Background:
I’ve always liked the convenience of defining command aliases in Node using package.json scripts. I’m now on the lookout for a slim tool that works across various operating systems, focuses on workspaces, and supports comments within its configuration.
What I’ve Tried:
I checked out a few utilities such as a variant of just, an alternative to make, and something akin to mise. However, none of them completely hit the mark for my needs—especially since the option similar to mise ends up being rather bulky during installation.
I’ve been using a fairly minimal tool for a while now called nps, and my experience has been largely positive. It lets me keep command aliases tidy within package.json and has support for workspaces, which makes managing projects much more straightforward. I also appreciate its lightweight nature and the fact that its configuration allows for inline comments. Although it’s not completely perfect, it does a good job of minimizing cross-platform headaches. From your description, I’d say it’s definitely worth a try compared to some of the more bulky alternatives.
I have experimented with a setup involving npm-run-all combined with some custom cross-platform scripts in package.json. While it doesn’t provide inline comments directly, I organize my configuration in external files that serve both as documentation and a means to manage complex command chains. This approach has proven both lightweight and efficient, especially when dealing with multiple workspace environments. The cross-env tool complements it by ensuring consistent behavior across different operating systems, thus addressing the common challenge of cross-platform scripting without the need for bulkier tools.