Grunt is a JavaScript task runner that automates repetitive tasks such as minification, compilation, unit testing, linting, and more. It is highly configurable and uses a Gruntfile to define tasks and load plugins.
Task Automation
This feature allows you to automate tasks such as minification. The provided code sample demonstrates how to configure Grunt to use the 'uglify' plugin to minify JavaScript files.
module.exports = function(grunt) {
grunt.initConfig({
pkg: grunt.file.readJSON('package.json'),
uglify: {
options: {
banner: '/*! <%= pkg.name %> <%= grunt.template.today("yyyy-mm-dd") %> */\n'
},
build: {
src: 'src/<%= pkg.name %>.js',
dest: 'build/<%= pkg.name %>.min.js'
}
}
});
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-uglify');
grunt.registerTask('default', ['uglify']);
};File Watching
Grunt can watch files and execute tasks when they change. The code sample shows how to configure Grunt to watch JavaScript files and run the 'jshint' task whenever a file changes.
module.exports = function(grunt) {
grunt.initConfig({
watch: {
scripts: {
files: ['**/*.js'],
tasks: ['jshint'],
options: {
spawn: false,
},
},
},
});
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-watch');
grunt.registerTask('default', ['watch']);
};Compilation
Grunt can compile preprocessor languages like Sass into CSS. The code sample demonstrates how to configure Grunt to compile a Sass file into a CSS file using the 'grunt-contrib-sass' plugin.
module.exports = function(grunt) {
grunt.initConfig({
sass: {
dist: {
files: {
'main.css': 'main.scss'
}
}
}
});
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-sass');
grunt.registerTask('default', ['sass']);
};Gulp is another JavaScript task runner that uses a code-over-configuration approach, making it more flexible and easier to read than Grunt. It uses streams and code to define tasks, which can result in faster build times.
Webpack is a module bundler primarily for JavaScript, but it can transform front-end assets like HTML, CSS, and images if the corresponding loaders are included. It is more powerful and complex than Grunt, often used for modern JavaScript applications.
Broccoli is a JavaScript build tool that focuses on fast rebuilds and a simple, composable API. It is particularly well-suited for large projects where build performance is critical.
Visit the gruntjs.com website for all the things.
Before you make an issue, please read our Contributing guide.
See the CHANGELOG.
FAQs
The JavaScript Task Runner
The npm package grunt receives a total of 713,367 weekly downloads. As such, grunt popularity was classified as popular.
We found that grunt demonstrated a not healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released a year ago. It has 4 open source maintainers collaborating on the project.
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