C++ CMake Starter Template

🧰 This repository is a reusable C++ + CMake starter template.
Click on "Use this template" (top right of the page) to start your own project based on it.

This repository provides a clean and cross-platform C++ project template using CMake and Makefile. It is designed for modern C++ development with easy compilation on Linux, Windows, and macOS, and supports both static and dynamic linking.

✅ Features

• 🧱 Minimal and modular CMakeLists.txt
• 🔧 Customizable Makefile (Release / Debug / Clean)
• 📦 Static linking support via BUILD_STATIC option
• 🛠️ Support for Debug and Release builds
• 💡 Automatically generates compile_commands.json for LSPs
• 🪟🖥️ Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux
• 🧪 Ready for unit testing integration

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📁 Project Structure

project-root/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── Makefile
├── src/
│   └── main.cpp

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🚀 Quick Start

🖥️ Linux / macOS

Release build

make

Debug build

make debug

Static builds

make static

Install binaries

sudo make install

It will install the binaries in /usr/local/bin/

Launch tests

make test

Clean builds

make clean

Run the program

./MyProject

Show available Makefile targets

You can run:

make help

to display all available build targets and customizable variables.

🪟 Windows (MinGW or WSL)

make
# or use CMake directly
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBUILD_STATIC=ON
cmake --build build

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⚙️ CMake Options

Option	Default	Description
BUILD_STATIC	OFF	Enables static linking of stdlib/gcc
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE	Release	Enables optimization or debug symbols

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🛠️ Output Directory

You can change the output directory of the final binary by modifying the following line in the Makefile:

OUTPUT_DIR := .  # Output directory for binaries (can be changed as needed)

This lets you control whether the binary appears in the project root, a bin/ folder, or elsewhere.

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🧪 Testing (Optional)

The CMake config includes a placeholder for adding tests:

enable_testing()
# add_subdirectory(test)

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🧑‍💻 Use as a template

To adapt this template to your project:

1. Change the project name
   Modify the following line in CMakeLists.txt :

   project(MyProject VERSION 0.1.0 LANGUAGES CXX)

   Replace MyProject with your project name.

2. Add your source files
   Place your .cpp files in src/ and your headers in include/. CMakeLists automatically detects new files.

3. Add dependencies Use find_package() or add_subdirectory() in CMakeLists.txt to integrate external libraries.

4. Disable Tests Set -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF to CMake or modify the option in the file.

5. Change the Output Folder Modify the OUTPUT_DIR variable in the Makefile.

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📚 Add external libraries with FetchContent (modular method)

To add an external dependency using FetchContent, you can:

1. Create a .cmake file for the library inside the cmake folder.
2. Use include(...) in your CMakeLists.txt to load it.
3. Link it to your targets.

🛠 Example: Adding fmt

1. Create a new file at cmake/fmt.cmake

include(FetchContent)

FetchContent_Declare(
  fmt
  GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt.git
  GIT_TAG        11.2.0
)

FetchContent_MakeAvailable(fmt)

2. Modify your CMakeLists.txt

At the top of your CMakeLists.txt, add:

list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake")
include(fmt)

Then link fmt to your target:

target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE fmt::fmt)

3. Use the library in your code

In the main.cpp:

#include <fmt/core.h>

int main() {
    fmt::print("Hello, formatted world!\n");
    return 0;
}

This method keeps your project modular and clean, especially when managing multiple dependencies.

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🧰 Requirements

🖥️ Linux/macOS

Make sure you have the following installed:

sudo apt install build-essential cmake

Or on macOS (with Homebrew):

brew install cmake

🪟 Windows (with MinGW or VS)

Install:

• CMake

• A C++ compiler like:

  • MinGW (e.g. via MSYS2 or WinLibs)
  • Visual Studio with Desktop C++ Tools

Make sure cmake, make (or ninja) are installed and your compiler are in the PATH.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — feel free to use it as a boilerplate for your own C++ projects.

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✨ Author

Made with ❤️ by Evr5 Feel free to contribute, fork, or suggest improvements!