Skip to main content
St Louis

Back to all posts

How to Integrate Protobuf With Cmake?

Published on
3 min read
How to Integrate Protobuf With Cmake? image

Best Tools to Integrate Protobuf with CMake to Buy in January 2026

1 Proto 577-5299 Boxes Tool Set

Proto 577-5299 Boxes Tool Set

  • PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA FOR HIGH-QUALITY ASSURANCE!
  • COMPACT DESIGN: PERFECT FOR EASY STORAGE AND TRANSPORT!
  • LIGHTWEIGHT AT JUST 1.41 LBS FOR EFFORTLESS HANDLING!
BUY & SAVE
$20.16
Proto 577-5299 Boxes Tool Set
2 Proto Industrial Tools J61390 Multi-Bit Set, 91 Piece

Proto Industrial Tools J61390 Multi-Bit Set, 91 Piece

  • PREMIUM TAIWAN-MADE BITS FOR EXCEPTIONAL DURABILITY
  • COMPREHENSIVE KIT FOR VERSATILE APPLICATIONS
  • HIGH-QUALITY TOOLS TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONALS
BUY & SAVE
$133.75
Proto Industrial Tools J61390 Multi-Bit Set, 91 Piece
3 PROTO TOOLS J9975R 20in General Purpose Double

PROTO TOOLS J9975R 20in General Purpose Double

  • DURABLE 40-LB WEIGHT CAPACITY FOR HEAVY-DUTY STORAGE.
  • STURDY STEEL CONSTRUCTION WITH A STYLISH POWDER-COATED FINISH.
  • SECURE YOUR TOOLS WITH A RELIABLE PADLOCK HASP LOCKING SYSTEM.
BUY & SAVE
$70.54
PROTO TOOLS J9975R 20in General Purpose Double
4 Proto B983652 6 Pack Proto 10-1/4" x 6-3/4" Quick Square Premium Layout Tool

Proto B983652 6 Pack Proto 10-1/4" x 6-3/4" Quick Square Premium Layout Tool

  • DURABLE ALUMINUM BUILD ENSURES LONG-LASTING PERFORMANCE.
  • HIGH-CONTRAST BLACK AND YELLOW DESIGN FOR EASY VISIBILITY.
  • VERSATILE USE: PROTRACTOR AND SAW GUIDE IN ONE TOOL!
BUY & SAVE
$17.63
Proto B983652 6 Pack Proto 10-1/4" x 6-3/4" Quick Square Premium Layout Tool
+
ONE MORE?

To integrate protobuf with CMake, first ensure that you have protobuf installed on your system. Then, in your CMakeLists.txt file, you will need to add the following lines:

  1. Find the Protobuf package using the find_package() command specifying the required version of protobuf.
  2. Use the protobuf_generate_cpp() command to generate C++ code from your .proto files.
  3. Include the generated files in your project with the include_directories() command.
  4. Link the protobuf library to your executable or library target using the target_link_libraries() command.

By following these steps, you can successfully integrate protobuf into your CMake project.

How to add protobuf libraries to the executable target in cmake?

To add protobuf libraries to the executable target in CMake, you first need to specify the required protobuf libraries in your CMakeLists.txt file. Here is an example of how you can do this:

  1. Find the protobuf package using the find_package command:

find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)

  1. Include the protobuf library directories and headers in your target:

include_directories(${PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_DIRS}) target_link_libraries(your_target ${PROTOBUF_LIBRARIES})

  1. Include the protobuf files that contain the message definitions in your target:

protobuf_generate_cpp(PROTO_SRCS PROTO_HDRS your_proto_file.proto) add_executable(your_target ${PROTO_SRCS} ${PROTO_HDRS})

  1. Link your target with the protobuf libraries by adding the following line to your CMakeLists.txt file:

target_link_libraries(your_target ${PROTOBUF_LIBRARIES})

By following these steps, you can add protobuf libraries to the executable target in CMake.

What is the command to generate protobuf source files in cmake?

To generate protobuf source files in CMake, you can use the protobuf_generate_cpp function provided by the FindProtobuf package in CMake. Here is an example of how to use this function in a CMake file:

find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)

Generate C++ files from your protobuf file

protobuf_generate_cpp(PROTO_SRCS PROTO_HDRS your_proto_file.proto)

Add the generated files to your target

add_executable(your_target main.cpp ${PROTO_SRCS} ${PROTO_HDRS})

Link the protobuf library to your target

target_link_libraries(your_target ${Protobuf_LIBRARIES})

Replace your_proto_file.proto with the path to your protobuf file and your_target with the name of your target executable or library. This will generate the necessary source files from your protobuf file and add them to your target.

How to properly include protobuf include directories in a cmake project?

To include protobuf include directories in a CMake project, you can use the target_include_directories CMake command. Here is an example:

# Find Protobuf package find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)

Add include directories for Protobuf

target_include_directories(your_target_name PRIVATE ${Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIRS})

Replace your_target_name with the name of your target in the CMake project. This will add the necessary include directories for protobuf to your target.

What is the procedure for importing protobuf targets in a cmake project?

To import protobuf targets in a CMake project, you can follow these steps:

  1. Locate the Protobuf package in your CMake project by using the find_package command. This will enable CMake to find the Protobuf library and its associated targets.

find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)

  1. Set the PROTOBUF_GENERATE_CPP command to generate the C++ files from your .proto files. Specify the path to your .proto files and the generated output files.

set(PROTO_FILES path/to/your/proto/file.proto) protobuf_generate_cpp(PROTO_SRC PROTO_HEADER ${PROTO_FILES})

  1. Add the generated C++ files to your CMake project by including the source and header files as sources in your target.

add_executable(my_target ${PROTO_SRC} ${PROTO_HEADER} main.cpp)

  1. Link your target with the Protobuf library by using the target_link_libraries command.

target_link_libraries(my_target protobuf::libprotobuf)

  1. Build your project using CMake to generate the necessary build files.

cmake . make

By following these steps, you can successfully import protobuf targets in your CMake project and use Protobuf functionality in your C++ code.