C++ CMake Project Template

A modern C++ project template using CMake for building applications with integrated testing support.

Project Structure

├── app/                 # Main application
├── src/                 # Library source code
├── test/                # Unit tests (GoogleTest)
├── cmake/               # CMake utility scripts
└── CMakeLists.txt       # Root CMake configuration

Quick Start

Basic Build

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

Recommended Build (with Ninja)

For faster build times, use Ninja as the CMake generator:

cmake -S . -B build -GNinja
cmake --build build

Running the Application

After building, the executable will be located at:

./build/app/project_template

Testing

Enable and Build Tests

cmake -S . -B build -DENABLE_TESTING=ON
cmake --build build

Run Tests

# Run all tests
cmake --build build --target test

# Or using CTest directly
cd build
ctest

# Useful CTest options
ctest --rerun-failed --output-on-failure

Build Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
ENABLE_TESTING	Enable building test applications	OFF
WARNINGS_AS_ERRORS	Treat compiler warnings as errors	OFF

Example with Options

cmake -S . -B build -DENABLE_TESTING=ON -DWARNINGS_AS_ERRORS=ON
cmake --build build

Build Performance Comparison

The template supports both Ninja and Makefiles generators. Here's a performance comparison:

Ninja Generator:

❯ cmake --build build
[0/2] Re-checking globbed directories...
[14/14] Linking CXX executable test/project_template_test
# Build time: ~8s

Makefile Generator:

❯ cmake --build build
[  7%] Building CXX object src/CMakeFiles/project_template_lib.dir/lib.cpp.o
[ 14%] Linking CXX static library libproject_template_lib.a
# ... (more verbose output)
[100%] Linking CXX static library ../../../lib/libgmock_main.a
# Build time: ~13s

Features

• Modern C++17 standard
• Modular structure with separate library and application
• Integrated testing with GoogleTest
• Build optimization with ccache support
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Out-of-source builds enforced
• Compile commands generation for IDE support

Requirements

• CMake 3.14 or higher
• C++17 compatible compiler
• Optional: Ninja build system for faster builds
• Optional: ccache for build caching

Development

The project follows a library + application pattern:

• src/ contains the core library functionality
• app/ contains the main application that uses the library
• test/ contains unit tests for the library

To add new functionality:

1. Add source files to src/
2. Add corresponding tests to test/
3. The CMake configuration will automatically detect new files

Clean Build

To start fresh:

rm -rf build
cmake -S . -B build -GNinja
cmake --build build