Meson uses a PythonA high-level language known for readability — dominant in data science, scripting, and web backends.-like DSL in `meson.build` files — declare executables, libraries, and tests; Meson emits Ninja build files for speed. GTK, systemd, Mesa, and GStreamer adopted it as a modern alternative to Autotools and CMake. Example: `meson setup build && meson compile -C build` configures and compiles a C project cross-platform.

Meson offered a simpler, faster alternative to Autotools for large open-source C/C++ projects.

It became the build system of choice for GNOME, freedesktop, and major Linux infrastructure.