Premake

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

What Premake is

Premake reads a scripted project definition and turns it into project files for development toolsets, including Visual Studio, Xcode, and GNU Make. Premake 5.0 generates projects for C, C++, and C#, with built-in generators also covering CodeLite and Ninja. Its Lua environment can automate configuration work such as setting up source checkouts and packaging deployments. Add-on modules extend support to other languages, frameworks, and toolsets; listed integrations include Android Studio, Eclipse, NetBeans, Qt Creator/qmake, and others. Modules also cover build systems, compile_commands.json exports, and platforms including Android NDK and Emscripten. Generated projects can support 32-bit and 64-bit builds, plus Xbox 360 builds through Visual Studio. Premake is free, with BSD-licensed source code, and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows as a single-file command-line executable. Its documentation says it needs no additional libraries or runtimes. The documentation notes that generated Makefiles do not include a make install step by default.

Who it suits

Premake suits developers who want to define projects in scripts and generate files for multiple toolsets. Its Lua automation and add-on modules may be useful for teams with configuration or deployment tasks to automate.

What it does well

Free, with source code under the BSD License
Built-in generators include Visual Studio, Xcode, and GNU Make
Lua scripting can automate configuration tasks
Single-file executable for Linux, macOS, and Windows

What to know first

Generated Makefiles lack a make install step by default
Help is directed to community Discussions and Stack Overflow

Limits

Generated Makefiles do not support a make install step by default. Premake 5.0 lists project generation for C, C++, and C#.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Premake	Single-file command line executable · BSD-licensed source code	Free

As premake.github.io lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Premake website.
Open the downloads page and choose the binary for Windows, Linux, or macOS.
Use a scripted software project definition for Premake to read.
Choose a built-in generator such as Visual Studio, Xcode, or GNU Make.

Verdict

Premake offers a script-based route to generating project files across several toolsets, with extension modules for additional integrations. Check its Makefile limitation if your workflow depends on a generated install step.

Questions

How much does Premake cost?

Premake is free. The listed plan is free.

Which operating systems does Premake support?

Premake is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Which project files can it generate?

Built-in generators include CodeLite, GNU Make, Visual Studio, Ninja, and Xcode.

Is Premake open source?

Its source code is available under the BSD License.

Which languages can Premake 5.0 generate projects for?

It can generate projects for C, C++, and C#.

Where can users get help?

The site links to community Discussions and Stack Overflow.

Facts from Premake's own pages

Build integrations: The modules list includes CMake and Ninja build system modules and exporters for compile_commands.json. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Extensibility: Add-on modules can extend Premake with support for additional languages, frameworks, and toolsets. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
IDE integrations: Community modules list support for Android Studio, Code::Blocks, Eclipse, NetBeans, SlickEdit, and Qt Creator/qmake. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Installation: Premake is distributed as a self-contained single-file command line executable; its downloads page lists Windows, Linux, and macOS binaries. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Languages: Premake 5.0 can generate projects for C, C++, and C#. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Limits: The current documentation says generated Makefiles do not support a make install step by default. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Platform modules: Listed modules add support for Android NDK, Emscripten, Native Client, Windows Runtime, and Xbox 360. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Project generators: Built-in generators include CodeLite, GNU Make, Visual Studio, Ninja, and Xcode. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: Premake reads a scripted software project definition and generates project files for toolsets such as Visual Studio, Xcode, and GNU Make. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Scripting: Premake includes a Lua scripting environment for automating configuration tasks, including source checkout setup and deployment packaging. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Security: The documentation says Premake requires no additional libraries or runtimes to be installed. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Source license: Premake's source code is available under the BSD License. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The site links users to community Discussions and Stack Overflow for help. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026
Supported builds: Premake 5.0 generated projects can support 32-bit and 64-bit builds, and Xbox 360 builds through Visual Studio. · premake.github.io, 11 Oct 2026

Where Premake stands on Freedom251

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