Bazel Tutorial: Configure C++ Toolchains

This tutorial uses an example scenario to describe how to configure C++ toolchains for a project. It's based on an example C++ project that builds error-free using clang.

What you'll learn

In this tutorial you learn how to:

Set up the build environment
Configure the C++ toolchain
Create a Starlark rule that provides additional configuration for the cc_toolchain so that Bazel can build the application with clang
Confirm expected outcome by running bazel build --config=clang_config //main:hello-world on a Linux machine
Build the C++ application

Before you begin

Set up the build environment

This tutorial assumes you are on Linux and have successfully built C++ applications and installed the appropriate tooling and libraries. The tutorial uses clang version 9.0.1, which you can install on your system.

Set up your build environment as follows:

If you have not already done so, download and install Bazel 0.23 or later.
Download the example C++ project from GitHub and place it in an empty directory on your local machine.

Add the following cc_binary target to the main/BUILD file:

python

cc_binary(
    name = "hello-world",
    srcs = ["hello-world.cc"],
)

Create a .bazelrc file at the root of the workspace directory with the following contents to enable the use of the --config flag:

# Use our custom-configured c++ toolchain.

build:clang_config --crosstool_top=//toolchain:clang_suite

# Use --cpu as a differentiator.

build:clang_config --cpu=k8

# Use the default Bazel C++ toolchain to build the tools used during the
# build.

build:clang_config --host_crosstool_top=@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain

For an entry build:{config_name} --flag=value, the command line flag --config={config_name} is associated with that particular flag. See documentation for the flags used: crosstool_top, cpu and host_crosstool_top.

When you build your target with bazel build --config=clang_config //main:hello-world, Bazel uses your custom toolchain from the cc_toolchain_suite //toolchain:clang_suite. The suite may list different toolchains for different CPUs, and that's why it is differentiated with the flag --cpu=k8.

Because Bazel uses many internal tools written in C++ during the build, such as process-wrapper, the pre-existing default C++ toolchain is specified for the host platform, so that these tools are built using that toolchain instead of the one created in this tutorial.

Configuring the C++ toolchain

To configure the C++ toolchain, repeatedly build the application and eliminate each error one by one as described below.

Note: This tutorial assumes you're using Bazel 0.23 or later. If you're using an older release of Bazel, look for the "Configuring CROSSTOOL" tutorial. It also assumes clang version 9.0.1, although the details should only change slightly between different versions of clang.

Run the build with the following command:
```
bazel build --config=clang_config //main:hello-world
```
Because you specified --crosstool_top=//toolchain:clang_suite in the .bazelrc file, Bazel throws the following error:
```
No such package `toolchain`: BUILD file not found on package path.
```
In the workspace directory, create the toolchain directory for the package and an empty BUILD file inside the toolchain directory.

Run the build again. Because the toolchain package does not yet define the clang_suite target, Bazel throws the following error:

No such target '//toolchain:clang_suite': target 'clang_suite' not declared
in package 'toolchain' defined by .../toolchain/BUILD

In the toolchain/BUILD file, define an empty filegroup as follows:

python

package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])

filegroup(name = "clang_suite")

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:
```
'//toolchain:clang_suite' does not have mandatory providers: 'ToolchainInfo'
```
Bazel discovered that the --crosstool_top flag points to a rule that doesn't provide the necessary ToolchainInfo provider. So you need to point --crosstool_top to a rule that does provide ToolchainInfo - that is the cc_toolchain_suite rule. In the toolchain/BUILD file, replace the empty filegroup with the following:
python
```
cc_toolchain_suite(
    name = "clang_suite",
    toolchains = {
        "k8": ":k8_toolchain",
    },
)
```
The toolchains attribute automatically maps the --cpu (and also --compiler when specified) values to cc_toolchain. You have not yet defined any cc_toolchain targets and Bazel will complain about that shortly.

