Autoconf

Original author(s)	David Mackenzie
Developer(s)	GNU Project
Initial release	1991
Stable release	2.72[1]  / 22 December 2023; 9 months ago (22 December 2023)
Repository	git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/autoconf.git
Written in	Perl
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	Programming tool
License	GNU GPL
Website	www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/

GNU Autoconf is a tool for producing configure scripts for building, installing, and packaging software on computer systems where a Bourne shell is available.

Autoconf is agnostic about the programming languages used, but it is often used for projects using C, C++, Fortran, Fortran 77, Erlang, or Objective-C.

A configure script configures a software package for installation on a particular target system. After running a series of tests on the target system, the configure script generates header files and a makefile from templates, thus customizing the software package for the target system. Together with Automake and Libtool, Autoconf forms the GNU Build System, which comprises several other tools, notably Autoheader.