# I Like Makefiles

![rw-book-cover](https://news.ycombinator.com/favicon.ico)

## Metadata
- Author: [[thunderbong]]
- Full Title: I Like Makefiles
- Category: #articles
- URL: https://switowski.com/blog/i-like-makefiles/
- Archive: https://web-archive.alecodes.page/bookmarks?bf=1&search=&title=I%20Like%20Makefiles
> [!tldr]
> The author, Sebastian Witowski, enjoys using makefiles because they provide a consistent way to automate project setups and commands. He finds makefiles simple to write and effective for managing various projects, regardless of the technologies used. While he appreciates other build tools, he prefers to use makefiles for their familiarity and ease of use.

## Highlights
they often follow an unwritten convention of implementing the same set of commands to get you up and running. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8tjgaevhxxyf0b2nf9gnbkd))

Even if I use tools like Docker or gulp in my project, I still use makefiles to orchestrate those tools. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8tjjdw6w421n8jk5vvj6cs5))

Some common tasks that most of my personal projects[[1]](https://switowski.com/blog/i-like-makefiles/#fn1) contain include:
• `dev` to start the development server
• `build` to build the project (if a build step is necessary)
• `deploy` to deploy/publish the project [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8tjknbwkzycf3ft7bka78ym))

Make is simple and doesn't require as many additional dependencies as some other build tools. This can be useful if you need a tool that will work in a restricted environment where installing additional packages is difficult or impossible for security reasons. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j8tjpnwyppr4k1jf6ctx5js0))

