Grunt

JavaScript task runner

Grunt is a JavaScript task runner, a tool used to automate repetitive tasks in the development workflow. It is built on top of Node.js and is widely used in the web development community to streamline tasks such as minification, compilation, unit testing, and linting.

Overview

Grunt is designed to be easy to use and highly extensible. It uses a Gruntfile to define tasks and load Grunt plugins. The Grunt ecosystem includes a large number of plugins that can be used to perform various tasks, making it a versatile tool for developers.

Features

• Task Automation: Grunt can automate a wide range of tasks, including file concatenation, minification, image optimization, and more.
• Extensibility: With a vast array of plugins available, Grunt can be extended to perform almost any task.
• Configuration: Tasks are configured in a Gruntfile, which is a JavaScript or JSON file that specifies the tasks and their configurations.
• Community Support: Grunt has a large and active community, providing a wealth of plugins and support.

Usage

To use Grunt, you need to have Node.js and npm (software) installed. You can then install Grunt and its plugins via npm. The basic steps to use Grunt are: 1. Install Grunt CLI globally: `npm install -g grunt-cli` 2. Create a `package.json` file: `npm init` 3. Install Grunt and plugins: `npm install grunt --save-dev` 4. Create a `Gruntfile.js` to configure tasks.

Example Gruntfile

Below is an example of a simple Gruntfile that defines a task to concatenate and minify JavaScript files: ```javascript module.exports = function(grunt) {

 // Project configuration.
 grunt.initConfig({
   pkg: grunt.file.readJSON('package.json'),
   concat: {
     options: {
       separator: ';',
     },
     dist: {
       src: ['src//*.js'],
       dest: 'dist/<%= pkg.name %>.js',
     },
   },
   uglify: {
     dist: {
       files: {
         'dist/<%= pkg.name %>.min.js': ['<%= concat.dist.dest %>']
       }
     }
   }
 });
 // Load the plugins.
 grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-concat');
 grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-uglify');
 // Default task(s).
 grunt.registerTask('default', ['concat', 'uglify']);

}; ```

Related Pages

• Node.js
• npm (software)
• JavaScript
• Task runner
• Web development

See Also

• Gulp (software)
• Webpack
• Babel (transpiler)