn how to build a source code package downloaded from the internet, start with the [User Interaction Guide](guide/user-interaction/index.html#guide:User Interaction Guide "User Interaction Guide"). This will detail the steps needed to run the cmake(1) orcmake-gui(1) executable and how to choose a generator, and how to complete the build.

The [Using Dependencies Guide](guide/using-dependencies/index.html#guide:Using Dependencies Guide "Using Dependencies Guide") is aimed at developers wishing to get started using a third-party library.

For developers starting a project using CMake, the [CMake Tutorial](guide/tutorial/index.html#guide:CMake Tutorial "CMake Tutorial")is a suitable starting point. The cmake-buildsystem(7)manual is aimed at developers expanding their knowledge of maintaining a buildsystem and becoming familiar with the build targets that can be represented in CMake. The cmake-packages(7) manual explains how to create packages which can easily be consumed by third-party CMake-based buildsystems.

Command-Line Tools

Interactive Dialogs

Reference Manuals

Guides

Release Notes

Index and Search