what's new in Xcode 26 build system
Asked on 06/16/2025
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In Xcode 26, the build system has introduced several enhancements, particularly with the implementation of explicitly built modules for Swift code, which are now enabled by default. This change allows the build system to split the processing of each compilation unit into three phases: scanning, building modules, and finally building the original source code. This separation provides better control over module build tasks, optimizing the build pipeline for improved efficiency and reliability. The explicit modules also enhance the speed of debugging Swift code, as the debugger can reuse already built modules, leading to faster evaluations in the debugger.
Additionally, Apple has open-sourced Swift Build, a powerful and extensible build engine used by Xcode and Swift Playground, and is working to incorporate it into the Swift Package Manager to unify the build experience across Swift Open Source Toolchains and Xcode. This new implementation supports all platforms in the Swift ecosystem, including Linux, Windows, and Android.
For more details, you can refer to the session What’s new in Xcode (27:50).
What’s new in Xcode
Discover the latest productivity and performance advancements in Xcode 26. Learn how to leverage large language models in your development workflow. Explore editing and debugging enhancements, improved performance and testing tools, and Swift Build - the open-source build system engine used by Xcode.
Platforms State of the Union
Discover the newest advancements on Apple platforms.
What’s new in Swift
Join us for an update on Swift. We’ll talk about workflow improvements that make you more productive, and new and modernized library APIs for fundamental programming tasks. We’ll show examples of Swift adoption throughout more layers of the software stack. Finally, we’ll explore new language features for both improving approachability of concurrency, and achieving peak performance when you need it.