The cmake-js npm package is a tool that simplifies the process of building native C++ addons for Node.js using CMake. It provides a seamless integration between Node.js and CMake, allowing developers to leverage the powerful build system of CMake while working within the Node.js ecosystem.
Building Native Addons
This feature allows you to build native C++ addons for Node.js using CMake. The code sample demonstrates how to use cmake-js to build a target named 'myAddon' in debug mode.
const cmake = require('cmake-js');
cmake.build({
target: 'myAddon',
debug: true
}).then(() => {
console.log('Build complete');
}).catch(err => {
console.error('Build failed', err);
});Configuring Build Options
This feature allows you to configure various build options for your CMake project. The code sample shows how to set the build type to 'Release' and specify an installation prefix.
const cmake = require('cmake-js');
cmake.configure({
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE: 'Release',
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX: '/usr/local'
}).then(() => {
console.log('Configuration complete');
}).catch(err => {
console.error('Configuration failed', err);
});Running CMake Commands
This feature allows you to run arbitrary CMake commands. The code sample demonstrates how to run a CMake build command to install the target.
const cmake = require('cmake-js');
cmake.run(['--build', '.', '--target', 'install']).then(() => {
console.log('CMake command executed successfully');
}).catch(err => {
console.error('CMake command failed', err);
});node-gyp is a cross-platform command-line tool written in Node.js for compiling native addon modules for Node.js. It uses the gyp build system instead of CMake. While node-gyp is widely used and well-supported, it lacks the flexibility and advanced features of CMake, which cmake-js leverages.
node-pre-gyp is a tool that makes it easy to publish and install Node.js C++ addons from binaries. It is built on top of node-gyp and provides additional features like binary hosting and pre-built binary distribution. However, it does not offer the same level of integration with CMake as cmake-js.
neon-cli is a tool for building fast and safe native Node.js modules using Rust instead of C++. It provides a high-level abstraction over the Node.js C++ API and offers a more modern and safer language for writing native modules. While it is not directly comparable to cmake-js, it serves a similar purpose of enabling native module development for Node.js.
CMake.js is a Node.js/io.js native addon build tool which works (almost) exactly like node-gyp, but instead of gyp, it is based on CMake build system. It's compatible with the following runtimes:
npm install -g cmake-js
Help:
cmake-js --help
Usage: cmake-js [<command>] [options]
Commands:
install Install Node.js/io.js distribution files if needed
configure Configure CMake project
print-configure Print the configuration command
build Build the project (will configure first if required)
print-build Print the build command
clean Clean the project directory
print-clean Print the clean command
reconfigure Clean the project directory then configure the project
rebuild Clean the project directory then build the project
compile Build the project, and if build fails, try a full rebuild
Options:
--version Show version number [boolean]
-h, --help show this screen [boolean]
-l, --log-level set log level (silly, verbose, info, http, warn,
error), default is info [string]
-d, --directory specify CMake project's directory (where CMakeLists.txt
located) [string]
-D, --debug build debug configuration [boolean]
-c, --cmake-path path of CMake executable [string]
-m, --prefer-make use Unix Makefiles even if Ninja is available (Posix)
[boolean]
-x, --prefer-xcode use Xcode instead of Unix Makefiles [boolean]
-g, --prefer-gnu use GNU compiler instead of default CMake compiler, if
available (Posix) [boolean]
-G, --generator use specified generator [string]
-t, --toolset use specified toolset [string]
-A, --platform use specified platform name [string]
-T, --target only build the specified target [string]
-C, --prefer-clang use Clang compiler instead of default CMake compiler,
if available (Posix) [boolean]
--cc use the specified C compiler [string]
--cxx use the specified C++ compiler [string]
-r, --runtime the runtime to use [string]
-v, --runtime-version the runtime version to use [string]
-a, --arch the architecture to build in [string]
--CD Custom argument passed to CMake in format:
-D<your-arg-here> [string]
-i, --silent Prevents CMake.js to print to the stdio [boolean]
-O, --out Specify the output directory to compile to, default is
projectRoot/build [string]
Requirements:
In a nutshell. (For more complete documentation please see the first tutorial.)
npm install --save cmake-jsproject (your-addon-name-here)
include_directories(${CMAKE_JS_INC})
file(GLOB SOURCE_FILES "your-source files-location-here")
add_library(${PROJECT_NAME} SHARED ${SOURCE_FILES} ${CMAKE_JS_SRC})
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES PREFIX "" SUFFIX ".node")
target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} ${CMAKE_JS_LIB})
"scripts": {
"install": "cmake-js compile"
}
In your module folder you can access cmake-js commands if you install cmake-js globally:
npm install -g cmake-js
Please refer to the --help for the lists of available commands (they are like commands in node-gyp).
You can override the project default runtimes via --runtime and --runtime-version, such as: --runtime=electron --runtime-version=0.26.0. See below for more info on runtimes.
CMAKE_JS_VERSION variable will reflect the actual CMake.js version. So CMake.js based builds could be detected, eg.:
if (CMAKE_JS_VERSION)
add_subdirectory(node_addon)
else()
add_subdirectory(other_subproject)
endif()
You can set npm configuration options for CMake.js.
For all users (global):
npm config set cmake_<key> <value> --global
For current user:
npm config set cmake_<key> <value>
CMake.js will set a variable named "<key>" to <value> (by using -D<key>="<value>" option). User settings will overwrite globals.
