just vs Task
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | just | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | CC0-1.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source, snap |
| GitHub stars | ★ 35,981 | ★ 16,184 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Make | Make |
What are just and Task?
just
just is a command runner that saves and runs project-specific commands called recipes, with a syntax inspired by Make but simpler. It runs locally as a single binary.
- Simple recipe syntax
- Cross-platform
- No build artifacts
- Shell-agnostic
Task
Task is a task runner and build tool that uses a simple YAML file to define and run repeatable commands across projects. It is self-hosted as a single cross-platform binary.
- YAML task definitions
- Cross-platform binary
- Dependency tracking
- Variable templating
just vs Task: key differences
Just is written in Rust, while Task is built with Go. Licensing differs — CC0-1.0 for just versus MIT for Task. Just has the considerably larger community, at 35,981 GitHub stars versus 16,184.
Why pick each one
Choose just if…
- Simpler than Make
- Single static binary
- Great error messages
Watch out for
- No dependency tracking
- Extra tool to install
Choose Task if…
- Single static binary
- Simple YAML syntax
- Fully cross-platform
Watch out for
- Less ubiquitous than Make
- Complex logic gets awkward
Frequently asked questions
Is just or Task 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 just and Task free and open-source?
Yes. just is licensed under CC0-1.0 and Task under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run just and Task with Docker?
just: check the project docs for container support. Task: check the project docs for container support.