How do I create installable packages in Bazel for C++?

Bazel is a powerful build tool that allows you to create and manage C++ projects efficiently. One of the useful features of Bazel is its ability to create installable packages for your C++ applications. This enables you to distribute your software easily across different environments.

To create installable packages in Bazel for a C++ project, you typically define a BUILD file in your project directory. Below is a simple example of how to set up an installable package.

load("@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:cc_library.bzl", "cc_library") load("@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:cc_binary.bzl", "cc_binary") package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"]) cc_library( name = "my_library", srcs = ["my_library.cc"], hdrs = ["my_library.h"], ) cc_binary( name = "my_app", srcs = ["main.cc"], deps = [":my_library"], )

In the example above, we define a C++ library named my_library and a binary target my_app that depends on the library. The package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"]) line ensures that the package is publicly visible, allowing it to be built and distributed.

To install the package, you can create a BUILD file for the installation and use Bazel's install rule. This will help in assembling the resulting binaries and shared libraries tailored for installation.


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