# jakejs/jake

JavaScript build tool, similar to Make or Rake. Built to work with Node.js.

Repository: https://github.com/jakejs/jake
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/jake
Homepage: http://jakejs.com
Language: JavaScript
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-05-25T23:28:18+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 70/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 84, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 6008, "days_push": 100, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1974, forks 191 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:01.186988+00:00)

## What it is
Jake is a JavaScript build tool and task runner for Node.js, similar to Make or Rake, with tasks defined in executable JavaScript Jakefiles. It supports task prerequisites, concurrent tasks, namespaces, file-task rules, and can also be embedded as a module in larger programs.

## Use cases
- run build tasks for a node.js project
- define build pipelines in javascript instead of make
- run multiple async tasks concurrently with controlled concurrency
- organize tasks with namespaces to avoid name conflicts
- create file-based build rules like make
- embed a task runner in a larger node program
- list and run project tasks from the command line

## When to choose
- you want a Make/Rake-style task runner with Jakefiles written in plain JavaScript
- you need task prerequisites, concurrency, and namespacing in a Node.js build
- you want to embed task execution programmatically in your own tooling

## When to avoid
- you prefer modern bundler-centric workflows (webpack, Vite) for frontend asset builds
- you already use Grunt or Gulp and don't need a Make-like tool
- you need declarative configuration rather than executable JavaScript build files

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, cli, developer-tools, workflow-automation
- domain: developer-tools, web-development
- platform: cli, cross-platform
- tags: task-runner, jakefile, make-alternative, rake-alternative, javascript, command-line, automation, nodejs

## Member repositories
- jakejs/jake (main) score 70

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.186988+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:04:55.772367+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/jakejs/jake (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.186988+00:00, sha 93154ff2b8dc)
  - homepage: http://jakejs.com (fetched 2026-08-29T10:44:32.141709+00:00, sha c0dc63303fdb)
  - site_page: https://jakejs.com/docs-page.html (fetched 2026-08-29T10:44:32.151477+00:00, sha 8ec5be5adced)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/jake (fetched 2026-08-29T10:44:32.154994+00:00, sha 27350d4e430f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.