Earthly vs Task
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
Task
Task runner and build tool simpler than Make
| Feature | Earthly | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, source, snap |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,049 | ★ 15,939 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| 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 Task if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 15.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Earthly or Task better?
Task 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 Task free and open-source?
Yes. Earthly is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Task under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Earthly and Task with Docker?
Earthly: yes. Task: check the project docs for container support.