Delta vs just
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Delta
Syntax-highlighting pager for git and diff output
VS
just
Handy command runner for project-specific recipes
| Feature | Delta | just |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | CC0-1.0 |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 31,681 | ★ 35,185 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | diff-so-fancy | Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Delta if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 31.7k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Choose just if…
- Released under the CC0-1.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 35.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Delta or just better?
Neither is universally better. just has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Delta and just free and open-source?
Yes. Delta is licensed under MIT and just under CC0-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Delta and just with Docker?
Delta: check the project docs for container support. just: check the project docs for container support.