ocamlbuild

ocamlbuild [options]

-help
    Display help information.

-version
    Print the version number.

-clean
    Remove all build products.

-j
    Run build jobs in parallel. Default is the number of cores on the system.

-r
    Rebuild even if the target is up-to-date.

-no-links
    Do not create symbolic links in the build directory.

-tag
    Add specified tags to the build.

-use-ocamlfind
    Use `ocamlfind` to locate OCaml libraries.

-I
    Add to the include path for the compiler.


    The target to build (e.g., executable name, library name).

ocamlbuild is a build system designed specifically for OCaml projects. It automates the compilation and linking processes, handling dependencies and generating executables, libraries, and other build artifacts. It leverages static analysis to understand project structure, automatically resolving dependencies between modules and files.

Compared to manually writing Makefiles, ocamlbuild significantly reduces the complexity of building OCaml software. It offers a declarative way to describe the desired build output, leaving the details of the compilation process to the build system. This allows developers to focus on writing code rather than managing build configurations.

ocamlbuild uses a central build description file (commonly named `_tags`) to define build rules and dependencies. It dynamically analyzes source code to determine the appropriate build steps and manages recompilation based on file changes. This ensures that only necessary files are recompiled, leading to faster build times.

ocamlbuild is now considered legacy. Newer OCaml projects often use Dune, a more modern and actively maintained build system. While ocamlbuild can still be used, it may lack features and support for newer OCaml language features and libraries.

Tags are used to define build rules and customize the compilation process. Common tags include `debug`, `release`, `thread`, and `package()`. These tags are added on the `_tags` file and ocamlbuild automatically takes actions to build the final product.

The `_tags` file is a central configuration file for ocamlbuild. It specifies how files should be built based on their names or locations. The file contains rules that associate tags with file patterns. Example format: `:,,...`

ocamlbuild was developed as a way to simplify the build process for OCaml projects. It gained popularity for its ease of use and automatic dependency management. It was used in many OCaml projects over the years. However, the development is stopped and dune project provides similar features

ocamlc(1), ocamlopt(1), ocamldep(1), dune(1)