Task Runner & Script Execution

Executing lifecycle scripts in package.json traditionally requires a heavyweight Node.js runtime and npm installation. Beejs provides a native, high-performance Task Runner built directly in Rust.

1. Quick Usage

1.1 Listing Available Tasks

Run bee task without arguments in any project directory containing a package.json:

$ bee task

Console output:

📋 Available tasks in package.json:

  Task                 Command
  ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  build                bee bundle src/index.ts -o dist/bundle.js
  test                 bee test --coverage
  lint                 bee lint src/
  format               bee fmt src/
  serve                bee serve app.ts --port 3000

1.2 Running a Task

Execute a task with bee task <name> or bee run <script>:

$ bee task build
# Or identically to npm / bun:
$ bee run build

Pass additional arguments to the underlying command after --:

$ bee task test -- --bail

2. Architecture & Environment Isolation

2.1 Zero Node.js / npm Dependency

The task runner parses package.json directly using fast Rust deserialization and spawns lightweight OS processes without needing Node.js or npm installed on the machine.

2.2 Intelligent PATH Prioritization

When invoking commands, Beejs automatically configures environment variables:

1. Local .bin Precedence: Prepends <project_root>/node_modules/.bin to PATH;
2. Current bee Binary Forwarding: Prepends the directory of the running bee binary to PATH, ensuring that bee fmt or bee test scripts invoke the current runtime version;
3. Cross-Platform Shell Spawning: Dispatches through sh -c on Unix (macOS / Linux) and cmd.exe /C on Windows to cleanly support compound shell operators and pipes.

3. Recommended Workflow

Sample package.json for a modern Beejs project:

{
  "name": "my-beejs-service",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "bee serve app.ts --watch",
    "build": "bee bundle app.ts -o dist/bundle.js --minify",
    "compile": "bee compile app.ts -o my-service",
    "check": "bee lint src/ && bee fmt src/ --check",
    "test": "bee test --coverage",
    "bench": "bee bench benches/"
  }
}

Now you can drive your entire development lifecycle with clean commands:

$ bee run check
$ bee run test
$ bee run build