Jake

Spec sheet

Purpose

Jake is a JavaScript build tool for Node.js with capabilities similar to GNU Make, CMake, or Rake.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Integrations

The official documentation describes installing Jake through npm or Yarn and invoking it with npx; it does not list other product integrations.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

License

The project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com

Async actions

Jake waits for async task actions or returned Promises to resolve before marking the task complete.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Async tasks

Jake waits for asynchronous task actions and promises to resolve before marking a task complete.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

CLI and embedding

Jake is primarily a command-line tool, and it can also be embedded in programs.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

CLI installation

Jake can be installed globally with npm or run locally with npx.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Concurrent tasks

Jake can run asynchronous prerequisites concurrently, with a configurable limit on simultaneous tasks.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Experimental APIs

The docs describe exported-function tasks and the series method as experimental APIs.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

File rules

Jake can create file tasks from rules when a filename is used as a prerequisite and no file task is defined for it.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

File tasks

File tasks can create files from prerequisites and run their action when the output is missing or older than a prerequisite.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

File tasks and rules

Jake can create file tasks from rules when a file is named as a prerequisite and no file task is defined for it.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Install options

The documentation describes global or local npm installation, installation with Yarn, and running a local installation via npx.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Jakefiles

Tasks are defined in Jakefiles, which are executable JavaScript files.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Modular tasks

Jake automatically loads JavaScript files from a project’s jakelib directory after loading its main Jakefile; the directory can be overridden with a CLI option.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Namespaces

Tasks can be grouped in namespaces to organize them and avoid name conflicts.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Node.js requirement

The npm package specifies Node.js version 10 or later as its engine requirement.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com

Programmatic use

Jake can be embedded as a module in larger programs.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Security and support

The official site pages reviewed provide no security certification or support commitment.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Task dependencies

Tasks can have prerequisite tasks that run before them.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Task prerequisites

Tasks can depend on prerequisite tasks, and Jake tracks prerequisites that have already run to avoid running them twice.Read 9 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Utilities

Jake includes utility tasks for packaging projects and publishing packages to npm.Read 4 Oct 2026 · jakejs.com

Where Specifiction places it

• JavaScript Build Tools#17 of 277.4