Earthly vs just
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Earthly
Repeatable, container-based builds for CI
VS
just
Handy command runner for project-specific recipes
| Feature | Earthly | just |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MPL-2.0 | CC0-1.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,049 | ★ 35,185 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Make, GitHub Actions | Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Earthly if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 12k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
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 Earthly or just better?
just is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Earthly if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Earthly and just free and open-source?
Yes. Earthly is licensed under MPL-2.0 and just under CC0-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Earthly and just with Docker?
Earthly: yes. just: check the project docs for container support.