gprbuild
Build Ada projects using project files
TLDR
Build a project (assuming only one *.gpr file exists in the current directory)
Build a specific [P]roject file
Clean up the build workspace
Install compiled binaries
SYNOPSIS
gprbuild [options] [-P]{project_file[=main}]
PARAMETERS
-P
Specify project file and optional main source
-aP
Ignore project file path for source lookup
-C
Create missing object, library, and exec directories
-c
Compile only, no bind or link
--compile-only
Synonym for -c
-u
Rebuild only modified files (default incremental)
-j
Number of parallel compile processes
-v
Verbose output
-vP[0-3]
Project verbosity levels (0=quiet, 3=full)
--root-dir=
Root directory for all generated files
--subdirs=
Place objects/libs/execs in specified subdir
--link-only
Link only, assume objects up-to-date
--bind-only
Bind only (Ada), assume objects compiled
-d
Dump dependencies to files
-D
Rebuild files newer than specified date
-gnatx
Pass switches to GNAT compiler (e.g., -gnata)
-Xname=value
Set external project attribute
-eL
List library files for project
-eS
List sources for project
-h|--help
Display help and exit
--version
Display version info
--create-default
Create default project file
-cargs
Additional compiler args
-bargs
Additional binder args
-largs
Additional linker args
DESCRIPTION
gprbuild is a flexible, high-performance build tool from the GNAT (GNU Ada) ecosystem, designed for constructing complex, multi-language software projects using declarative GNAT Project Files (.gpr). Primarily for Ada, it supports C, C++, Fortran, Rust, and more via configurable toolchains. It automates dependency resolution, compilation, Ada binding, and linking, with smart incremental rebuilds to skip unchanged files.
Projects define sources, libraries, executables, directories, and attributes in .gpr files, enabling hierarchical multi-projects, cross-compilation, and custom builders. Features include parallel jobs (-j), verbose logging, object directory management, and integration with tools like Alire (Ada package manager). It excels in large-scale, safety-critical systems, outperforming traditional make in scalability and maintainability.
gprbuild replaced gnatmake, adding better multi-language support and project extensibility. Invoke with a project file for full builds or options for partial steps like compile-only.
CAVEATS
Requires valid .gpr project files; errors if paths/sources invalid. Parallel builds (-j) may increase memory use. Not for Makefile-based projects without conversion.
PROJECT FILES
Define via .gpr with attributes like for Source_Dirs, for Object_Dir, for Main. Hierarchical via extend. See projectmanager reference.
MULTI-LANGUAGE
Configure via Languages package: e.g., C=>(Compiler="gcc"). Uses gprconfig for tool discovery.
EXAMPLES
gprbuild -P myproj.gpr
gprbuild -P myproj -j8 -vP1
gprbuild --root-dir=build -P app.gpr=src/main.adb
HISTORY
Developed by AdaCore starting 2006 as gnatmake successor in GNAT Pro 6.0. Open-sourced in GPL; matured with GPS IDE integration. Default Ada builder since GNAT 7+; supports Alire since 2020.
