////
Copyright (c) 2024 The C++ Alliance, Inc. (https://cppalliance.org)

Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)

Official repository: https://github.com/boostorg/website-v2-docs
////
= Customize Builds to Reduce Dependencies
:navtitle: Reduce Dependencies

There are many libraries that provide macros or configuration options to remove optional components and so reduce dependencies. Refer to the documentation, in particular the macros, for the individual libraries you intend to use. This section describes some specific examples.

[square]
* <<Boost.Asio>>
* <<Boost.Filesystem>>
* <<Boost.Locale>>
* <<Boost.Log>>
* <<Boost.ProgramOptions>>
* <<Boost.Python>>
* <<Boost.Regex>>
* <<Boost.Serialization>>
* <<Boost.System>>
* <<Boost.Test>>
* <<See Also>>




== Boost.Asio

boost:asio[] defines macros to remove certain functionality and control behavior: 

* `BOOST_ASIO_SEPARATE_COMPILATION` use the header-only features of the library.
* `BOOST_ASIO_DISABLE_SSL` disables timers and SSL components.

== Boost.Filesystem

boost:filesystem[] includes macros to control its behavior and reduce dependencies. For example:

* `BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED` disables deprecated features.
* `BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_LIB` prevents automatic linking of the library.

== Boost.Locale

boost:locale[] allows customization through macros:

* `BOOST_LOCALE_WITH_ICU` enables or disables ICU support.
* `BOOST_LOCALE_WITH_ICONV` enables or disables Iconv support.
* `BOOST_LOCALE_WITH_STD` enables or disables support for the standard library's localization facilities.

== Boost.Log

boost:log[] has optional features that can be disabled using macros, such as:

* `BOOST_LOG_NO_THREADS` disables multi-threading support if not required.
* `BOOST_LOG_WITHOUT_DEBUG_OUTPUT` removes debug output support.
* `BOOST_LOG_WITHOUT_EVENT_LOG` excludes Windows Event Log support.
* `BOOST_LOG_WITHOUT_SYSLOG` disables support for Syslog (on Unix systems).

== Boost.ProgramOptions

boost:program_options[] provides macros to remove certain components:

* `BOOST_PROGRAM_OPTIONS_NO_LIB` disables automatic linking.

It also allows customization to minimize dependencies when certain features aren't needed, such as avoiding wide-character support. Refer to its documentation.

== Boost.Python

boost:python[] has options to exclude optional components, such as disabling support for certain Python features or optimizations:

`BOOST_PYTHON_NO_LIB` disables automatic linking.

== Boost.Regex

boost:regex[] offers macros to customize its functionality, such as:

* `BOOST_REGEX_NO_LIB` disables automatic linking.
* `BOOST_REGEX_NO_EXTERNAL_TEMPLATES` prevents the use of external templates to reduce dependencies.
* `BOOST_REGEX_MATCH_EXTRA` can be undefined to exclude certain match-related features.

== Boost.Serialization

boost:serialization[] allows disabling certain features to reduce dependencies:

* `BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB` disables automatic linking.
* `BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_XML_ARCHIVE` excludes XML archive support.
* `BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_TEXT_ARCHIVE` excludes text archive support.
* `BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_EXCEPTION_SAFETY` removes exception safety-related functionality.

== Boost.System

boost:system[] has macros to control its behavior:

* `BOOST_ERROR_CODE_HEADER_ONLY` makes it header-only by eliminating the need for compiled binaries.

== Boost.Test

boost:test[] allows stripping optional components to make it more lightweight:

* `BOOST_TEST_NO_LIB` disables automatic linking.
* `BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK` forces dynamic linking.
* `BOOST_TEST_NO_MAIN` prevents the inclusion of the main function, allowing integration into existing test frameworks.

== See Also

* xref:faq/dependencies.adoc[Dependencies FAQ]
