cpack

CPack is a packaging tool bundled with CMake that provides a unified approach to creating platform-native installers and archives for software projects. It does not build the software itself, but rather wraps the project into installable packages using a variety of packaging systems through generator backends.

With CPack, packaging is configured in the CMake project. A typical workflow involves adding a final line that includes CPack, set in the CMakeLists file: include(CPack). The metadata and behavior are controlled by CPACK_* variables, including general options such as CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME, CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION, CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION, CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR, and CPACK_PACKAGE_CONTACT. You can also specify a license file and documentation resources. In addition to general options, CPACK supports generator-specific settings for formats like DEB, RPM, NSIS, WIX, ZIP, TGZ, DMG, and more.

CPACK_GENERATOR selects one or more packaging formats. Examples include ZIP or TGZ for archives, DEB or RPM for native installers on Linux, NSIS or WIX for Windows installers, and DMG for macOS. After configuring, you run the cpack command (for example, cpack -G ZIP or simply cpack) to generate the packages. CPack will invoke the appropriate underlying packaging tools on the host system to produce the final artifacts, such as dpkg-deb for DEB or rpmbuild for RPM, when applicable.

CPack is suitable for multi-platform projects because a single CMake configuration can produce multiple package formats. It supports post-install and pre-install scripts, custom install directories, and generator-specific options to tailor packaging to each target platform. While powerful, the available features depend on the chosen generators and the host environment.