---
title: Defold project builder manual
brief: Bob is a command line tool for building Defold projects. This manual explains how to use the tool.
---
# Bob the builder
Bob is a command line tool for building Defold projects outside of the normal editor workflow.
Bob is able to build data (corresponding to the build step of selecting the editor menu item Project ▸ Build), create data archives and create standalone, distributable application bundles (corresponding to the editor menu item Project ▸ Bundle ▸ ... options)
Bob is distributed as a Java _JAR_ archive containing everything needed to build. You find the latest *bob.jar* distribution on the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/defold/defold/releases). Select a release, then download *bob/bob.jar*. If you are using Defold 1.9.6, you will need OpenJDK 21 to run it. For older versions of Defold, you will need openJDK 17 or 11.
Compatible OpenJDK 21 mirrors (from Defold 1.9.6):
* [OpenJDK 21 by Microsoft](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/java/openjdk/download#openjdk-21)
* [OpenJDK 21 by Adoptium Working Group](https://github.com/adoptium/temurin21-binaries/releases) / [Adoptium.net](https://adoptium.net/)
If you are on Windows you want the `.msi` file installer for OpenJDK.
## Usage
Bob is run from a shell or from the command line by invoking `java` (or `java.exe` on Windows) and providing the bob java archive as argument:
```text
$ java -jar bob.jar --help
usage: bob [options] [commands]
-a,--archive Build archive
-ar,--architectures Comma separated list of
architectures to include for the
platform
--archive-resource-padding The alignment of the resources in
the game archive. Default is 4
-bf,--bundle-format Which formats to create the
application bundle in. Comma
separated list. (Android: 'apk'
and 'aab')
--binary-output Location where built engine
binary will be placed. Default is
"//"
-bo,--bundle-output Bundle output directory
-br,--build-report DEPRECATED! Use
--build-report-json instead
-brhtml,--build-report-html Filepath where to save a build
report as HTML
-brjson,--build-report-json Filepath where to save a build
report as JSON
--build-artifacts If left out, will default to
build the engine. Choices:
'engine', 'plugins', 'library'.
Comma separated list.
--build-server The build server (when using
native extensions)
--build-server-header Additional build server header to
set
-ce,--certificate DEPRECATED! Use --keystore
instead
-d,--debug DEPRECATED! Use --variant=debug
instead
--debug-ne-upload Outputs the files sent to build
server as upload.zip
--debug-output-spirv Force build SPIR-V shaders
--debug-output-wgsl Force build WGSL shaders
--defoldsdk What version of the defold sdk
(sha1) to use
-e,--email User email
-ea,--exclude-archive Exclude resource archives from
application bundle. Use this to
create an empty Defold
application for use as a build
target
--exclude-build-folder DEPRECATED! Use '.defignore' file
instead
-h,--help This help message
-i,--input DEPRECATED! Use --root instead
--identity Sign identity (iOS)
-kp,--key-pass Password of the deployment key if
different from the keystore
password (Android)
-ks,--keystore Deployment keystore used to sign
APKs (Android)
-ksa,--keystore-alias The alias of the signing key+cert
you want to use (Android)
-ksp,--keystore-pass Password of the deployment
keystore (Android)
-l,--liveupdate Yes if liveupdate content should
be published
--manifest-private-key Private key to use when signing
manifest and archive.
--manifest-public-key Public key to use when signing
manifest and archive.
--max-cpu-threads Max count of threads that bob.jar
can use
-mp,--mobileprovisioning mobileprovisioning profile (iOS)
--ne-build-dir Specify a folder with includes or
source, to build a specific
library. More than one occurrence
is allowed.
--ne-output-name Specify a library target name
-o,--output Output directory. Default is
"build/default"
-p,--platform Platform (when building and
bundling)
-pk,--private-key DEPRECATED! Use --keystore
instead
-r,--root Build root directory. Default is
current directory
--resource-cache-local Path to local resource cache.
--resource-cache-remote URL to remote resource cache.
--resource-cache-remote-pass Password/token to authenticate
access to the remote resource
cache.
--resource-cache-remote-user Username to authenticate access
to the remote resource cache.
--settings Path to a game project settings
file. More than one occurrence is
allowed. The settings files are
applied left to right.
