distcc vs Shake

distcc is free software that distributes C, C++, Objective C, and Objective C++ builds across networked machines. It sends preprocessed source code to machines running the distccd daemon and a suitable compiler. The project says distributed builds should match local results and are usually faster than compiling locally. distcc works with GNU Make, SCons, and other parallel build tools. Machines with different processors or operating systems can participate when suitable cross-compilers are installed. GCC is fully supported; Intel icc is somewhat compatible, and the FAQ reports Sun’s proprietary compiler working in C mode. The project is developed on GNU/Linux and reports use on several Unix-like systems, Cygwin, and BSD/OS; listed platforms include Linux, macOS, self-hosted use, and Windows. TCP transmissions are neither encrypted nor signed, while SSH connections are authenticated and encrypted. The FAQ says distcc does not automatically find the best work distribution. Related tools cover server selection, control, cross-compilation, and monitoring.

Shake is an open-source Haskell library for writing build systems, positioned as an alternative to make, Ant, and SCons. Build rules can discover dependencies after earlier rules run, including dependencies revealed by generated files. Supported dependency inputs include files, file existence, environment variables, directory contents, and user-defined values. Shake provides parallel and multicore builds, resource constraints, build caching, and avoids rebuilding outputs when dependency changes do not alter results. Profiling reports can include plots, tables, graphs, and explanations of what built and why. It reports estimated completion time and percentage complete, with progress information usable in continuous-integration systems such as Team City. Shake can execute Ninja files for integration with CMake and Meson, and can build projects using mixed languages, including C/C++, Docker, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Build definitions are Haskell programs, although the manual targets readers without prior Haskell knowledge. Shake runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is licensed under BSD. Installation uses Haskell Stack followed by `stack install shake`.