A single-header C library for building projects with minimal dependencies using build recipes in C itself. Provides dynamic arrays, string builder and view, temp functions, cross-platform file handling, and CONSTRUCT build system (Make-style).
Inspired by and simplified from nob.h.
- Dynamic arrays with automatic growth/shrink
- String builders and string views
- Cross-platform file operations
- Temporary string functions
- Logging utilities
- Build system with dependency tracking (CONSTRUCT)
- Header-only library
Traditional build systems have drawbacks:
- Make: Limited language, platform-specific syntax
- CMake: Complex DSL, steep learning curve
- Shell scripts: Not cross-platform, poor error handling
construct.h lets you write build scripts in C with:
- Full C language power
- Cross-platform by default
- Incremental builds (CONSTRUCT system)
The build system tracks dependencies and rebuilds only when needed (Like Make):
ConstructRules rules = {0};
ConstructRule rule = {SA("build/project"), SA("src/main.c"), 0};
command_append(&rule.command,"gcc", "src/main.c", "-o", "build/project", "-Wall -Wextra -Werror -O3");
da_append(&rules, rule);
if (!run_construct(&rules, true)) {print_log(ERROR, "Build failed"); return 1;}
print_log(INFO, "Build finished");
return 0;The build system:
- Checks if targets exist
- Compares modification times
- Runs commands only when targets are missing or out of date
- Handles dependency chains automatically
- Auto dependency scanning