ndmitchell/shake

Shake build system

802

stars

5,200

commits

Haskell

primary language

Jan 19, 2026

updated

shakebuild.com

README

Shake Hackage version Stackage version Build status

Shake is a tool for writing build systems - an alternative to make, Scons, Ant etc. Shake has been used commercially for over five years, running thousands of builds per day. The website for Shake users is at shakebuild.com.

Documentation

  • Why use Shake? Shake lets you write large robust build systems, which deal properly with generated source files and run quickly. If you are writing a custom build system of any moderate size (more than a few rules) you should use Shake. The advantages over other build systems are detailed in the document Why choose Shake?.
  • How do I use Shake? Shake is a Haskell library that you use to define your rules. The Shake manual provides a walk through of a small but realistic example, assuming no Haskell knowledge.
  • Generated documentation for all functions, includes lots of examples.
  • Blog posts detailing ongoing development work.
  • Academic paper on the underlying principles behind Shake.
  • Download the Haskell package from Hackage and install it using Cabal.
  • Mailing list for any questions/bugs/thoughts on Shake. If you need more information and aren't sure where to start, use the mailing list.
  • Questions can be asked on StackOverflow with the tag shake-build-system.

Is your company using Shake? Write something public (even just a tweet to @ndm_haskell) and I'll include a link on the website.

Contributors

(top 30 of 73)

ndmitchell

4,962 commits

jacereda

56 commits

pepeiborra

21 commits

dwijnand

21 commits

ndmitchell/shake

Shake build system

802

stars

5,200

commits

Haskell

primary language

Jan 19, 2026

updated

shakebuild.com

README

Shake Hackage version Stackage version Build status

Shake is a tool for writing build systems - an alternative to make, Scons, Ant etc. Shake has been used commercially for over five years, running thousands of builds per day. The website for Shake users is at shakebuild.com.

Documentation

  • Why use Shake? Shake lets you write large robust build systems, which deal properly with generated source files and run quickly. If you are writing a custom build system of any moderate size (more than a few rules) you should use Shake. The advantages over other build systems are detailed in the document Why choose Shake?.
  • How do I use Shake? Shake is a Haskell library that you use to define your rules. The Shake manual provides a walk through of a small but realistic example, assuming no Haskell knowledge.
  • Generated documentation for all functions, includes lots of examples.
  • Blog posts detailing ongoing development work.
  • Academic paper on the underlying principles behind Shake.
  • Download the Haskell package from Hackage and install it using Cabal.
  • Mailing list for any questions/bugs/thoughts on Shake. If you need more information and aren't sure where to start, use the mailing list.
  • Questions can be asked on StackOverflow with the tag shake-build-system.

Is your company using Shake? Write something public (even just a tweet to @ndm_haskell) and I'll include a link on the website.

Contributors

(top 30 of 73)

ndmitchell

4,962 commits

jacereda

56 commits

pepeiborra

21 commits

dwijnand

21 commits

Languages

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