Why we need bazel - Bazel use cases

Bazel is an open-source build and test tool developed by Google. It is designed to build and test software of any size, quickly and reliably. Bazel is optimized for building large-scale projects with multiple dependencies and supports a variety of programming languages.

Key Features of Bazel:

1. Build Speed: Bazel uses advanced caching and parallel execution to achieve fast build times, especially useful for large projects.

2. Scalability: Bazel is designed to handle large codebases with a complex dependency graph efficiently.

3. Language Support: Bazel supports a wide range of programming languages, including but not limited to:

   • Java
   • C++
   • Python
   • JavaScript
   • TypeScript
   • Go
   • Swift
   • Objective-C
   • Rust
   • Scala
   • Kotlin
   • D

   Bazel's language support is extensible through the creation of custom build rules for additional languages.

4. Multi-platform Support: Bazel runs on multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can also target various platforms for cross-compilation.

5. Incremental Builds: Bazel supports incremental builds, where only the necessary parts of the project are rebuilt when changes occur, reducing build times.

6. Extensibility: Bazel provides a flexible framework for defining and customizing build rules and configurations through its rule framework.

Use Cases:

• Large Scale Projects: Bazel is particularly suited for monorepos or projects with extensive dependencies and complex build requirements.

• CI/CD Pipelines: Bazel's ability to perform fast and reliable builds makes it suitable for integration into continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines.

• Google's Internal Use: Bazel originated from Google's internal build system, Blaze, and is widely used within Google for building many of its software projects.

Getting Started:

To use Bazel, you typically define a BUILD file in your project directory where you specify build rules for your project components. Bazel uses these rules to build and test your software based on the specified dependencies and configurations.