Alright, you’ve got projects to run, Node versions to switch between, and tasks to automate. You don’t want a bloated tool or to keep bouncing between nvm
and npm scripts. Shuru is here to simplify all that: a task runner with a built-in node version manager. It’s lightweight, written in Rust, and gets out of your way while making sure your tasks run smoothly.
What’s Shuru?
Shuru does two things:
- Manages Node.js versions per project.
- Runs project-specific tasks defined in a simple config file.
That’s it. No fancy features you’ll never use. It’s focused on making your workflow simpler by handling the stuff that’s usually a pain when switching projects — like making sure you're on the right version of Node and running the same commands every time.
How to Install
Linux/macOS
Installation is super easy:
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harshdoesdev/shuru/main/install.sh | sh
Windows
- Head over to the Shuru GitHub releases page.
- Download the Windows executable.
- Add it to your system's
PATH
for easy access.
That’s it. You’re set up.
Using Shuru
You define your tasks and node version in a shuru.toml
file at the root of your project. Here’s a basic example:
[versions]
node = "v16.14.0"
[[task]]
name = "setup"
command = "npm install"
[[task]]
name = "dev"
command = "npm run dev"
[[task]]
name = "build"
command = "npm run build"
Shuru will make sure you’re using the specified Node.js version (v16.14.0
in this case) and run the tasks like npm install
or npm run dev
with a single command.
Running Tasks
Once your shuru.toml
file is ready, you can run any task with:
shuru <task_name>
For example:
shuru setup
Shuru will switch to the correct Node.js version (if necessary) and run the command npm install
. Want to check the Node version your project is using? Just add this to your shuru.toml
:
[[task]]
name = "version"
command = "node --version"
Now, run:
shuru version
Shuru will switch to the right version of Node and give you the info in one go.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you’ve got a project that needs Node.js v18.5.0
. You want to install dependencies, run tests, build the project, and start the dev server. Here’s what your shuru.toml
might look like:
[versions]
node = "v18.5.0"
[[task]]
name = "setup"
command = "npm install"
[[task]]
name = "test"
command = "npm run test"
[[task]]
name = "build"
command = "npm run build"
[[task]]
name = "start"
command = "npm start"
default = true
Now, instead of manually running these commands or worrying about Node versions, you can just do:
shuru setup # Installs dependencies
shuru test # Runs tests
shuru build # Builds the project
shuru # Defaults to starting the server
Shuru ensures the right Node version is active for every command without you having to think about it.
Why Shuru?
Shuru is all about simplicity and focus. It doesn’t try to replace task runners like Gulp or npm scripts. Instead, it’s a lightweight tool that:
- Manages your Node versions.
- Automates running project-specific tasks.
Nothing more, nothing less. If you want something that just works, Shuru is for you. Check it out on GitHub and see if it fits your workflow.
Give it a shot, contribute if you want, and simplify the way you run tasks across projects.
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