# The build system ## Basic use Basic use is described in [development.md](https://anki.mintlify.app/developers/development). ## Architecture The build/ folder is made up of 4 packages: - build/configure defines the actions and inputs/outputs of the build graph - this is where you add new build steps or modify existing ones. The defined actions are converted at build time to a build.ninja file that Ninja executes. - build/ninja_gen is a library for writing a build.ninja file, and includes various rules like "build a Rust crate" or "run a command". - build/archives is a helper to download/checksum/extract a dependency as part of the build process. - build/runner serves a number of purposes: - it's the entrypoint to the build process, taking care of generating the build file and then invoking Ninja - it wraps executable invocations in the build file, swallowing their output if they exit successfully - it provides a few helpers for multi-step processes that can't be easily described in a cross-platform manner thanks to differences on Windows. ## Tracing build problems If you run into trouble with the build process: - You can see the executed commands with e.g. `./ninja pylib -v` - You can see the output of successful commands by defining N2_OUTPUT_SUCCESS=1 - You can see what's triggering a rebuild of a target with e.g. `./ninja qt/anki -d explain`. - You can browse the build graph via e.g. `./ninja -- -t browse wheels` - You can profile build performance with https://discourse.cmake.org/t/profiling-build-performance/2443/3. ## Packaging considerations See [this page](https://anki.mintlify.app/developers/linux).