MinGW (Minimalist GNU for Windows) and Cygwin are both tools that allow developers to build and run Unix-like applications on Windows systems. However, they differ in several key ways.
Compatibility: Cygwin provides a POSIX-compatible layer that emulates a Unix-like environment on Windows. This means that Unix-like applications can be compiled and run on Windows with few or no modifications. MinGW, on the other hand, provides a set of header files and libraries that allow developers to compile and link Windows applications with the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).
Dependencies: Cygwin requires a set of runtime libraries to be installed on the system to run POSIX-compatible applications. This means that the applications built with Cygwin may have a larger footprint and may require additional dependencies. MinGW, on the other hand, does not require any additional runtime libraries or dependencies to be installed.
Licensing: Cygwin is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which requires that any derivative works be released under the same license. MinGW, on the other hand, is released under a more permissive license that allows developers to use and distribute the software without restrictions.
Performance: Due to the emulation layer provided by Cygwin, applications built with Cygwin may have a slightly slower performance compared to applications built with MinGW, which directly links with the Windows API.
In summary, Cygwin is a good option if you need to run Unix-like applications on Windows and require full POSIX compatibility. MinGW, on the other hand, is a good option if you want to build native Windows applications with GCC without any additional dependencies or licensing restrictions.