Please Build: Cross-Language Build System

Please Build: A Comprehensive Overview of the High-Performance Cross-Language Build System

In the world of software development, efficient build systems are crucial for ensuring reproducibility, speed, and scalability. Over the years, numerous build systems have emerged, each targeting specific needs, such as speed, language support, or extensibility. Among these systems, Please Build stands out due to its unique approach to cross-language builds and its emphasis on performance and extensibility.

What is Please Build?

Please Build, often referred to simply as Please, is a high-performance build system that facilitates reproducible multi-language builds. Initially released in 2016, this open-source tool is designed to automate the process of compiling and testing software, regardless of the programming language used. Unlike many build systems that are optimized for a single language, Please is agnostic, allowing it to support a wide range of programming languages, such as C++, Java, Python, and Go.

The core idea behind Please Build is to offer a flexible, fast, and reproducible build environment that can scale as a project grows, while ensuring that builds are consistent and efficient. This is particularly valuable in modern development environments, where teams work on large, complex codebases that span multiple languages and technologies.

Key Features of Please Build

1. Cross-Language Support
   One of the primary strengths of Please Build is its ability to handle multi-language builds. While many build systems are tightly coupled with specific languages (e.g., Make for C, Gradle for Java), Please provides a unified platform that can handle multiple languages seamlessly. This is particularly advantageous for large codebases that integrate various technologies, as it eliminates the need for separate build tools for each language.

2. High Performance
   Performance is another key aspect of Please Build. The system is designed to be fast, handling complex builds and dependencies without significant slowdowns. It achieves this by optimizing build processes and using an incremental build approach. This means that instead of rebuilding everything from scratch, Please Build only rebuilds the parts of the code that have changed, which can dramatically reduce build times.

3. Reproducibility
   Reproducibility is critical in modern software development. It ensures that builds are consistent across different environments and that the same inputs always produce the same outputs. Please Build addresses this by storing all build information in a remote cache, allowing teams to share build outputs across multiple machines. This feature not only speeds up builds but also ensures that developers working on the same project will have the same build results, reducing the chances of “works on my machine” issues.

4. Extensibility
   Unlike many other build systems, Please Build is highly extensible. Developers can easily create custom build rules and integrate new tools into the build process. This is particularly useful for organizations with unique requirements or complex workflows. Please Build’s extensibility allows teams to tailor the build process to their needs, ensuring that it fits seamlessly into their existing toolchain.

5. Efficient Dependency Management
   Dependency management can be one of the most challenging aspects of large-scale software development. Please Build simplifies this by automatically managing dependencies, ensuring that all required libraries and components are present and up to date. This reduces the manual work involved in managing dependencies and ensures that builds are always correct.

6. Support for Distributed Builds
   As projects grow, build times can become a significant bottleneck. To address this, Please Build supports distributed builds. This means that large codebases can be built across multiple machines in parallel, significantly speeding up the overall build process. Distributed builds also help mitigate the effects of a single machine’s hardware limitations, allowing teams to leverage their entire infrastructure for faster build times.

The Core Language of Please Build

Please Build is more than just a build system — it includes its own programming language, the Please build language. The Please build language is a full-fledged programming language that enables developers to write custom build rules, configure build processes, and define dependencies.

This language is designed to be simple and expressive, allowing users to define complex build workflows without requiring deep knowledge of the underlying system. The Please build language is intended to be both flexible and efficient, offering developers the ability to write build rules that are both maintainable and performant.

Why Choose Please Build?

In a crowded field of build systems, one might wonder why anyone would choose Please Build over other popular tools like Bazel, Make, or CMake. The answer lies in its unique combination of performance, extensibility, and support for multi-language builds. Some of the key reasons developers might choose Please Build include:

• Performance: Please Build is designed for speed, making it a suitable choice for large-scale projects where build times can otherwise become prohibitive.

• Cross-Language Support: With support for a wide range of languages, Please Build eliminates the need for separate tools for each language in a polyglot codebase.

• Reproducibility: In today’s world of continuous integration and deployment, reproducibility is crucial. Please Build ensures that all developers and build systems get the same results, regardless of environment.

• Extensibility: The ability to easily extend and modify the build system makes Please Build a flexible tool that can adapt to a wide range of project requirements.

• Distributed Builds: As development teams scale, the ability to distribute builds across multiple machines can dramatically improve build times.

The Development and Community Behind Please Build

Please Build was created by Thought Machine Group, a company known for its innovative approaches to software development. Though the system was initially developed by Thought Machine, it has since grown into an open-source project with contributions from the wider software development community. The project is actively maintained, with regular updates and improvements.

As of now, the official website for Please Build can be found at please.build, where developers can access the full documentation, get started with the tool, and contribute to its ongoing development. Additionally, the project’s GitHub repository provides a central location for code, issues, and discussions related to Please Build.

On GitHub, Please Build has garnered significant attention, with a large number of open issues and active development. The repository currently holds 57 open issues, which reflects an active and engaged community. The first commit to the project was made in 2016, and since then, the system has seen continuous evolution.

Conclusion

In summary, Please Build is a powerful, high-performance build system that offers a unique solution for managing multi-language builds. With its focus on performance, extensibility, and reproducibility, it provides developers with a robust tool for automating and optimizing the build process. Whether you are working on a large-scale project with complex dependencies or a polyglot codebase that spans multiple languages, Please Build offers the flexibility and performance necessary to streamline your development workflow.

For more information, visit Please Build’s official website and explore the potential of this innovative build system in your own projects.