BitBake vs FASTBuild
BitBake
docs.yoctoproject.org
FASTBuild
fastbuild.orgSide by side
| Figure | BitBake | FASTBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Build Automation Software | 7.3 (#31) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Integrations | BitBake is the primary build tool for OpenEmbedded-based projects, including the Yocto Project. | The download page lists third-party Unreal Engine 4 integrations and Visual Studio and VSCode-related tooling. |
| Purpose | BitBake is a generic task execution engine that runs shell and Python tasks in parallel while managing dependencies. | FASTBuild is an open-source build system for scalable compilation, caching, and network distribution. |
Plans
In their own words
BitBake
BitBake has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
FASTBuild
FASTBuild is an open-source build system for compiling software across Linux, macOS and Windows. It runs compilation work across worker threads, can reuse results from local or network caches, and can distribute builds among networked machines when their settings and worker setup are compatible. The maker says caching can accelerate compile times up to 10x. Some compiler settings do not support caching or distribution; FASTBuild handles affected objects without caching or builds them locally. Supported toolchains include MSVC, GCC, SNC, Clang, GreenHills, CodeWarrior and NVCC, plus syntactically compatible command-line compilers. It can combine C++ files into Unity or Blob builds, while allowing writable files to be built individually for quicker iteration. FASTBuild can generate Visual Studio and XCode project files. The maker describes it as a self-contained executable that needs no installation or dependencies beyond compiler tools. It is free, with commercial use and redistribution allowed under license conditions; the license provides the software without warranty. The listed current release is v1.20, released 26-Apr-2026.