UPDATE:
You can set CMake.js command line arguments with npm config using the following pattern:
npm config set cmake_js_G "Visual Studio 56 Win128"
Which sets the CMake generator, basically defaults to:
cmake-js -G "Visual Studio 56 Win128"
Enter at command prompt:
npm config set cmake_BuBu="kittyfck"
Then write to your CMakeLists.txt the following:
message (STATUS ${BuBu})
This will print during configure:
--- kittyfck
You can add custom CMake options by beginning option name with CD.
In command prompt:
cmake-js compile --CDBUBU="kittyfck"
Then in your CMakeLists.txt:
message (STATUS ${BUBU})
This will print during configure:
--- kittyfck
If any of the runtime, runtimeVersion, or arch configuration parameters is not explicitly configured, sensible defaults will be auto-detected based on the JavaScript environment where CMake.js runs within.
You can configure runtimes for compiling target for all depending CMake.js modules in an application. Define a cmake-js key in the application's root package.json file, eg.:
{
"name": "ta-taram-taram",
"description": "pa-param-pam-pam",
"version": "1.0.0",
"main": "app.js",
"cmake-js": {
"runtime": "node",
"runtimeVersion": "0.12.0",
"arch": "ia32"
}
}
Available settings:
node: Node.jsnw: nw.jselectron: Electron0.12.1x64, ia32, arm64, arm). Notice: on non-Windows systems the C++ toolset's architecture's gonna be used despite this setting. If you don't specify this on Windows, then architecture of the main node/io.js runtime is gonna be used, so you have to choose a matching nw.js runtime.The actual node runtime parameters are detectable in CMakeLists.txt files, the following variables are set:
"node", "nw", "electron""0.12.1""x64", "ia32", "arm64", "arm"To make compatible your NW.js application with any CMake.js based modules, write the following to your application's package.json file:
{
"cmake-js": {
"runtime": "nw",
"runtimeVersion": "nw.js-version-here",
"arch": "whatever-setting-is-appropriate-for-your-application's-windows-build"
}
}
That's it. There is nothing else to do either on the application's or on the module's side, CMake.js modules are compatible with NW.js out-of-the-box. For more complete documentation please see the third tutorial.
To make compatible your Electron application with any CMake.js based modules, write the following to your application's package.json file:
{
"cmake-js": {
"runtime": "electron",
"runtimeVersion": "electron-runtime-version-here",
"arch": "whatever-setting-is-appropriate-for-your-application's-windows-build"
}
}
That's it. There is nothing else to do either on the application's or on the module's side, CMake.js modules are compatible with Electron out-of-the-box.
Currently Electron (V1.4.x+) can only call modules built using CMake.js from the main process. To call such a module from a render process use the Electron remote module in your require statement:
var yourModule = require('electron').remote.require('pathToYourModule/cmakeModuleName.node')
It is important to understand that this setting is to be configured in the application's root package.json file. If you're creating a native module targeting nw.js for example, then do not specify anything in your module's package.json. It's the actual application's decision to specify its runtime, your module's just compatible anything that was mentioned in the About chapter. Actually defining cmake-js key in your module's package.json file may lead to an error. Why? If you set it up to use nw.js 0.12.1 for example, then when it gets compiled during development time (to run its unit tests for example) it's gonna be compiled against io.js 1.2 runtime. But if you're having io.js 34.0.1 at the command line then, which is binary incompatible with 1.2, then your unit tests will fail for sure. So it is advised to not use cmake-js target settings in your module's package.json, because that way CMake.js will use that you have, and your tests will pass.
Heroku uses the concept of a buildpack to define how an application should be prepared to run in a dyno. The typical buildpack for note-based applications, heroku/nodejs, provides an environment capable of running node-gyp, but not CMake.
The least "painful" way of addressing this is to use heroku's multipack facility:
Set the applications' buildpack to https://github.com/heroku/heroku-buildpack-multi.git
In the root directory of the application,
create a file called .buildpacks with these two lines:
https://github.com/brave/heroku-cmake-buildpack.git
https://github.com/heroku/heroku-buildpack-nodejs.git
Deploy the application to have the changes take effect
The heroku-buildpack-multi will run each buildpack in order allowing the node application to reference CMake in the Heroku
build environment.
node-addon-apiABI-stable Node.js API (Node-API), which was previously known as N-API, supplies a set of C APIs that allow to compilation and loading of native modules by different versions of Node.js that support Node-API which includes all versions of Node.js v10.x and later.
To compile a native module that uses only the
plain C Node-API calls,
follow the directions for plain node native modules.
To compile a native module that uses the header-only C++ wrapper
classes provided by
node-addon-api,
you need to make your package depend on it with:
npm install --save-dev node-addon-api
and add it to the include directories of your CMake project file
CMakeLists.txt:
# Include node-addon-api wrappers
execute_process(COMMAND node -p "require('node-addon-api').include"
WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
OUTPUT_VARIABLE NODE_ADDON_API_DIR
)
string(REPLACE "\n" "" NODE_ADDON_API_DIR ${NODE_ADDON_API_DIR})
string(REPLACE "\"" "" NODE_ADDON_API_DIR ${NODE_ADDON_API_DIR})
target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE ${NODE_ADDON_API_DIR})
I'm working on the Node.js port of the awesome ArrayFire CPU/GPU computing library, please follow its status in its repo: ArrayFire.js.
View changelog.md
v6.2.0 - 19/07/21
FAQs
CMake.js - a Node.js native addon build tool
The npm package cmake-js receives a total of 174,702 weekly downloads. As such, cmake-js popularity was classified as popular.
We found that cmake-js demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 2 open source maintainers collaborating on the project.
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