| name | ort-build |
| description | Build ONNX Runtime from source. Use this skill when asked to build, compile, or generate CMake files for ONNX Runtime. |
Building ONNX Runtime
The build scripts build.sh (Linux/macOS) and build.bat (Windows) delegate to tools/ci_build/build.py.
Build phases
Three phases, controlled by flags:
--update — generate CMake build files
--build — compile (add --parallel to speed this up)
--test — run tests
For native builds, if none are specified (and --skip_tests is not passed), all three run by default. For cross-compiled builds, the default is --update + --build only.
When to use --update
You need --update when:
- First build in a new build directory
- New source files are added (some CMake targets use glob patterns, others use explicit file lists — re-run to pick up new files either way)
- CMake configuration changes (new flags, updated CMakeLists.txt)
You do not need --update when only modifying existing .cc/.h files — just use --build. Skipping it saves time.
Examples
./build.sh --config Release --parallel
.\build.bat --config Release --parallel
./build.sh --config Release --update
./build.sh --config Release --build --parallel
./build.sh --config Release --
./build.sh --config Release --parallel --use_cuda --cuda_home /usr/local/cuda --cudnn_home /usr/local/cuda
./build.sh --config Release --parallel --build_wheel
./build.sh --config Release --build --parallel --target onnxruntime_common
./build.sh --build --parallel