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:

Rule '//toolchain:k8_toolchain' does not exist

Now you need to define cc_toolchain targets for every value in the cc_toolchain_suite.toolchains attribute. Add the following to the toolchain/BUILD file:

python

filegroup(name = "empty")

cc_toolchain(
    name = "k8_toolchain",
    toolchain_identifier = "k8-toolchain",
    toolchain_config = ":k8_toolchain_config",
    all_files = ":empty",
    compiler_files = ":empty",
    dwp_files = ":empty",
    linker_files = ":empty",
    objcopy_files = ":empty",
    strip_files = ":empty",
    supports_param_files = 0,
)

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:
```
Rule '//toolchain:k8_toolchain_config' does not exist
```
Next, add a ":k8_toolchain_config" target to the toolchain/BUILD file:
python
```
filegroup(name = "k8_toolchain_config")
```

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:

'//toolchain:k8_toolchain_config' does not have mandatory providers:
'CcToolchainConfigInfo'

CcToolchainConfigInfo is a provider that you use to configure your C++ toolchains. To fix this error, create a Starlark rule that provides CcToolchainConfigInfo to Bazel by making a toolchain/cc_toolchain_config.bzl file with the following content:

python

def _impl(ctx):
    return cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info(
        ctx = ctx,
        toolchain_identifier = "k8-toolchain",
        host_system_name = "local",
        target_system_name = "local",
        target_cpu = "k8",
        target_libc = "unknown",
        compiler = "clang",
        abi_version = "unknown",
        abi_libc_version = "unknown",
    )

cc_toolchain_config = rule(
    implementation = _impl,
    attrs = {},
    provides = [CcToolchainConfigInfo],
)

cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info() creates the needed provider CcToolchainConfigInfo. To use the cc_toolchain_config rule, add a load statement to toolchain/BUILD right below the package statement:

python

load(":cc_toolchain_config.bzl", "cc_toolchain_config")

And replace the "k8_toolchain_config" filegroup with a declaration of a cc_toolchain_config rule:

python

cc_toolchain_config(name = "k8_toolchain_config")

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:

.../BUILD:1:1: C++ compilation of rule '//:hello-world' failed (Exit 1)
src/main/tools/linux-sandbox-pid1.cc:421:
"execvp(toolchain/DUMMY_GCC_TOOL, 0x11f20e0)": No such file or directory
Target //:hello-world failed to build`

At this point, Bazel has enough information to attempt building the code but it still does not know what tools to use to complete the required build actions. You will modify the Starlark rule implementation to tell Bazel what tools to use. For that, you need the tool_path() constructor from @bazel_tools//tools/cpp:cc_toolchain_config_lib.bzl:

python

# toolchain/cc_toolchain_config.bzl:
# NEW
load("@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:cc_toolchain_config_lib.bzl", "tool_path")

def _impl(ctx):
    tool_paths = [ # NEW
        tool_path(
            name = "gcc",
            path = "/usr/bin/clang",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "ld",
            path = "/usr/bin/ld",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "ar",
            path = "/usr/bin/ar",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "cpp",
            path = "/bin/false",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "gcov",
            path = "/bin/false",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "nm",
            path = "/bin/false",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "objdump",
            path = "/bin/false",
        ),
        tool_path(
            name = "strip",
            path = "/bin/false",
        ),
    ]
    return cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info(
        ctx = ctx,
        toolchain_identifier = "local",
        host_system_name = "local",
        target_system_name = "local",
        target_cpu = "k8",
        target_libc = "unknown",
        compiler = "clang",
        abi_version = "unknown",
        abi_libc_version = "unknown",
        tool_paths = tool_paths, # NEW
    )

Make sure that /usr/bin/clang and /usr/bin/ld are the correct paths for your system.

Run the build again. Bazel throws the following error:

..../BUILD:3:1: undeclared inclusion(s) in rule '//main:hello-world':
this rule is missing dependency declarations for the following files included by 'main/hello-world.cc':
'/usr/include/c++/9/ctime'
'/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu/c++/9/bits/c++config.h'
'/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu/c++/9/bits/os_defines.h'
....

Bazel needs to know where to search for included headers. There are multiple ways to solve this, such as using the includes attribute of cc_binary, but here this is solved at the toolchain level with the cxx_builtin_include_directories parameter of cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info. Beware that if you are using a different version of clang, the include path will be different. These paths may also be different depending on the distribution.

