ci: use Ninja on Linux and macOS builds (#5939)

* ci: use Ninja on linux and macos

* ci: simplify parallelism

.ci/Arch/Dockerfile

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ RUN pacman --sync --refresh --sysupgrade --needed --noconfirm \
         git \
         gtest \
         mariadb-libs \
+        ninja \
         protobuf \
         qt6-base \
         qt6-imageformats \

.ci/Debian11/Dockerfile

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
         libqt5sql5-mysql \
         libqt5svg5-dev \
         libqt5websockets5-dev \
+        ninja-build \
         protobuf-compiler \
         qt5-image-formats-plugins \
         qtmultimedia5-dev \

.ci/Debian12/Dockerfile

@@ -15,13 +15,14 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
         libprotobuf-dev \
         libqt6multimedia6 \
         libqt6sql6-mysql \
-        qt6-svg-dev \
+        ninja-build \
-        qt6-websockets-dev \
         protobuf-compiler \
         qt6-image-formats-plugins \
         qt6-l10n-tools \
         qt6-multimedia-dev \
+        qt6-svg-dev \
         qt6-tools-dev \
         qt6-tools-dev-tools \
+        qt6-websockets-dev \
     && apt-get clean \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

.ci/Fedora41/Dockerfile

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ RUN dnf install -y \
         gcc-c++ \
         git \
         mariadb-devel \
+        ninja-build \
         protobuf-devel \
         qt6-{qttools,qtsvg,qtmultimedia,qtwebsockets}-devel \
         qt6-qtimageformats \

.ci/Fedora42/Dockerfile

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ RUN dnf install -y \
         gcc-c++ \
         git \
         mariadb-devel \
+        ninja-build \
         protobuf-devel \
         qt6-{qttools,qtsvg,qtmultimedia,qtwebsockets}-devel \
         qt6-qtimageformats \

.ci/Ubuntu22.04/Dockerfile

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
         libqt6sql6-mysql \
         libqt6svg6-dev \
         libqt6websockets6-dev \
+        ninja-build \
         protobuf-compiler \
         qt6-image-formats-plugins \
         qt6-l10n-tools \

.ci/Ubuntu24.04/Dockerfile

@@ -15,13 +15,14 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
         libprotobuf-dev \
         libqt6multimedia6 \
         libqt6sql6-mysql \
-        qt6-svg-dev \
+        ninja-build \
-        qt6-websockets-dev \
         protobuf-compiler \
         qt6-image-formats-plugins \
         qt6-l10n-tools \
         qt6-multimedia-dev \
+        qt6-svg-dev \
         qt6-tools-dev \
         qt6-tools-dev-tools \
+        qt6-websockets-dev \
     && apt-get clean \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

.ci/compile.sh

@@ -11,9 +11,8 @@
 # --debug or --release sets the build type ie CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE
 # --ccache [<size>] uses ccache and shows stats, optionally provide size
 # --dir <dir> sets the name of the build dir, default is "build"
-# --parallel <core count> sets how many cores cmake should build with in parallel
+# uses env: BUILDTYPE MAKE_INSTALL MAKE_PACKAGE PACKAGE_TYPE PACKAGE_SUFFIX MAKE_SERVER MAKE_TEST USE_CCACHE CCACHE_SIZE BUILD_DIR CMAKE_GENERATOR
-# uses env: BUILDTYPE MAKE_INSTALL MAKE_PACKAGE PACKAGE_TYPE PACKAGE_SUFFIX MAKE_SERVER MAKE_TEST USE_CCACHE CCACHE_SIZE BUILD_DIR PARALLEL_COUNT
+# (correspond to args: --debug/--release --install --package <package type> --suffix <suffix> --server --test --ccache <ccache_size> --dir <dir>)
-# (correspond to args: --debug/--release --install --package <package type> --suffix <suffix> --server --test --ccache <ccache_size> --dir <dir> --parallel <core_count>)
 # exitcode: 1 for failure, 3 for invalid arguments
 
 # Read arguments
@@ -76,15 +75,6 @@ while [[ $# != 0 ]]; do
       BUILD_DIR="$1"
       shift
       ;;
-    '--parallel')
-      shift
-      if [[ $# == 0 ]]; then
-        echo "::error file=$0::--parallel expects an argument"
-        exit 3
-      fi
-      PARALLEL_COUNT="$1"
-      shift
-      ;;
     *)
       echo "::error file=$0::unrecognized option: $1"
       exit 3
@@ -126,16 +116,6 @@ fi
 
 # Add cmake --build flags
 buildflags=(--config "$BUILDTYPE")
-if [[ $PARALLEL_COUNT ]]; then
-  if [[ $(cmake --build /not_a_dir --parallel 2>&1 | head -1) =~ parallel ]]; then
-    # workaround for bionic having an old cmake
-    echo "this version of cmake does not support --parallel, using native build tool -j instead"
-    buildflags+=(-- -j "$PARALLEL_COUNT")
-    # note, no normal build flags should be added after this
-  else
-    buildflags+=(--parallel "$PARALLEL_COUNT")
-  fi
-fi
 
 function ccachestatsverbose() {
   # note, verbose only works on newer ccache, discard the error

.ci/docker.sh

@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ function RUN ()
     if [[ $CCACHE_DIR ]]; then
       args+=(--mount "type=bind,source=$CCACHE_DIR,target=/.ccache")
       args+=(--env "CCACHE_DIR=/.ccache")
+      args+=(--env "CMAKE_GENERATOR="Ninja"")
     fi
     docker run "${args[@]}" $RUN_ARGS "$IMAGE_NAME" bash "$BUILD_SCRIPT" $RUN_OPTS "$@"
     return $?

