build: add GN build files

[zcbenz]

As per discussion in nodejs/TSC#1353, this PR adds GN build files into Node's repo.

I have provided 2 ways to test the build:

1. Build with a standalone version of GN.
2. Build with depot_tools from Chromium.

Both have GitHub actions successfully building for win/mac/linux on arm/arm64/x64/x86.

This PR only adds configurations for building the node target, it does not include configurations for building tests, which I plan to add in a later PR, to make review easier.

After this is merged to Node, I'll upstream my changes in https://github.com/photoionization/node-ci to https://chromium.googlesource.com/v8/node-ci/, which is used by V8 team to test Node.js with latest V8. I'll also setup a nightly build of Node with gn in https://github.com/photoionization/node_with_gn, so we can find out early when the gn build is broken.

/cc @codebytere @victorgomes @joyeecheung @targos

[nodejs-github-bot]

Review requested:

• @nodejs/http
• @nodejs/http2
• @nodejs/net
• @nodejs/single-executable
• @nodejs/url
• @nodejs/wasi

[gengjiawen]

Maybe add gn setup to https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/main/.gitpod.yml

With GN it is possible to reuse Chromium's sanitizers in Node, a full list of supported sanitizers can be found at: source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/main:build/config/sanitizers/sanitizers.gni. They are very helpful tools for debugging various leaks and crashes.

Would be good since Node.js only have ASAN for now.

[targos]

Does this attempt to build node with the same default config as with ./configure --ninja && make ?

[targos]

I have depot_tools from Chromium on my PATH. How can I run the GN build?

[zcbenz]

Maybe add gn setup to https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/main/.gitpod.yml

I didn't know gitpod, will give it a try.

[zcbenz]

Does this attempt to build node with the same default config as with ./configure --ninja && make ?

No, the GN config has some significant differences, for example it links with a custom libc++ statically. Eventually I would like to be able to build node with the same default config of gyp, but currently it is not my focus since neither V8 nor Electron needs it.

I have depot_tools from Chromium on my PATH. How can I run the GN build?

It uses the same workflow with checking out V8, the github action file has some instructions in it.

First checkout the code:

mkdir node-ci
cd node-ci
git clone https://github.com/photoionization/node-ci
gclient config https://github.com/photoionization/node-ci --unmanaged
gclient sync

Then you run gn and ninja:

cd node-ci
./tools/gn-gen.py out/Release
autoninja -C out/Release

Note that the https://github.com/photoionization/node-ci repo is a fork of https://chromium.googlesource.com/v8/node-ci/, the latter is used by V8 team to build Node with GN. I'll upstream the changes in my fork once GN configurations are merged into Node.

[joyeecheung]

How is the GN files supposed to be used? Just gn args outdir and then run the build with ninja?

[gengjiawen]

Maybe add gn setup to main/.gitpod.yml

I didn't know gitpod, will give it a try.

create a .gitpod.Dockerfile in project root, and add deps to it

FROM gitpod/workspace-full

ENV PATH=${PATH}:/home/gitpod/depot_tools

RUN cd ~ && git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/tools/depot_tools.git --depth=1

// other setup

Then in .gitpod.yml

image:
  file: .gitpod.Dockerfile

[zcbenz]

create a .gitpod.Dockerfile in project root, and add deps to it

Thanks for the guidance! I'll try to support it in a separate PR.

[zcbenz]

This PR has been rebased on main branch, currently it depends on #49178 and #49279.

[targos]

#49279 just landed.

[joyeecheung]

Is this ready for review now?

[nodejs-github-bot]

CI: https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-pull-request/55548/

[nodejs-github-bot]

Landed in 32af45d

[joyeecheung]

Code wise LGTM but I have a question

[joyeecheung]

What LICENSE file is this referring to? Do we need to check with the foundation about this?

[joyeecheung]

oh I see that I am a bit too late to push the button. But I think we still need some clarification about the license.

[joyeecheung]

I think what normally is done is an entry about tools/<whatever-new-file-added> needs to be added to the main LICENSE file found at the project directory, behind

https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/83e6350b826a23b03417fd6978528aacace6c283/LICENSE#L49-52

otherwise the top-level license automatically applies to the files.

This PR however did not add anything to the LICENSE file. I am not a lawyer so I am not sure if this is a concern (it seems to be more of a concern for Microsoft than for us?). Not sure what needs to be done, cc @nodejs/tsc

[zcbenz]

The "BSD-style license" refers to Chromium's license.

The tools/generate_config_gypi.py, tools/search_files.py, and the GN build files are written from scratch up by Electron team and we can just delete their copyright headers to make Node's LICENSE file apply to them, like the other tools and gyps files in Node.

The tools/tools/gypi_to_gn.py is derived from Chromium so we must keep its copyright header, for which I'll need to add an entry in Node's LICENSE file.

I'll start a new PR correcting them.