platformtargeting

Platform targeting is the practice of designing, building, and packaging software with explicit regard to the hardware and software environments in which it will run. It specifies the intended operating system, processor architecture, runtime or VM, and other platform constraints, so that generated artifacts are compatible and perform optimally on those targets.

It encompasses decisions about OS families (such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS), CPU architectures (x86, x64, ARM, ARM64), and runtime environments (such as .NET, Java, or native code). It may also cover packaging details, language interop, and optional features that depend on platform capabilities. When platform targeting is defined, build tools produce artifacts that can be installed or executed on systems with the specified characteristics.

Examples include .NET projects using the PlatformTarget setting to produce x86, x64, or AnyCPU binaries; Android apps organizing architecture-specific APKs or App Bundles for armeabi-v7a and arm64-v8a; iOS/macOS builds that generate arm64 or x86_64 slices; and native cross-compilation where toolchains produce binaries for specific ABIs. In web and cross-platform runtimes, platform targeting is often less rigid, but still managed through polyfills, shims, or conditional code paths.

Key considerations include ensuring runtime compatibility, avoiding architecture-related errors, and balancing distribution size against support for multiple targets. Comprehensive testing across targeted platforms is essential, and teams may choose to maintain separate artifacts or use multi-arch packaging to support a broad user base.