Difference Between Gulp vs Grunt
Gulp is the toolkit developed to use in streaming in front-end development. Written in JavaScript, it is a task runner where developers can automate most of the development tasks. Files are considered as streams, and these are transferred as different tasks. Plugins are used to run the tasks, and codes are written for the tasks. Grunt is also a task runner that is automated to run the tasks one after the other in a sequence. It is written in Node.js and uses a command-line interface to run the files in the application. Custom tasks are run here in the CLI.
Head to Head Comparisons Between Gulp vs Grunt Classic (Infographics)
Below are the top comparisons between Gulp and Grunt:
Key Differences Between Gulp vs Grunt
Let us discuss some of the major key differences between Gulp and Grunt:
- When we compare both, we can see that both use Node coding, and both are building blocks in a system. The working of both is also similar. Let us dive into their differences which are not less but can be identified easily. First of all, while automating tasks, Gulp uses the files which are stored in memory and uses it. But Grunt uses the temporary files and input-output operations in the system to work. These intermediary files compile the result, and this is saved in the destination file.
- As discussed in the above point, since Gulp writes and stores the files into its own memory, it works faster in the system than Grunt. The speed can be compared as twice as faster as Grunt. This is an advantage in the Gulp as the system’s memory will not be affected by any external files and can be managed perfectly. Grunt uses intermediary files or temporary files, and this makes the system more complex in terms of memory and storage. It is not easy to retrieve files as easily as Gulp.
- To manage with the memory and speed, upcoming Grunt releases are sophisticated with new updates such as supports to repositories and speed processes. This makes the app to change its face regularly in front of customers. All the Grunt releases have new updates, which helps the application support more files and migrate to the new technology. While considering Gulp, the releases are less, and there won’t be many changes in the application even with new releases. It will be mostly the patch updates and system support.
- Grunt was developed a year before Gulp. It was developed in 2012 while Gulp in 2013. This makes the community support a huge backup for Grunt. The support is huge that the community help in releasing the plugins, which is more for Grunt than Gulp. Plugins used in Gulp are less, and hence people prefer more to work with Grunt due to community support. All the queries are answered pretty fast in the community. This may change in the coming years as the use of Gulp is increasing now.
- As in Webpack, Grunt has the problem of complex configuration, which makes Gulp a bit advantageous. Code written in Grunt is difficult to read and understand, while in Gulp, it is easy to understand and rewrite the code in another format. This makes the code to be transferred to another platform easily in the application. The codes in Grunt are complex and are not easily transferrable from one platform to another.
Gulp vs Grunt Comparison Table
Let’s look at the top comparisons between Gulp vs Grunt:
| Gulp | Grunt |
| The API of Gulp is more fascinating and has cleaner code. It helps the developers to write and enhance the applications more. It is easy to work with cleaner code, and Gulp provides an advantage for this. | The API is not so great as Gulp though it has the codes written in a proper format. The codes are not clean, and developers get confused with the code more often. |
| Plugins used in Gulp perform one task at a time and is not designed to do multiple tasks. Hence there are several plugins in the application developed to perform different tasks in the system. | Plugins in Grunt perform multiple tasks, which helps the users use a small number of plugins to use an application. The plugin creation process is different from that of Gulp. |
| Code required is less, and with the fewer plugins, it manages the tasks and handles the application in a better manner. | Code required is more, and plugins for multiple tasks make it more complicated in the system. |
| The configuration files are easy due to the fact that JavaScript is used to write the codes. | The configuration files are written in JSON format, and this makes the developer write large codes. Also, source and destination files have to be declared for every task in this application. This makes the process cumbersome with the plugins involved. |
| It has good efficiency and faster performance due to the fact that all the tasks are handled from in-memory and processed. The speed is because a greater number of tasks are handled at a time in the application. | The performance is not faster while comparing with other applications. But as this handles more applications within itself, it cannot keep the tasks in-memory. The application will handle only one task at a time. |
| The modules are based on node.js, and the processes are managed from the memory of the system. | The file system is used in the application, and it focusses more on files. Temporary files and intermediary files are used in the application. |
| Independent programming is done in Gulp, and individual modules are done in the application. This helps in creating larger projects in the application. | Users are more directed in the system with the tasks located in the proper place, and it helps to manage small projects than Gulp. |
Conclusion
While considering which one to choose in working, it always depends on personal preference. But if you are already working with Grunt or Gulp and you are happy with the application, continue working with the same. But if you are new to both and require more plugins, prefer Grunt. You can develop the plugins, but all you are concerned is about speed; go with Gulp.
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