---
title: "Xcode · MacMelon"
description: "Xcode is Apple's IDE for Apple platforms. It writes DerivedData and other caches. Smart Clean can include DerivedData, not the Xcode app itself."
url: "https://macmelon.com/glossary/xcode"
---

# Xcode

Apple's integrated development environment for building apps on Apple platforms.

Xcode is the IDE Apple ships for iOS, macOS, and the rest of its platforms. It compiles, indexes, and simulates. Those jobs create large caches, especially DerivedData. The application bundle itself is also large, and it is not a cache. Deleting Xcode removes the IDE.

When [Disk Housekeeper](https://macmelon.com/apps/disk-housekeeper) talks about Xcode, it is talking about DerivedData inside Smart Clean. Preview the path. If the path is the application, stop. The use case is [Clear Xcode DerivedData](https://macmelon.com/use-cases/clear-xcode-deriveddata).

## Apps

[Make room for what matters. Clear clutter with confidence. ### Disk Housekeeper](https://macmelon.com/apps/disk-housekeeper)

## Related guides

[### How to clean developer files on macOS](https://macmelon.com/guides/how-to-clean-developer-files-on-macos)

## Related use cases

[### Clear Xcode DerivedData](https://macmelon.com/use-cases/clear-xcode-deriveddata)

## Related terms

[Xcode's build cache: indexes, module caches, and intermediate products that the next build can recreate. ### DerivedData](https://macmelon.com/glossary/deriveddata)[Files a developer tool keeps so the next build or install can skip a download or a compile. ### Developer cache](https://macmelon.com/glossary/developer-cache)[Disk Housekeeper's cleaner for developer caches and node\_modules, behind a preview. ### Smart Clean](https://macmelon.com/glossary/smart-clean)