gyp.js

Node.js native addon build tool

gyp.js is a fork for node-gyp a cross-platform command-line tool written in Node.js for compiling native addon modules for Node.js.

The goal of gyp.js is provide an easy-to-use build tool for C/C++ developers for various platforms.

Features:

• Easy to use, consistent interface
• Same commands to build your module on every platform

Installation

You can install with npm:

$ npm install -g gypjs

You will also need to install:

• On Unix:
  • python (v2.7 recommended, v3.x.x is not supported)
  • make
  • A proper C/C++ compiler toolchain, like GCC
• On Windows:
  • [Python]windows-python
  • Windows XP/Vista/7:
    • Microsoft Visual Studio C++ 2010 ([Express][msvc2010] version works well)
    • For 64-bit builds of node and native modules you will also need the [Windows 7 64-bit SDK][win7sdk]
      • If the install fails, try uninstalling any C++ 2010 x64&x86 Redistributable that you have installed first.
    • If you get errors that the 64-bit compilers are not installed you may also need the [compiler update for the Windows SDK 7.1]
  • Windows 7/8:
    • Microsoft Visual Studio C++ 2012 for Windows Desktop ([Express][msvc2012] version works well)

If you have multiple Python versions installed, you can identify which Python version gyp.js uses by setting the '--python' variable:

$ gypjs --python /path/to/python2.7

If gyp.js is called by way of npm and you have multiple versions of Python installed, then you can set npm's 'python' config key to the appropriate value:

$ npm config set python /path/to/executable/python2.7

Note that OS X is just a flavour of Unix and so needs python, make, and C/C++. An easy way to obtain these is to install XCode from Apple, and then use it to install the command line tools (under Preferences -> Downloads).

Examples

Hello world!

Let's make a "Hello world!" executable console in C and build it. Write a package.gyp file with this content:

{
    'targets': [
        {
            'target_name': 'hello',
            'type': 'executable',
                'sources': [
                    'hello.c',
                ],
        },
    ],
}

Write a hello.c file with this content:

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main(void)
{
    printf("Hello, world!\n");
    return 0;
}

The next step is to generate the appropriate project build files for the current platform. Use configure for that:

$ gypjs configure

Note: The configure step looks for the package.gyp file in the current directory to processs. See below for instructions on creating the package.gyp file.

Now you will have either a Makefile (on Unix platforms) or a vcxproj file (on Windows) in the build/ directory. Next invoke the build command:

$ gypjs build

Now, you can find our executable file in build/Release/.