Make
Make is a build automation tool that automatically determines which pieces of a large program need to be recompiled and issues commands to recompile them. It reads instructions from a 'Makefile' that specifies how to derive target files from source files, using shell commands and dependency rules. Originally developed for Unix systems, it is widely used in software development to manage compilation, testing, and deployment tasks.
Developers should learn Make when working on projects with multiple source files, especially in C/C++ development, where manual compilation is error-prone and time-consuming. It is essential for automating repetitive build processes, ensuring consistency across environments, and integrating with continuous integration pipelines. Use cases include compiling software from source, managing dependencies, and orchestrating complex workflows like data processing or documentation generation.