The GNU toolchain is a blanket term given to the programming tools produced by the GNU project. These projects form an integrated system, or toolchain, that is used for programming both applications and operating systems. It is a vital component in Linux kernel development, BSD development and a standard tool when developing software for embedded systems. Parts of the toolchain are also widely used with Solaris, Mac OS X, and for Microsoft Windows programming with Cygwin and MinGW/MSYS and development for the Sony PlayStation 3.
Projects included in the GNU toolchain are:

GNU make, for build and compilation automation;
GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), with compilers for several languages;
GNU Binutils, linker, assembler and other tools;
GNU Debugger (GDB);
GNU build system (autotools):

• Autoconf
  Autoheader
  Automake
  Libtool