Ninja vs Open Build Service
Ninja
ninja-build.orgOpen Build Service
openbuildservice.orgSide by side
| Figure | Ninja | Open Build Service |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Build Automation Software | 8.1 (#13) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Integrations | GN and CMake can generate Ninja files; the manual also names Premake as a possible fit. | The OBS API lets clients and external services interface with OBS resources. |
| License | The project repository identifies its license as Apache-2.0. | OBS is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), and can be installed on users’ own hardware or in their data center. |
| Purpose | Ninja is a small build system designed to evaluate incremental builds quickly. | OBS automatically builds and distributes binary packages from source code in a consistent and reproducible way. |
| Support | The project site links to a mailing list and lists the #ninja-build IRC channel on irc.oftc.net. | Community help is available through OBS IRC and a mailing list; commercial consulting, training, or SLA support is offered by listed partners, while the project says it has no product or service offering of its own. |
Plans
In their own words
Open Build Service
Open Build Service (OBS) builds and distributes binary packages from source code in a consistent, reproducible way. Each package is built in a fresh jailed environment; when a build succeeds, OBS rebuilds packages that depend on it. The service can release packages, updates, add-ons, appliances, and complete distributions for different operating systems and hardware architectures. Documented package formats include RPM, DEB, and Arch, with recipes in formats such as spec, dsc, KIWI, and mkosi. Teams can use access controls, branches, merge requests, and submission reviews to coordinate work. GitHub.com and GitLab.com integrations are supported, as are self-hosted GitHub, GitLab, and Gitea instances when network connectivity works. The API gives clients and external services access to OBS resources, while the osc command-line client can edit sources and metadata, start builds, and gather results. OBS is GPL-licensed free software, available on a reference server for open-source developers or for installation on users’ own hardware or in a data center. The listed plan is free.