---
description: "Build the project's smart contracts"
---

_Generated from `forge build --help`; see [CLI reference versions](/reference/versions). Regenerate this page instead of editing it directly._

## forge build

Build the project's smart contracts

:::terminal

```bash
$ forge build --help
```

```txt
Usage: forge build [OPTIONS] [PATHS]...

Options:
  -h, --help
          Print help (see a summary with '-h')

  -j, --threads <THREADS>
          Number of threads to use. Specifying 0 defaults to the number of
          logical cores
          
          [alias: --jobs]

      --profile <PROFILE>
          The configuration profile to use

Build options:
      --names
          Print compiled contract names

      --sizes
          Print compiled contract sizes. Constructor argument length is not
          included in the calculation of initcode size

      --ignore-eip-3860
          Ignore initcode contract bytecode size limit introduced by EIP-3860

      --no-lint
          Skip the post-build lint step for this invocation.
          
          Equivalent to setting `lint_on_build = false` under `[lint]` in
          foundry.toml, but only for the current command.
          
          [alias: --skip-lint]

      --no-cache
          Disable the cache

      --no-dynamic-test-linking
          Disable dynamic test linking

      --skip <SKIP>...
          Skip building files whose names contain the given filter.
          
          `test` and `script` are aliases for `.t.sol` and `.s.sol`.

  [PATHS]...
          Build source files from specified paths

Cache options:
      --force
          Clear the cache and artifacts folder and recompile

Linker options:
      --libraries <LIBRARIES>
          Set pre-linked libraries
          
          [env: DAPP_LIBRARIES=]

Compiler options:
      --ignored-error-codes <ERROR_CODES>
          Ignore solc warnings by error code

  -D, --deny <LEVEL>
          A compiler error will be triggered at the specified diagnostic level.
          
          Replaces the deprecated `--deny-warnings` flag.
          
          Possible values: - `never`: Do not treat any diagnostics as errors. -
          `warnings`: Treat warnings as errors. - `notes`: Treat both, warnings
          and notes, as errors.

          Possible values:
          - never:    Always exit with zero code
          - warnings: Exit with a non-zero code if any warnings are found
          - notes:    Exit with a non-zero code if any notes or warnings are
            found

      --no-auto-detect
          Do not auto-detect the `solc` version

      --use <SOLC_VERSION>
          Specify the solc version, or a path to a local solc, to build with.
          
          Valid values are in the format `x.y.z`, `solc:x.y.z` or
          `path/to/solc`.

      --offline
          Do not access the network.
          
          Missing solc versions will not be installed.

      --use-literal-content
          Changes compilation to only use literal content and not URLs

      --no-metadata
          Do not append any metadata to the bytecode.
          
          This is equivalent to setting `bytecode_hash` to `none` and
          `cbor_metadata` to `false`.

      --ast
          Includes the AST as JSON in the compiler output

      --evm-version <VERSION>
          The target EVM version

      --optimize [<OPTIMIZE>]
          Activate the Solidity optimizer
          
          [possible values: true, false]

      --optimizer-runs <RUNS>
          The number of runs specifies roughly how often each opcode of the
          deployed code will be executed across the life-time of the contract.
          This means it is a trade-off parameter between code size (deploy cost)
          and code execution cost (cost after deployment). An `optimizer_runs`
          parameter of `1` will produce short but expensive code. In contrast, a
          larger `optimizer_runs` parameter will produce longer but more gas
          efficient code

      --via-ir
          Use the Yul intermediate representation compilation pipeline

      --via-ssa-cfg
          Turn on SSA CFG-based code generation via the IR (experimental).
          
          This passes `--via-ssa-cfg` to solc. Implies `--via-ir`. Requires
          `--experimental` to be set (as of Solidity 0.8.35+). This is false by
          default.

      --experimental
          Enable Solidity's experimental mode.
          
          This passes `--experimental` to solc, which is required by Solidity
          0.8.35+ for experimental features.

      --extra-output <SELECTOR>...
          Extra output to include in the contract's artifact.
          
          Example keys: evm.assembly, ewasm, ir, irOptimized, metadata
          
          For a full description, see
          [https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/v0.8.13/using-the-compiler.html#input-description](https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/v0.8.13/using-the-compiler.html#input-description)

      --extra-output-files <SELECTOR>...
          Extra output to write to separate files.
          
          Valid values: metadata, ir, irOptimized, ewasm, evm.assembly

Project options:
  -o, --out <PATH>
          The path to the contract artifacts folder

      --revert-strings <REVERT>
          Revert string configuration.
          
          Possible values are "default", "strip" (remove), "debug"
          (Solidity-generated revert strings) and "verboseDebug"

      --build-info
          Generate build info files

      --build-info-path <PATH>
          Output path to directory that build info files will be written to

      --root <PATH>
          The project's root path.
          
          By default root of the Git repository, if in one, or the current
          working directory.

  -C, --contracts <PATH>
          The contracts source directory

  -R, --remappings <REMAPPINGS>
          The project's remappings

      --remappings-env <ENV>
          The project's remappings from the environment

      --cache-path <PATH>
          The path to the compiler cache

      --lib-paths <PATH>
          The path to the library folder

      --hardhat
          Use the Hardhat-style project layout.
          
          This is the same as using: `--contracts contracts --lib-paths
          node_modules`.
          
          [alias: --hh]

      --config-path <FILE>
          Path to the config file

Watch options:
  -w, --watch [<PATH>...]
          Watch the given files or directories for changes.
          
          If no paths are provided, the source and test directories of the
          project are watched.

      --no-restart
          Do not restart the command while it's still running

      --run-all
          Explicitly re-run all tests when a change is made.
          
          By default, only the tests of the last modified test file are
          executed.

      --rerun-failed
          Re-run only previously failed tests first when a change is made.
          
          If all previously failed tests pass, the full test suite will be run
          automatically. This is particularly useful for TDD workflows where you
          want fast feedback on failures.

      --watch-delay <DELAY>
          File update debounce delay.
          
          During the delay, incoming change events are accumulated and only once
          the delay has passed, is an action taken. Note that this does not mean
          a command will be started: if --no-restart is given and a command is
          already running, the outcome of the action will be to do nothing.
          
          Defaults to 50ms. Parses as decimal seconds by default, but using an
          integer with the `ms` suffix may be more convenient.
          
          When using --poll mode, you'll want a larger duration, or risk
          overloading disk I/O.

Display options:
      --color <COLOR>
          The color of the log messages

          Possible values:
          - auto:   Intelligently guess whether to use color output (default)
          - always: Force color output
          - never:  Force disable color output

      --json
          Format log messages as JSON

      --md
          Format log messages as Markdown

  -q, --quiet
          Do not print log messages

  -v, --verbosity...
          Verbosity level of the log messages.
          
          Pass multiple times to increase the verbosity (e.g. -v, -vv, -vvv).
          
          Depending on the context the verbosity levels have different meanings.
          
          For example, the verbosity levels of the EVM are:
          - 2 (-vv): Print logs for all tests.
          - 3 (-vvv): Print execution traces for failing tests.
          - 4 (-vvvv): Print execution traces for all tests, and setup traces
          for failing tests.
          - 5 (-vvvvv): Print execution and setup traces for all tests,
          including storage changes and
            backtraces with line numbers.
```

:::