CPS in CMake - Marching Towards Standard C++ Dependency Management

Explore the implementation of the Common Package Specification (CPS) in CMake 4.0 through this conference talk from C++Now 2025. Learn how this experimental feature addresses the longstanding challenges of C++ dependency management by providing standardized metadata for prebuilt libraries, including header-only libraries, statically linked archives, and dynamically linked binaries. Discover how CMake's existing export/import capabilities are being leveraged to promote and test this new specification that aims to solve interoperability problems across the broader programming ecosystem. Examine the practical implications of CPS adoption for package managers, IDEs, and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) generation, while understanding how this standard can help eliminate the ad hoc techniques currently used for consuming prebuilt libraries. Gain insights into the progress made since the original CPS introduction at CppCon 2023 and understand how this specification promises to bring consistency to library usage across C++ projects, reducing the risk of catastrophic failures in production environments.