# Quickstart: Building with Bazel This tutorial aims to get you up and running with GoogleTest using the Bazel build system. If you're using GoogleTest for the first time or need a refresher, we recommend this tutorial as a starting point. ## Prerequisites To complete this tutorial, you'll need: * A compatible operating system (e.g. Linux, macOS, Windows). * A compatible C++ compiler that supports at least C++14. * [Bazel](https://bazel.build/), the preferred build system used by the GoogleTest team. See [Supported Platforms](platforms.md) for more information about platforms compatible with GoogleTest. If you don't already have Bazel installed, see the [Bazel installation guide](https://bazel.build/install). {: .callout .note} Note: The terminal commands in this tutorial show a Unix shell prompt, but the commands work on the Windows command line as well. ## Set up a Bazel workspace A [Bazel workspace](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/build-ref.html#workspace) is a directory on your filesystem that you use to manage source files for the software you want to build. Each workspace directory has a text file named `WORKSPACE` which may be empty, or may contain references to external dependencies required to build the outputs. First, create a directory for your workspace: ``` $ mkdir my_workspace && cd my_workspace ``` Next, you’ll create the `WORKSPACE` file to specify dependencies. A common and recommended way to depend on GoogleTest is to use a [Bazel external dependency](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/external.html) via the [`http_archive` rule](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/repo/http.html#http_archive). To do this, in the root directory of your workspace (`my_workspace/`), create a file named `WORKSPACE` with the following contents: ``` load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive") http_archive( name = "com_google_googletest", urls = ["https://github.com/google/googletest/archive/5ab508a01f9eb089207ee87fd547d290da39d015.zip"], strip_prefix = "googletest-5ab508a01f9eb089207ee87fd547d290da39d015", ) ``` The above configuration declares a dependency on GoogleTest which is downloaded as a ZIP archive from GitHub. In the above example, `5ab508a01f9eb089207ee87fd547d290da39d015` is the Git commit hash of the GoogleTest version to use; we recommend updating the hash often to point to the latest version. Use a recent hash on the `main` branch. Now you're ready to build C++ code that uses GoogleTest. ## Create and run a binary With your Bazel workspace set up, you can now use GoogleTest code within your own project. As an example, create a file named `hello_test.cc` in your `my_workspace` directory with the following contents: ```cpp #include // Demonstrate some basic assertions. TEST(HelloTest, BasicAssertions) { // Expect two strings not to be equal. EXPECT_STRNE("hello", "world"); // Expect equality. EXPECT_EQ(7 * 6, 42); } ``` GoogleTest provides [assertions](primer.md#assertions) that you use to test the behavior of your code. The above sample includes the main GoogleTest header file and demonstrates some basic assertions. To build the code, create a file named `BUILD` in the same directory with the following contents: ``` cc_test( name = "hello_test", size = "small", srcs = ["hello_test.cc"], deps = ["@com_google_googletest//:gtest_main"], ) ``` This `cc_test` rule declares the C++ test binary you want to build, and links to GoogleTest (`//:gtest_main`) using the prefix you specified in the `WORKSPACE` file (`@com_google_googletest`). For more information about Bazel `BUILD` files, see the [Bazel C++ Tutorial](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/tutorial/cpp.html). {: .callout .note} NOTE: In the example below, we assume Clang or GCC and set `--cxxopt=-std=c++14` to ensure that GoogleTest is compiled as C++14 instead of the compiler's default setting (which could be C++11). For MSVC, the equivalent would be `--cxxopt=/std:c++14`. See [Supported Platforms](platforms.md) for more details on supported language versions. Now you can build and run your test:
my_workspace$ bazel test --cxxopt=-std=c++14 --test_output=all //:hello_test
INFO: Analyzed target //:hello_test (26 packages loaded, 362 targets configured).
INFO: Found 1 test target...
INFO: From Testing //:hello_test:
==================== Test output for //:hello_test:
Running main() from gmock_main.cc
[==========] Running 1 test from 1 test suite.
[----------] Global test environment set-up.
[----------] 1 test from HelloTest
[ RUN      ] HelloTest.BasicAssertions
[       OK ] HelloTest.BasicAssertions (0 ms)
[----------] 1 test from HelloTest (0 ms total)

[----------] Global test environment tear-down
[==========] 1 test from 1 test suite ran. (0 ms total)
[  PASSED  ] 1 test.
================================================================================
Target //:hello_test up-to-date:
  bazel-bin/hello_test
INFO: Elapsed time: 4.190s, Critical Path: 3.05s
INFO: 27 processes: 8 internal, 19 linux-sandbox.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 27 total actions
//:hello_test                                                     PASSED in 0.1s

INFO: Build completed successfully, 27 total actions
Congratulations! You've successfully built and run a test binary using GoogleTest. ## Next steps * [Check out the Primer](primer.md) to start learning how to write simple tests. * [See the code samples](samples.md) for more examples showing how to use a variety of GoogleTest features.