Ninja Build VS git-fastclone

• Speed
  Ninja is designed for high performance, making it one of the fastest build systems available. It minimizes the time spent on tasks such as parsing, dependency resolution, and build command execution.
• Simplicity
  Ninja’s configuration syntax is straightforward and concise, reducing the complexity involved in setting up builds and allowing for a clear overview of build rules.
• Parallelism
  Ninja excels at handling parallel builds, leveraging multiple cores effectively to decrease overall build times.
• Incremental Builds
  Ninja efficiently handles incremental builds by only recompiling what is necessary, which significantly speeds up iterative development processes.
• Integration
  Ninja is often used as the backend for more complex build systems (e.g., CMake), making it a versatile tool within a larger toolchain.

Possible disadvantages

• Limited Features
  Ninja is deliberately minimalist, lacking many of the features found in other build systems, such as built-in support for complex dependency management and custom build steps.
• Learning Curve
  While Ninja itself has a simple syntax, the learning curve can be steep for those unfamiliar with how build systems work or for those coming from more feature-rich environments.
• Dependency on Generators
  Ninja often requires an external generator (like CMake) to create its build files, which can add to the setup complexity and introduce dependencies on other tools.
• Limited Scripting Capabilities
  Unlike some build systems that offer extensive scripting support (e.g., Python in SCons), Ninja's functionality is largely limited to what its syntax and predefined rules allow.
• Less Flexibility
  Due to its minimalist nature, Ninja may not be as flexible as other build systems, potentially limiting its use in more complex or unusual build scenarios.

• Faster clone times
  git-fastclone speeds up cloning of repositories with submodules by using reference repositories and caching, avoiding redundant downloads of shared objects across multiple clones.
• Efficient submodule handling
  It automates the recursive cloning and updating of git submodules, reducing the manual overhead typically involved in managing nested repositories.
• Local object caching
  By maintaining a local cache of repository objects, it minimizes network usage and disk space when cloning multiple repositories that share common history or dependencies.
• Simple drop-in usage
  It is designed to be used similarly to the standard git clone command, making it easy for teams to adopt without significant changes to their existing workflows.
• Useful for CI/CD pipelines
  Its speed improvements are particularly beneficial in continuous integration environments where repositories with many submodules are cloned repeatedly, reducing build times.

Possible disadvantages

• Limited maintenance
  The project has seen infrequent updates and community activity in recent years, which may raise concerns about long-term support and compatibility with newer git versions.
• Narrow use case
  It is primarily beneficial for repositories with many submodules; for simple repositories without submodules, the performance gains are minimal or negligible.
• Additional complexity
  Introducing a caching and reference mechanism adds complexity to the clone process, which could lead to unexpected issues if the cache becomes corrupted or outdated.
• Dependency on Ruby environment
  Since git-fastclone is implemented as a Ruby gem, users need a working Ruby environment installed, which can be an extra setup requirement for teams not already using Ruby.
• Potential caching pitfalls
  Improper cache invalidation or stale cached objects can potentially lead to inconsistencies in cloned repositories if not carefully managed.

FORTNITE STW: HERE IS THE BEST NINJA BUILD (AFTER MONTHS OF TESTING)

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• CMake Made Simple: A Reusable Template for Your First C++ Project

  On Windows, download the binaries from the cmake and Ninja websites. After that, add the executables to your PATH. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago

• TypeScript's Successor is Waiting, and You'll Never Want to Turn Back

  Under the hood, Rescript uses a build system called Ninja. Ninja is similar to Make, but cross-platform and more minimal/performant. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago

• Using Make – writing less Makefile

  Ninja was super easy to pick up even after using make for some time (10+ years). GN is just a ninja generator that is optional. https://gn.googlesource.com/gn/+/main/docs/quick_start.md https://ninja-build.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago

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Tracking git-fastclone since Mar 2021.