--strip-executable Strip the dmengine of debug
symbols (when bundling iOS or
Android)
-tc,--texture-compression Use texture compression as
specified in texture profiles
-tp,--texture-profiles DEPRECATED! Use
--texture-compression instead
-u,--auth User auth token
--use-async-build-server DEPRECATED! Asynchronous build is
now the default.
--use-lua-bytecode-delta Use byte code delta compression
when building for multiple
architectures
--use-uncompressed-lua-source Use uncompressed and unencrypted
Lua source code instead of byte
code
--use-vanilla-lua DEPRECATED! Use
--use-uncompressed-lua-source
instead.
-v,--verbose Verbose output
--variant Specify debug, release or
headless version of dmengine
(when bundling)
--version Prints the version number to the
output
--with-symbols Generate the symbol file (if
applicable)
```
Available commands:
`clean`
: Delete built files in the build directory.
`distclean`
: Delete all files in the build directory.
`build`
: Builds all project data. Add the `--archive` option to build a data archive file ("`game.darc`" in the build directory).
`bundle`
: Creates a platform specific application bundle. Bundling requires that a built archive is present (`build` with the `--archive` option) and that a target platform is specified (with the `--platform` option). Bob creates the bundle in the output directory unless a different directory is specified with the `--bundle-output` option. The bundle is named according to the project name setting in *game.project*. The `--variant` specifies which type of executable to build when bundling and it together with the `--strip-executable` option replaces the `--debug` option. If no `--variant` is specified you will get a release version of the engine (stripped of symbols on Android and iOS). Setting `--variant` to debug and omitting `--strip-executable` yields the same type of executable as `--debug` used to do.
`resolve`
: Resolve all external library dependencies.
Available platforms and architectures:
`x86_64-darwin` (Defold 1.3.5 and older)
`x86_64-macos` (Defold 1.3.6 and newer)
: macOS 64 bit
`arm64-macos` (Defold 1.5.0 and older)
: macOS Apple Silicon (ARM)
`x86_64-win32`
: Windows 64 bit
`x86-win32`
: Windows 32 bit
`x86_64-linux`
: Linux 64 bit
`x86_64-ios`
: iOS macOS 64 bit (iOS Simulator)
`armv7-darwin` (Defold 1.3.5 and older)
`armv7-ios` (Defold 1.3.6 and newer)
: iOS with available 32-bit `armv7-darwin` and 64-bit `arm64-darwin` architectures. By default, `--architectures` argument value is `armv7-darwin,arm64-darwin`.
`armv7-android`
: Android with available 32 bit `armv7-android` and 64 bit `arm64-android` architectures. By default, `--architectures` argument value is `armv7-android,arm64-android`.
`js-web`
: HTML5 with available `js-web` and `wasm-web` architectures. By default, `--architectures` argument value is `js-web,wasm-web`.
By default, Bob looks in the current directory for a project to build. If you change the current dir to a Defold project and invoke bob, it builds the data for the project in the default output directory *build/default*.
```sh
$ cd /Applications/Defold-beta/branches/14/4/main
$ java -jar bob.jar
100%
$
```
You can string commands together to perform a sequence of tasks in one go. The following example resolves libraries, wipes the build directory, builds archive data and bundles a macOS application (named *My Game.app*):
```sh
$ java -jar bob.jar --archive --platform x86-darwin resolve distclean build bundle
100%
$ ls -al build/default/
total 70784
drwxr-xr-x 13 sicher staff 442 1 Dec 10:15 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 sicher staff 102 1 Dec 10:15 ..
drwxr-xr-x 3 sicher staff 102 1 Dec 10:15 My Game.app
drwxr-xr-x 8 sicher staff 272 1 Dec 10:15 builtins
-rw-r--r-- 1 sicher staff 140459 1 Dec 10:15 digest_cache
drwxr-xr-x 4 sicher staff 136 1 Dec 10:15 fonts
-rw-r--r-- 1 sicher staff 35956340 1 Dec 10:15 game.darc
-rw-r--r-- 1 sicher staff 735 1 Dec 10:15 game.projectc
drwxr-xr-x 223 sicher staff 7582 1 Dec 10:15 graphics
drwxr-xr-x 3 sicher staff 102 1 Dec 10:15 input
drwxr-xr-x 20 sicher staff 680 1 Dec 10:15 logic
drwxr-xr-x 27 sicher staff 918 1 Dec 10:15 sound
-rw-r--r-- 1 sicher staff 131926 1 Dec 10:15 state
$
```