Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ninja Build VS Portable Python

Compare Ninja Build VS Portable Python and see what are their differences

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Ninja Build logo Ninja Build

Ninja is a small build system with a focus on speed.

Portable Python logo Portable Python

Minimum bare bones portable python distribution with PyScripter as development environment.
  • Ninja Build Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14
  • Portable Python Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

Ninja Build features and specs

  • 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
    Ninjaโ€™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 of Ninja Build

  • 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.

Portable Python features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Portable Python comes with everything configured and ready to run, making it easy for users to start working with Python without extensive setup.
  • Portability
    It can be run from a USB stick or any other portable device, which makes it convenient for use across different computers without installation.
  • Integrated Packages
    Includes a collection of Python packages and tools, such as PyCharm, PyQT, and Django, which streamlines the development process.
  • No Administrative Privileges Needed
    Users can run Portable Python without needing administrative privileges on Windows machines, making it accessible in restricted environments.

Possible disadvantages of Portable Python

  • Lack of Updates
    Portable Python is not frequently updated, which may lead to compatibility issues with newer Python projects and libraries.
  • Limited Support
    Being less popular compared to standard Python distributions, it may lack community support and comprehensive documentation.
  • Windows Only
    Portable Python is designed primarily for Windows environments, limiting its accessibility for users on other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Dependency Conflicts
    Managing and updating packages may lead to conflicts, especially as the application ages and dependencies change over time.

Analysis of Ninja Build

Overall verdict

  • Ninja Build is considered a strong choice for users seeking a fast, reliable, and efficient build system. Its simplicity and focus on performance make it appealing to developers working on projects where build speed is critical.

Why this product is good

  • Ninja Build is a high-performance build system designed to handle complex build processes efficiently. It is known for its minimalistic yet powerful design, which allows for faster build times compared to traditional build systems like Make. Its approach to dependency tracking and parallelism is optimized for modern build environments, making it suitable for large codebases and incremental builds.

Recommended for

    Ninja Build is recommended for developers working on large-scale projects with complex build processes, particularly in environments where build speed and efficiency are prioritized. It is especially beneficial for projects that are continuously integrated or require frequent incremental builds.

Ninja Build videos

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

Portable Python videos

No Portable Python videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ninja Build and Portable Python)
Front End Package Manager
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
JS Build Tools
100 100%
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ninja Build seems to be a lot more popular than Portable Python. While we know about 23 links to Ninja Build, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Portable Python. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ninja Build mentions (23)

  • 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 / 11 months 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 โ€“ 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
  • Ask HN: What outdated tech are you still using and are perfectly happy with?
    Really? I thought most new projects were switching to ninja[^1] and have never used it. [^1]: https://ninja-build.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • What was used to build C++ programs before Cmake?
    Ninja showed real promise for a while, but then CMake grew up and people stopped seeing a reason to leave it behind. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

Portable Python mentions (2)

  • Can my work till if I run Linux from a USB?
    Not likely, unless they were LOOKING for that kind of thing, which is also unlikely. However, many companies lock the bios to stop you changing the preferred boot order of the PC. You could also consider using Python Portable, therefore would not be actually installing anything https://sourceforge.net/projects/portable-python/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Problem with rembg and portable python 3.8.9 x64
    Hello, i'm a compelte noob in python and have a problem with run rembg with portable python 3.8.9x64 (downloaded from https://sourceforge.net/projects/portable-python/). Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ninja Build and Portable Python, you can also consider the following products

GNU Make - GNU Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files of a program from the program's source files.

WinPython - The easiest way to run Python, Spyder with SciPy and friends out of the box on any Windows PC...

SCons - SCons is an Open Source software construction toolโ€”that is, a next-generation build tool.

PyCharm - Python & Django IDE with intelligent code completion, on-the-fly error checking, quick-fixes, and much more...

npm - npm is a package manager for Node.

Anaconda - Anaconda is the leading open data science platform powered by Python.