Ninjavis is a tool that visualizes Ninja build logs, providing insights into build processes. It parses the log file to create an interactive HTML visualization displaying the dependencies between build targets and their execution times. This allows developers to quickly identify bottlenecks, parallelisms, and dependencies within their builds, facilitating optimization and debugging. The visualization includes features like zooming, panning, and searching, making it easier to navigate complex build graphs and understand the flow of the build process.
ninjavis is a command-line tool designed to parse Ninja build logs and generate insightful visualizations of the build process. These visualizations, rendered as HTML files containing interactive SVG diagrams, provide a detailed graphical representation of the build dependencies and timings. The tool aims to aid developers in understanding and optimizing their build processes by clearly illustrating how long each build step takes and how these steps relate to one another.
The generated visualization displays nodes representing individual build targets, connected by edges that signify dependencies. The size of each node correlates with the time taken for that specific target to build, allowing for immediate visual identification of performance bottlenecks. The tool also employs color-coding to highlight critical paths within the build, further assisting in pinpointing areas for optimization. By hovering over a node, users can access detailed information about the corresponding build target, including its exact build time and the command executed.
ninjavis boasts several useful features, including support for filtering the visualization to focus on specific targets or sub-projects. It also offers the capability to adjust the layout of the graph for optimal readability, and the ability to export the visualization in various formats, including SVG and PNG. The tool's command-line interface allows for flexible integration into existing build pipelines and supports specifying different log file formats. Furthermore, ninjavis itself is built using the Ninja build system, showcasing its capabilities. By providing a visual and interactive representation of the build process, ninjavis empowers developers to identify and address performance issues, ultimately leading to faster and more efficient builds.
Summary of Comments ( 4 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43208507
Hacker News users generally praised ninjavis for its potential usefulness in debugging and optimizing build processes. Several commenters pointed out the difficulty of parsing Ninja logs and appreciated a tool that could provide a visual representation. Some suggested desired features like the ability to filter by target or to integrate with existing build visualization tools like Chrome's tracing. One commenter expressed concern about the project's reliance on Python's regular expressions for parsing, suggesting it might be brittle. Another mentioned potential for improvement by leveraging Ninja's
-t queryfunctionality for more robust data extraction. Overall, the comments reflect a positive reception to the tool, with an emphasis on its practical applications for developers.The Hacker News post for "ninjavis – generate visualization from ninja build logs" has a modest number of comments, sparking a brief but focused discussion around the tool's utility and potential alternatives.
One commenter expresses appreciation for the tool, highlighting its value in understanding complex build processes, especially when dealing with large projects and unfamiliar codebases. They mention how visualizing the build dependencies can help identify bottlenecks and optimize the build process. This commenter doesn't mention any specific alternatives but focuses on the general benefit of build visualization.
Another commenter suggests Chrome's "about:tracing" as a potential alternative for visualizing build processes. They don't elaborate on the specifics of how it compares to ninjavis, leaving it as a suggestion for those familiar with Chrome's tracing tools to explore.
A third commenter mentions the utility of
ninja -t graphfor visualizing dependencies and suggests combining it withdot. They further explain how they usesedto filter the output for specific targets, making the visualization more manageable and focused. This commenter provides a practical example of an alternative approach for achieving similar visualization.Another individual mentions having previously used
ninja -t graphwithdotand having written custom tooling on top of this to generate visualizations. This underscores the recurring theme of developers creating custom solutions for build visualization before tools like ninjavis became available. They further suggest filtering the graph output to target specific areas of interest, reinforcing the advice of the previous commenter.Finally, a commenter mentions
buildbuddy, a commercial service offering similar functionality for build analysis and visualization. This introduces a commercial alternative to the open-source ninjavis and other DIY solutions discussed in the thread.In summary, the comments section primarily explores alternative methods for visualizing build processes, ranging from existing Ninja features combined with command-line tools to a commercial service. The overall sentiment is positive towards build visualization as a helpful tool for understanding and optimizing complex projects. The commenters offer practical tips and suggestions for those interested in exploring various options based on their needs and preferences.