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Overview

The cactus build command compiles the Cactus runtime into native libraries for different platforms. Use this to integrate Cactus into your iOS, Android, Flutter, or Python applications.

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Syntax

cactus build [flags]

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Flags

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—apple

Build for Apple platforms (iOS and macOS): 
cactus build --apple
Output: build/libcactus.a (static library) Architectures:
  • arm64 (iOS devices, Apple Silicon Macs)
  • x86_64 (Intel Macs, iOS Simulator)
Xcode Integration:
  • Universal framework with headers
  • Swift Package Manager support
  • CocoaPods compatible

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—android

Build for Android devices: 
cactus build --android
Output: build/android/
  • arm64-v8a/libcactus.so
  • armeabi-v7a/libcactus.so
  • x86_64/libcactus.so (emulator)
Features:
  • JNI bindings included
  • Gradle integration ready
  • Supports Android API 21+

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—flutter

Build for all Flutter platforms: 
cactus build --flutter
Output: build/flutter/
  • iOS framework
  • Android AARs
  • macOS dylib
  • Windows DLL
  • Linux shared library
Includes:
  • Dart FFI bindings
  • Platform channel setup
  • Plugin structure

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—python

Build shared library for Python FFI: 
cactus build --python
Output: build/libcactus.so (or .dylib on macOS, .dll on Windows) Features:
  • ctypes compatible
  • CFFI compatible
  • Python 3.8+ support

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Examples

# Build for iOS/macOS
cactus build --apple

# Output: build/libcactus.a
# Use in Xcode project or Swift Package

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Build Output Structure

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Apple Build

build/
├── libcactus.a           # Static library
├── include/
│   ├── cactus.h          # C API header
│   └── cactus_types.h    # Type definitions
└── CactusFramework/      # iOS framework bundle

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Android Build

build/android/
├── arm64-v8a/
│   └── libcactus.so
├── armeabi-v7a/
│   └── libcactus.so
├── x86_64/
│   └── libcactus.so
└── cactus.aar            # Android Archive

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Flutter Build

build/flutter/
├── ios/
│   └── Cactus.framework
├── android/
│   └── cactus.aar
├── macos/
│   └── libcactus.dylib
├── windows/
│   └── cactus.dll
└── linux/
    └── libcactus.so

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CMake Build Process

The build uses CMake with platform-specific configurations: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Building for: Apple (iOS/macOS)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Configuring CMake...
-- Detected architecture: arm64
-- Building for iOS 13.0+
-- Enabling Metal acceleration

Compiling sources... ████████████████ 100%
Linking library...   ████████████████ 100%

✓ Build complete
  Output: build/libcactus.a
  Size: 12.3MB

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Integration Examples

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iOS (Swift)

import Cactus

let model = CactusModel(path: "qwen-2.5-1.5b-int4")
let response = model.generate(prompt: "Hello!")
print(response)

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Android (Kotlin)

import com.cactus.Cactus

val model = Cactus.loadModel("qwen-2.5-1.5b-int4")
val response = model.generate("Hello!")
println(response)

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Flutter (Dart)

import 'package:cactus/cactus.dart';

final model = await Cactus.loadModel('qwen-2.5-1.5b-int4');
final response = await model.generate('Hello!');
print(response);

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Python

import ctypes

cactus = ctypes.CDLL('./build/libcactus.so')
model = cactus.load_model(b'qwen-2.5-1.5b-int4')
response = cactus.generate(model, b'Hello!')
print(response)

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Build Requirements

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macOS/iOS

  • Xcode 14+
  • Command Line Tools
  • CMake 3.20+

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Android

  • Android NDK r25+
  • CMake 3.20+
  • Gradle 7.0+

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Linux

  • GCC 9+ or Clang 10+
  • CMake 3.20+
  • Build essentials

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Windows

  • Visual Studio 2019+
  • CMake 3.20+
  • Windows SDK

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Optimization Flags

The build automatically applies:
  • ARM NEON SIMD optimizations
  • Metal acceleration (iOS/macOS)
  • Vulkan support (Android)
  • Link-time optimization (LTO)
  • Size optimization for mobile

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See Also

Test Command

Run tests on built libraries

Platform Integration

Integration guides for each platform