Fillion-Robin & Schreiner - A modern build-backend for CPython C/C++/Fortran/Cython extensions

scikit-build-core is a modern build backend for CPython extensions that simplifies building C, C++, Fortran, and Cython projects

Key improvements over traditional build systems:

• Decouples build backend from frontend per PEP 517/518
• Provides cross-platform support via CMake
• Enables automatic dependency management
• Supports editable mode for development
• Integrates with IDE tooling

Features powerful configuration options:

• Static configuration via pyproject.toml
• Dynamic metadata updates
• Plugin system for extensibility
• File generation capabilities
• Environment variable control

Handles build dependencies intelligently:

• Automatically manages CMake and Ninja requirements
• Can use system-installed tools when available
• Supports version-specific requirements
• Enables cross-compilation

Real-world adoption and impact:

• ~800,000 downloads/month for scikit-build-classic
• Used by major projects like NVIDIA
• CMake wheel: 6.5M downloads/month
• Ninja wheel: ~10M downloads/month
• Supports 250+ packages including scientific computing tools

Provides development-friendly features:

• Debugging support for native code
• Fast incremental builds via Ninja
• Integration with external packages
• Standardized wheel building process
• Support for multiple build configurations

Backwards compatible while modernizing:

• Maintains support for existing scikit-build-classic projects
• Provides migration path to new features
• Leverages modern Python packaging standards
• Eliminates need for setup.py