just

View documentation for the command runner

$ tldr just.1

$ tldr just.js

just [options] [recipe...] [arguments...]

--choose
    Choose a recipe to run from a list.

--clear-defaults
    Clear default arguments for recipes.

--dump
    Print the justfile to standard output.

--fmt
    Format the justfile.

--edit
    Open the justfile in your editor.

--evaluate
    Evaluate a recipe's variables and print them.

--explain
    Explain a recipe.

--init
    Create a justfile if one does not exist.

--list
    List all available recipes.

--no-dotenv
    Don't load `.env` files.

--show
    Show a recipe's source code.

--shell
    The shell to use for recipes.

--summary
    List all available recipes in a compact format.

--uncolor
    Disable colored output.

--version
    Show just's version.

--help
    Show help message.

[recipe]
    The recipe(s) to execute.

[arguments]
    Arguments to pass to the recipe(s).

Just is a modern, elegant command runner for saving and executing project-specific commands. It's like a `Makefile`, but designed for humans. It's written in Rust, so it's fast and reliable. Instead of arcane make syntax, Just uses a simple, declarative syntax to define recipes, which are named sequences of shell commands.
It is designed to be easy to learn and use, emphasizing simplicity and readability. Just allows you to capture common project tasks like building, testing, deploying, and running development servers in named recipes.

Recipes can take arguments, have dependencies, and access environment variables. Just also provides features like auto-completion and syntax highlighting to improve the developer experience. Justfiles are generally named `justfile` and should reside in the project root. Just aims to replace `Makefile` and improve over `bash scripts` and `npm run` commands.

Just requires a `justfile` in the current directory or a parent directory. The syntax of the justfile is different than `Makefile` and needs to be learned. Just doesn't support all features of Make, but offers more modern alternatives.

A simple justfile might look like this:
``` build: cargo build test: cargo test ```
To run the `build` recipe, you would type `just build`.

Just can be installed using various package managers or by downloading a pre-built binary from the project's website.

Just was created to address the shortcomings of Makefiles as task runners. It aims to be more user-friendly and easier to learn. It has gained popularity due to its simple syntax and clear error messages. It is actively developed and maintained.

make(1), bash(1)