caxe (cx) 🪓

caxe (pronounced "c-axe") is a modern project manager for C and C++ designed to cut through the complexity of legacy build systems.

It provides a unified workflow for scaffolding, building, testing, and managing dependencies—giving C++ developers the modern experience they deserve.

Zero Configuration. Lightning Fast. Batteries Included.

✨ Features

• ⚡ Zero Config Start: Create a Hello World C++ project in seconds.
• 📑 Project Templates: Start quickly with presets for Raylib or Web Servers.
• 📦 Smart Dependency Management: Define dependencies in cx.toml or use cx add. cx automatically downloads libraries from Git and handles linking.
• 💾 Global Caching: Libraries are downloaded once and shared across all projects.
• 🚀 Parallel & Incremental Builds: Uses multi-threading to compile files simultaneously and only recompiles what changed.
• 👁️ Watch Mode: Automatically recompiles and runs your project when you save a file.
• 🧪 Built-in Testing: Run unit tests easily without configuring external frameworks.
• 🛠️ Custom Configuration: Support for C++17/20, custom compiler flags, and system linking.

📦 Installation

Prerequisites:

• Rust (Cargo)
• Clang or GCC installed

git clone https://github.com/dhimasardinata/caxe.git

cd caxe

cargo install --path .

🚀 Usage

1. Create a new project

Start with a default console app, or use a template.

# Default (Hello World)

cx new my-game --lang cpp


# Web Server (cpp-httplib)

cx new my-server --template web


# Raylib Game Config

cx new my-game --template raylib

2. Manage Dependencies

Add or remove libraries directly from the CLI.

# Add a library (supports 'user/repo' or full git URL)

cx add fmtlib/fmt

cx add nlohmann/json


# Remove a library

cx remove fmt

3. Build & Run

# Compile only (useful for checking errors)

cx build


# Compile and Run

cx run


# Run with optimizations (Release mode)

cx run --release

4. Watch mode (Auto-reload)

Coding without manually recompiling every time.

cx watch

5. Unit Testing 🧪

No need for complex test runners like GoogleTest or Catch2 for simple projects.

1. Create a tests/ directory in your project root.
2. Add .cpp files (e.g., tests/test_math.cpp).
3. Use standard assert or return 0 for success.

#include <cassert>

int main() {
    int x = 10;
    assert(x + 5 == 15); // If this fails, the test fails
    return 0;
}

Run the tests:

cx test

⚙️ Configuration (cx.toml)

No more confusing Makefiles or CMakeLists.

[package]

name = "my-game"

version = "0.1.0"

edition = "c++20"



[build]

compiler = "g++" # Optional: Change default compiler (clang++)

cflags = ["-O2", "-Wall"]

libs = ["pthread", "m"] # Link system libraries



[dependencies]

# Dependencies are automatically fetched & linked!

json = "https://github.com/nlohmann/json.git"

fmt = "https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt.git"

🖼️ Showcase

Experience a modern development workflow. Here is an example of running a C++ Web Server (cpp-httplib) with zero manual configuration.

1. The Build Process

cx handles dependency fetching, caching, and compiling automatically.

2. The Result

The C++ server is up and running instantly.

3. Advanced Libraries (Raylib)

cx can even compile complex libraries like Raylib from source using custom build scripts!

📝 License

MIT