rusk-task

An asynchronous task runner in Rust, aiming to be a “simpler Make.”

Concept

Make is widely used as a task runner, but despite its relatively simple mechanism, it comes with many default settings that can lead to excessive boilerplate or copy-paste usage. rusk-task replaces these default values with more general-purpose ones, offering a “more modern” way to configure tasks in pursuit of a "simpler Make."

Installation

cargo install rusk-task

Features

• The configuration file is written in TOML.
• When run with no arguments, rusk-task displays a list of available tasks (there is no default task).
• Task naming conventions determine whether a target is a file or a phony:
  • File target: Contains / or . in its name.
  • Phony target: Starts with a letter, followed by letters, digits, -, or _ (matching /^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*$/).
• Searches for rusk.toml configuration files in descendant directories.
  • Relative paths in a config file are resolved from that config file’s location.
• Independently defined tasks run in concurrent whenever possible.
• Supports multiple environments via deno_task_shell.

Comparison with Alternatives

cargo-make

• cargo-make offers a richer set of features, including a plugin system and the ability to install external dependencies such as crates. In contrast, rusk-task focuses on being a “simpler Make,” purposely minimizing features to keep the design and documentation concise.
• By default, cargo-make is tightly integrated with Rust (though this can be disabled). rusk-task is not tied to any specific language or technology.
• cargo-make tasks can accept arguments, whereas rusk-task currently provides no way to define tasks that accept arguments.

just

• just is a task runner but not a build system. Like Make, rusk-task can include file dependencies and define tasks that generate files.
• just uses its own file format for configuration.
• just tasks can accept arguments, while rusk-task currently does not support defining tasks with arguments.

Make

• rusk-task aims to be a “simpler Make.”
• Make uses its own file format for configuration.
• Make treats targets as file-generating tasks by default. rusk-task switches between file targets and phony targets based on naming conventions.
• Make has many other features and specifications, which can add complexity.

License

Apache-2.0