Leiningen for Windows: Build Clojure Projects Without the Pain

Ever tried running a Clojure project on Windows? If yes, you know it's like assembling an IKEA cabinet with no instructions and one hex key. The good news: Leiningen — the go-to build tool for Clojure — finally has proper Windows support.

Previously, to get lein working on Windows, you had to be a shaman: install Cygwin, tweak PATH, pray to batch files. Now just download the installer and you're set — build projects without cursing Bill Gates. The devs clearly read our minds and decided: "Enough is enough."

For the uninitiated: Leiningen is like Maven or Gradle, but for Clojure and with soul. It manages dependencies, builds projects, runs tests, and even deploys. And now it does all that on Windows without extra hoops. Sure, if you're used to Linux terminal magic, you'll have to accept that some commands still require PowerShell — but that's a small price to pay.

Also, the installer now bundles the Java Development Kit (JDK) — no need to download it separately. One less headache. And if you develop Clojure for production, you'll appreciate that lein uberjar now builds without tears.

So if you're a Windows developer curious about Clojure — now's the time. Leiningen is no longer an elitist tool for Mac and Linux users.

METABYTE studio comment: We've struggled with Clojure setup on Windows ourselves, so we're glad to focus on code rather than terminal voodoo. Hopefully, next up is a decent REPL in cmd.exe without crutches.