Modify the return value in toolchain/cc_toolchain_config.bzl to look like this:

python

return cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info(
     ctx = ctx,
     cxx_builtin_include_directories = [ # NEW
       "/usr/lib/llvm-9/lib/clang/9.0.1/include",
       "/usr/include",
     ],
     toolchain_identifier = "local",
     host_system_name = "local",
     target_system_name = "local",
     target_cpu = "k8",
     target_libc = "unknown",
     compiler = "clang",
     abi_version = "unknown",
     abi_libc_version = "unknown",
     tool_paths = tool_paths,
)

Run the build command again, you will see an error like:

/usr/bin/ld: bazel-out/k8-fastbuild/bin/main/_objs/hello-world/hello-world.o: in function `print_localtime()':
hello-world.cc:(.text+0x68): undefined reference to `std::cout'

The reason for this is because the linker is missing the C++ standard library and it can't find its symbols. There are many ways to solve this, such as using the linkopts attribute of cc_binary. Here it is solved by making sure that any target using the toolchain doesn't have to specify this flag.

Copy the following code to cc_toolchain_config.bzl:

python

 # NEW
 load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/cc:action_names.bzl", "ACTION_NAMES")
 # NEW
 load(
     "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:cc_toolchain_config_lib.bzl",
     "feature",
     "flag_group",
     "flag_set",
     "tool_path",
 )

 all_link_actions = [ # NEW
     ACTION_NAMES.cpp_link_executable,
     ACTION_NAMES.cpp_link_dynamic_library,
     ACTION_NAMES.cpp_link_nodeps_dynamic_library,
 ]

 def _impl(ctx):
     tool_paths = [
         tool_path(
             name = "gcc",
             path = "/usr/bin/clang",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "ld",
             path = "/usr/bin/ld",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "ar",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "cpp",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "gcov",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "nm",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "objdump",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
         tool_path(
             name = "strip",
             path = "/bin/false",
         ),
     ]

     features = [ # NEW
         feature(
             name = "default_linker_flags",
             enabled = True,
             flag_sets = [
                 flag_set(
                     actions = all_link_actions,
                     flag_groups = ([
                         flag_group(
                             flags = [
                                 "-lstdc++",
                             ],
                         ),
                     ]),
                 ),
             ],
         ),
     ]

     return cc_common.create_cc_toolchain_config_info(
         ctx = ctx,
         features = features, # NEW
         cxx_builtin_include_directories = [
             "/usr/lib/llvm-9/lib/clang/9.0.1/include",
             "/usr/include",
         ],
         toolchain_identifier = "local",
         host_system_name = "local",
         target_system_name = "local",
         target_cpu = "k8",
         target_libc = "unknown",
         compiler = "clang",
         abi_version = "unknown",
         abi_libc_version = "unknown",
         tool_paths = tool_paths,
     )

 cc_toolchain_config = rule(
     implementation = _impl,
     attrs = {},
     provides = [CcToolchainConfigInfo],
 )

If you run bazel build --config=clang_config //main:hello-world, it should finally build.

Review your work

In this tutorial you learned how to configure a basic C++ toolchain, but toolchains are more powerful than this simple example.

The key take-aways are:

You need to specify a --crosstool_top flag in the command line which should point to a cc_toolchain_suite
You can create a shortcut for a particular configuration using the .bazelrc file
The cc_toolchain_suite may list cc_toolchains for different CPUs and compilers. You can use command line flags like --cpu to differentiate.
You have to let the toolchain know where the tools live. In this tutorial there is a simplified version where you access the tools from the system. If you are interested in a more self-contained approach, you can read about workspaces here. Your tools could come from a different workspace and you would have to make their files available to the cc_toolchain with target dependencies on attributes, such as compiler_files. The tool_paths would need to be changed as well.
You can create features to customize which flags should be passed to different actions, be it linking or any other type of action.

What you'll learn

Before you begin

Set up the build environment

Configuring the C++ toolchain

Review your work

Further reading