Makefile & Build

Write Makefiles for project automation across any language. Covers targets, dependencies, variables, pattern rules, phony targets, and using Make for Go, Python, Docker, and Node.js projects. Includes Just and Task as modern alternatives.

When to Use

• Automating build, test, lint, deploy commands
• Defining dependencies between tasks (build before test)
• Creating a project-level task runner (consistent across team)
• Replacing long CLI commands with short memorable targets
• Managing multi-step build processes
• Any project that needs a make build && make test && make deploy workflow

Makefile Basics

Structure

# target: prerequisites