.github/workflows/desktop-build.yml

@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ jobs:
       # Cache size over the entire repo is 10Gi:
       # https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/caching-dependencies-to-speed-up-workflows#usage-limits-and-eviction-policy
       CCACHE_SIZE: 500M
+      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Ninja'
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -156,9 +157,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build debug and test
         if: matrix.test != 'skip'
         shell: bash
+        env:
+          CMAKE_GENERATOR: '${{env.CMAKE_GENERATOR}}'
         run: |
           source .ci/docker.sh
-          RUN --server --debug --test --ccache "$CCACHE_SIZE" --parallel 4
+          RUN --server --debug --test --ccache "$CCACHE_SIZE"
 
       - name: Build release package
         id: build
@@ -168,10 +171,11 @@ jobs:
           BUILD_DIR: build
           SUFFIX: '-${{matrix.distro}}${{matrix.version}}'
           type: '${{matrix.package}}'
+          CMAKE_GENERATOR: '${{env.CMAKE_GENERATOR}}'
         run: |
           source .ci/docker.sh
           RUN --server --release --package "$type" --dir "$BUILD_DIR" \
-                  --ccache "$CCACHE_SIZE" --parallel 4
+                  --ccache "$CCACHE_SIZE"
           .ci/name_build.sh
 
       - name: Upload artifact
@@ -202,7 +206,6 @@ jobs:
             os: macos-13
             xcode: "14.3.1"
             type: Release
-            core_count: 4
             make_package: 1
 
           - target: 14
@@ -210,7 +213,6 @@ jobs:
             os: macos-14
             xcode: "15.4"
             type: Release
-            core_count: 3
             make_package: 1
 
           - target: 15
@@ -218,7 +220,6 @@ jobs:
             os: macos-15
             xcode: "16.2"
             type: Release
-            core_count: 3
             make_package: 1
 
           - target: 15
@@ -226,7 +227,6 @@ jobs:
             os: macos-15
             xcode: "16.2"
             type: Debug
-            core_count: 3
 
     name: macOS ${{matrix.target}}${{ matrix.soc == 'Intel' && ' Intel' || '' }}${{ matrix.type == 'Debug' && ' Debug' || '' }}
     needs: configure
@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ jobs:
     env:
       DEVELOPER_DIR:
         /Applications/Xcode_${{matrix.xcode}}.app/Contents/Developer
+      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Ninja'
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -262,9 +263,7 @@ jobs:
           MACOS_CERTIFICATE_PWD: ${{ secrets.PROD_MACOS_CERTIFICATE_PWD }}
           MACOS_CERTIFICATE_NAME: ${{ secrets.PROD_MACOS_CERTIFICATE_NAME }}
           MACOS_CI_KEYCHAIN_PWD: ${{ secrets.PROD_MACOS_CI_KEYCHAIN_PWD }}
-        # macOS runner have 3 cores usually - only the macos-13 image has 4:
+          CMAKE_GENERATOR: '${{env.CMAKE_GENERATOR}}'
-        # https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners#standard-github-hosted-runners-for-public-repositories
-        # https://github.com/actions/runner-images?tab=readme-ov-file#available-images
         run: |
           if [[ -n "$MACOS_CERTIFICATE_NAME" ]]
           then
@@ -276,7 +275,7 @@ jobs:
             security import certificate.p12 -k build.keychain -P "$MACOS_CERTIFICATE_PWD" -T /usr/bin/codesign
             security set-key-partition-list -S apple-tool:,apple:,codesign: -s -k "$MACOS_CI_KEYCHAIN_PWD" build.keychain
           fi
-          .ci/compile.sh --server --parallel ${{matrix.core_count}}
+          .ci/compile.sh --server
 
       - name: Sign app bundle
         if: matrix.make_package
@@ -394,7 +393,6 @@ jobs:
         env:
           PACKAGE_SUFFIX: '-Win${{matrix.target}}'
           CMAKE_GENERATOR: '${{env.CMAKE_GENERATOR}}'
-          CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM: 'x64'
           QTDIR: '${{github.workspace}}\Qt\${{matrix.qt_version}}\win64_${{matrix.qt_arch}}'
           VCPKG_DISABLE_METRICS: 1
           VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES: 'clear;files,${{ steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.path }},readwrite'