Custom software development company not only face complex tasks that they must solve, but they also deal with very laborious repetitive processes on a daily basis. Such is the case, for example, of compiling Less and SCSS files into CSS. In addition to being time-consuming, this phase can also be confusing for the person in charge. For the relief of programmers, what are known as task runners have been developed, responsible for automating these processes. There are various applications, especially for JavaScript environments , among which Grunt and Gulp are the most striking representatives. But what makes these task runners so special and how do they differ from each other?
What is a task runner?
The term task runner refers to a program responsible for automating computer processes that, without its use, would have to be carried out manually, and for this reason it is considered of great value in repetitive tasks. By optimizing your workflow , it takes less time to perform these tasks and consequently you have more time to dedicate to others. The two basic aspects that differentiate the different solutions are, on the one hand, the way in which they are programmed and, on the other, the way of working internally. At the same time, the user will always have control over the phases of the work that they want to automate and those that they do not want to automate.
These tools are considered very useful especially in software development services, since frontend programmers have to deal daily with simple but at the same time laborious and repetitive processes: compiling a style sheet preprocessor (Less, Sass, SCSS) in a finished CSS or run JavaScript code minification . Likewise, testing the functionality of individual modules usually requires more time than is available, which explains why these solutions are essential and how they help improve the pace of work. Among them, JavaScript task runners, based on Node.js, enjoy some popularity. The automation options of each program can be expanded with a large number of plugins .
Grunt vs. Gulp: comparison of two Java task runners
JavaScript environments have different task runners whose main difference is based on the way in which the automation process is started. On the one hand, there are programs that have the necessary code to execute the corresponding processes from the beginning. In this case, the user configures the task that he wants to perform automatically, that is, without dealing with the program code. On the other hand, there are JavaScript task runners that place programming at the forefront, offering the user more freedom to create their own automation scripts.
Among the most popular custom software development services, along with Broccoli.js and Brunch, are Gulp and Grunt. Their characteristics, similarities and differences are shown below.
What is Grunt?
In 2012, Ben Alman, a JavaScript programmer, unveiled the Grunt command-line task runner and has continued to develop it with a small team ever since. The program code is available under the MIT free software license and can be downloaded from the official websites, although it is also available to users on the GitHub programmer platform . Grunt, like all similar tools, is based on the Node.js runtime environment for JavaScript and has grunt-cli, a command line interface that is installed, like the task runner itself, with the manager of npm packages (Node Package Manager).
To integrate Grunt into a web project, two files must be added to the root directory of the project. The package.json file contains all relevant metadata (name, version, license, or dependency) of the tasks that can be automated. The Grunt file, written in valid JavaScript ( gruntfile.js ) or CoffeeScript ( gruntfile.coffee ), includes the original code with which the modules of each of the tasks are integrated and configured . These, also called plugins, are installed with the npm package manager.
The official directory of plugins has more than 6,000 tasks for the most diverse purposes, such as grunt-contrib-clean to organize directories and files, grunt-contrib-cssmin for CSS minification or grunt-contrib-connect to start a server local. Many of these plugins are nothing more than interfaces to standalone tools since, for example, grunt-contrib-uglify allows you to manage the UglifyJS JavaScript minifier from the Grunt file.
Furthermore, every skilled programmer can, in addition to modifying or extending existing tasks, create his own automation modules to best adapt the task runner to his needs.
What is Gulp?
The American software company Fractal Innovations released the first version of the free task runner Gulp to the market in July 2013 thanks to joint work with the GitHub community of programmers. Like Grunt, this program is available under an MIT open source license and is based on the Node.js JavaScript platform. Like its competitor, it uses the npm package manager and hardly differs from it in terms of structure: since Gulp is also a command line tool, it has the user interface for it, that is, gulp-cli. In addition, it generally uses package.json as a configuration file and the Gulp file ( gulpfile.js ), which specifies the possible tasks. Once added to the web directory it is possible to use the task runner to optimize the work pace .
The Gulp file, which contains only JavaScript, bundles file operations so that they can be executed with the Node.js stream module . Each stream process runs mostly in main memory before the result is written back to each file. All of this makes this task runner stand out for its excellent performance , although it is essential to have knowledge of Node.js and JavaScript to use it, since the tasks are scheduled from the beginning but not configured. For the most expert this implies great freedom, which in turn entails a high potential for error.
There are also plugins for Gulp with a large number of tasks already prepared. The official gulpjs.com directory has more than 3,000 different extensions, for example, gulp-jekyll for compiling Jekyll projects, gulp-php-minify for optimizing PHP codes or gulp-cssmyicons for transforming SVG icons into css.
Gulp vs. Grunt: similarities and differences
Since Grunt and Gulp share a series of characteristics, it seems that there is no difference between these tools. Both have the MIT license, which means that they are open source programs made available to users. In addition, both can be managed with a command line and have an interface that is installed with the software. Likewise, with npm they use the same package manager and can automate countless tasks thanks to the extensive directory of plugins available. If none of the available extensions are useful, both tools allow you to program the task you want to perform, although their structure requires knowledge of JavaScript and Node.js.
However, while Gulp primarily uses the Node.js stream module, Grunt mainly uses the fs (file system) module , which is one of the most notable differences between both tools. Grunt is strictly file-oriented , creating them temporarily and locally as a result of executed tasks. In contrast, Gulp carries out processes in main memory and writes directly to files, which provides greater speed to the program.
Another distinguishing feature is the concept that surrounds each of the two solutions. Grunt programming directs users, because many tasks have already been defined that would only need to be configured. On the contrary, Gulp gives greater freedom to the programmer, as it only provides individual modules , which makes it easier to understand contexts and relationships but at the same time requires greater effort. The larger the project, the more Gulp's strengths stand out, which is why it is the first choice for many. Due to its greater simplicity, Grunt has its purpose in smaller, more manageable projects .