CMake configuration for reproducible builds of C++ projects with gcc/Linux
This is a quick guide for configuring CMake such that every rebuild of the same C++ code generates bit-by-bit identical binaries. This is useful in verifying if a given binary is indeed generated from the given sources and comes in handy for configuration control. This article is not a detailed documentation on the reasons or mechanisms that cause binaries to differ from build to build nor the rationale behind the countermeasures explained in great detail. That information is already covered elsewhere and a few helpful links are provided in the end. This post is made because all of this information was not available in one place. In general, the same C++ code should generate the same executable (or library) every time it is compiled using the same build system on the same platform. But in practice, several factors cause the final binaries to differ. There are a few things developers need to take care of to avoid these: Eliminate differences due to build path. target_compile_options(