https://github.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf
🍃Leaf a modern, fast, and intuitive project/package manager for C++
https://github.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf
cli cross-platform modern-cpp package-manager project-management
Last synced: 2 months ago
JSON representation
🍃Leaf a modern, fast, and intuitive project/package manager for C++
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf
- Owner: vishal-ahirwar
- Created: 2025-09-01T07:04:23.000Z (10 months ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-13T15:42:55.000Z (3 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-13T17:36:11.645Z (3 months ago)
- Topics: cli, cross-platform, modern-cpp, package-manager, project-management
- Language: C++
- Homepage: https://vishal-ahirwar.github.io/leaf.dev/
- Size: 233 KB
- Stars: 11
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# 🍃 Leaf
A modern, fast, and intuitive package manager for C++ - inspired by Cargo for Rust.
## Overview
Leaf aims to bring the simplicity and power of Cargo to the C++ ecosystem. Just like how Cargo revolutionized Rust development, Leaf streamlines C++ project management with:
- **Simple project initialization** - Get started with a single command
- **Dependency management** - Add, remove, and update dependencies effortlessly
- **Build system integration** - Works seamlessly with CMake and other build systems
- **Package registry** - Discover and share C++ libraries
- **Cross-platform support** - Windows, Linux, and macOS
## Features
- **Fast project setup** - `leaf new` and you're ready to code
- **Dependency management** - Add libraries with `leaf addpkg boost fmt spdlog`
- **Build integration** - Automatic CMake generation and build orchestration
- **Registry support** - Access to popular C++ libraries
- **Parallel builds** - Multi-threaded compilation for faster builds
- **Clean management** - Easy cleanup of build artifacts
- **Detailed logging** - Beautiful, colored output with progress indicators
## Installation
### Install with scripts
#### Windows (`install.bat`)
```bat
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf/master/install.bat -OutFile install.bat; .\install.bat"
```
#### macOS / Linux (`install.sh`)
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf/master/install.sh | bash
```
After installation, open a new terminal and verify:
```bash
leaf version
```
If you want to use mingw, this will setup mingw based toolchain on host os
```bash
leaf setup --mingw
```
If you want to use clang, this will install all the tools you need to compile your project
using clang, on windows it will install visual studio build tools too
```bash
leaf setup
```
### Build from source
### Prerequisites
- C++20 compatible compiler ( Clang 19++)
- CMake 3.20+
- Conan 2.0+ (for dependency resolution)
#### Using Leaf (Self-bootstrapping)
```bash
git clone --recursive https://github.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf.git
cd leaf
leaf build # Uses existing Leaf installation to build itself
```
#### Manual CMake Build
```bash
git clone --recursive https://github.com/vishal-ahirwar/leaf.git
cd leaf
python3 build.py
```
### Development Tools Generated
Leaf automatically generates development configuration files:
- `.clang-format` - Code formatting rules
- `compile_commands.json` - For clangd LSP support
- `.clangd` - Language server configuration
## Quick Start
### Create a new project
```bash
leaf new hello-world
cd hello-world
```
### Add dependencies
```bash
leaf addpkg fmt boost spdlog
```
### Build your project
```bash
leaf build # Debug build
leaf build --release # Release build
leaf build --target
```
### Run your project
```bash
leaf run
leaf run --release
leaf run --target
leaf run --app
```
### Test your project
```bash
leaf test
```
## Project Structure
Leaf follows a conventional project layout
## Advanced Usage
# Features you will see in upcoming release
### Custom Build Scripts
```bash
# Pre-build script
leaf build --script prebuild.py
# Post-build hook
leaf build --post-script "cpack -G DEB"
```
### Cross-compilation
```bash
# Android cross-compilation
leaf build --target android-arm64
leaf build --target android-x86_64
# Web/WASM compilation
leaf build --target wasm32-emscripten
leaf build --target wasm32-wasi
# Other targets
leaf build --target x86_64-linux-gnu
leaf build --target aarch64-apple-darwin
leaf build --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
```
#### Android Cross-compilation Setup
```bash
# Build for Android
leaf build --target android-arm64
```
#### Web/WASM Compilation Setup
```bash
# Build for Web
leaf build --target wasm32-emscripten
# The output will be .wasm + .js files ready for web deployment
```
#### Packages sharing
```bash
leaf publish
leaf publish --remote
```
#### Setup registry for private packages
```bash
leaf setup --registry
leaf serve --registry
```
## Integration with IDEs
### CLion & Vscode
Leaf automatically generates CMake files and `compile_commands.json` that CLion can import directly. The generated `.clangd` configuration provides optimal IntelliSense support.
### Vim/Neovim
With generated development files:
- `compile_commands.json` - For LSP completion via clangd
- `.clangd` - Configured for optimal C++ support
- `.clang-format` - Consistent code formatting
## Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
#### Development Tools Integration
The build system automatically configures:
**.clang-format**
```yaml
BasedOnStyle: Google
IndentWidth: 2
ColumnLimit: 100
SortIncludes: true
```
**.clangd**
```yaml
CompileFlags:
Add: [-std=c++20, -Wall, -Wextra]
Remove: [-W*, -std=*]
Index:
Background: Build
```
**compile_commands.json**
Generated automatically for perfect LSP integration with any editor.
## Roadmap
- [x] **v0.1.0** - Basic project management and dependency resolution
- [x] **v0.2.0** - Package registry and publishing
- [ ] **v0.3.0** - Workspace support and multi-project management
- [ ] **v0.4.0** - IDE integrations and tooling
- [ ] **v0.5.0** - Cross-compilation and target management
- [ ] **v1.0.0** - Stable API and production ready
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## Acknowledgments
- Inspired by [Cargo](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/) for Rust
- Built on top of [Conan](https://conan.io/) for dependency resolution
- Uses [CMake](https://cmake.org/) for build system generation
---
**Made with ❤️ for the C++ community**
*"Just like a leaf makes the tree beautiful, Leaf makes C++ development beautiful."*