Makefiles are essential in the Linux ecosystem for managing program compilation and linking. Let's explore what they are, why they exist, and how to create a basic Makefile.
for running this tutorial in your shell :
$ git clone https://github.com/SkillfulElectro/Makefiles.git
$ make
the automatated version opens each example for you and then runs it to you see the result .
Makefiles guide the make
utility during compilation and linking. They determine which parts of a program need recompilation, making development more efficient.
Makefiles decide which files require recompilation. When files change, Make ensures only necessary parts get recompiled.
While Make is widely used, other build systems exist:
- SCons, CMake, Bazel, and Ninja for C/C++ projects.
- Ant, Maven, and Gradle for Java.
- Go, Rust, and TypeScript have their own build tools.
- Interpreted languages like Python, Ruby, and raw JavaScript don't need Makefiles.
This guide focuses on GNU Make, the standard implementation on Linux and macOS.
Create a Makefile
with the following content:
hello:
echo "Hello, World"
Remember to use TABs for indentation. Run make in the same directory to see the output:
$ make
echo "Hello, World"
Hello, World
For more resources, explore the Makefile Cookbook for templates and detailed comments.
Happy coding! 🛠️🌟
source :