Bazel 104: C++

Given the shortcomings of alternatives like cmake, Bazel is a pretty great choice for C++ applications, even if you don’t need a multi-language or multi-application monorepo.

We’ll use the following tools and libraries:

• Bazel Central Registry has a bunch of C++ libraries which can be built from source within your build.
• Bazel Central Registry | toolchains_llvm adds a hermetic C++ toolchain to Bazel, which can include a sysroot that fully decouples build results from packages installed on the host machine. There are options for other compilers like gcc too.
• Bazel Central Registry | rules_foreign_cc lets you re-use legacy builds under Bazel, for example using cmake.
• https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_cc is a re-implementation of Bazel’s built-in C++ rules in Starlark, Bazel’s extension language.
• Aspect CLI | Aspect Docs includes a configure command that can do some auto-generation of BUILD files, freeing you from some of the tedium of specifying sources and dependencies.

Before starting the course, we assume you’ve already taken Bazel 101.

You should also run aspect init and select the “C/C++” option, as well as Linting, Stamping, and OCI containers if you’d like to learn these.

Outline