MakeNif - Multi-Language NIF Example

This is a sample project demonstrating how to build NIFs for multiple languages using elixir_make, including C, Rust, and Zig NIF implementations.

Features

C NIF

c_add/2 - Add two numbers
c_concat/2 - String concatenation

Rust NIF

rust_multiply/2 - Multiply two numbers
rust_reverse/1 - String reversal

Zig NIF

zig_subtract/2 - Subtract two numbers
zig_strlen/1 - Calculate string length

Dependencies

System Requirements

Elixir 1.14+
Erlang/OTP 24+
CMake 3.10+
Rust (latest stable version)
Zig 0.11+

Additional Windows Requirements

Visual Studio Build Tools
scoop install make
scoop install coreutils
scoop install cmake
scoop install zig
rustup

Build and Run

Get dependencies
```
mix deps.get
```

Compile project

# Default release mode compilation
mix compile

# Or explicitly specify mode
make release    # Build release version
make debug      # Build debug version

# Using environment variable
BUILD_MODE=debug mix compile

Run tests
```
mix test
```

Interactive testing

# Using release version
iex -S mix

# Using debug version
BUILD_MODE=debug iex -S mix

Then test in IEx:

# C NIF tests
MakeNif.c_add(5, 3)          # => 8
MakeNif.c_concat("Hello, ", "World!")  # => "Hello, World!"

# Rust NIF tests  
MakeNif.rust_multiply(4, 5)  # => 20
MakeNif.rust_reverse("hello") # => "olleh"

# Zig NIF tests
MakeNif.zig_subtract(10, 3)  # => 7
MakeNif.zig_strlen("Elixir") # => 6

Run demo script

# Release mode demo
elixir demo.exs

# Debug mode demo
BUILD_MODE=debug elixir demo.exs

Project Structure

make_nif/
├── lib/
│   └── make_nif.ex          # Elixir module definition
├── native/
│   ├── c_src/               # C NIF source code
│   │   ├── CMakeLists.txt   # CMake build configuration
│   │   └── c_nif.c          # C NIF implementation
│   ├── rust_src/            # Rust NIF source code
│   │   ├── Cargo.toml       # Cargo configuration
│   │   └── src/lib.rs       # Rust NIF implementation
│   └── zig_src/             # Zig NIF source code
│       ├── build.zig        # Zig build configuration
│       └── src/main.zig     # Zig NIF implementation
├── test/
│   ├── make_nif_test.exs    # Test file
│   └── test_helper.exs      # Test helper
├── Makefile                 # Main build file
└── mix.exs                  # Mix project configuration

Build System

This project uses elixir_make to coordinate builds across different languages:

Makefile is the main build entry point
CMake is used to build C NIFs
Cargo is used to build Rust NIFs
Zig built-in build system is used to build Zig NIFs

elixir_make will automatically call the Makefile's all target during mix compile.

Build Modes

The project supports two build modes:

Release mode (default): Optimized production build
```
make release
# or
BUILD_MODE=release make all
```
Debug mode: Development build with debug symbols
```
make debug
# or  
BUILD_MODE=debug make all
```

Build Targets

make all - Build all NIFs (default release mode)
make release - Build release version of all NIFs
make debug - Build debug version of all NIFs
make clean - Clean current build mode artifacts
make clean-all - Clean all build artifacts (debug and release)
make help - Show help information

Output Files

Built NIF files will have suffixes based on the mode:

Release mode: c_nif.dll, rust_nif.dll, zig_nif.dll
Debug mode: c_nif_debug.dll, rust_nif_debug.dll, zig_nif_debug.dll

Troubleshooting

Erlang Header Files Not Found

Ensure Erlang development packages are installed and erl_nif.h is accessible.

Rust Compilation Fails

Ensure Rust toolchain is properly installed:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Zig Compilation Fails

Ensure Zig is properly installed and in PATH:

zig version

Windows-Specific Issues

Ensure you're using the correct shell (PowerShell or Git Bash)
May need to set environment variables pointing to compiler paths
When using MinGW, ensure the toolchain is in PATH

README