Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ninja Build VS Browsh

Compare Ninja Build VS Browsh and see what are their differences

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Ninja Build logo Ninja Build

Ninja is a small build system with a focus on speed.

Browsh logo Browsh

A fully-modern text-based browser, rendering to TTY and browsers
  • Ninja Build Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14
  • Browsh Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-04

Ninja Build features and specs

  • Speed
    Ninja is designed for high performance, making it one of the fastest build systems available. It minimizes the time spent on tasks such as parsing, dependency resolution, and build command execution.
  • Simplicity
    Ninjaโ€™s configuration syntax is straightforward and concise, reducing the complexity involved in setting up builds and allowing for a clear overview of build rules.
  • Parallelism
    Ninja excels at handling parallel builds, leveraging multiple cores effectively to decrease overall build times.
  • Incremental Builds
    Ninja efficiently handles incremental builds by only recompiling what is necessary, which significantly speeds up iterative development processes.
  • Integration
    Ninja is often used as the backend for more complex build systems (e.g., CMake), making it a versatile tool within a larger toolchain.

Possible disadvantages of Ninja Build

  • Limited Features
    Ninja is deliberately minimalist, lacking many of the features found in other build systems, such as built-in support for complex dependency management and custom build steps.
  • Learning Curve
    While Ninja itself has a simple syntax, the learning curve can be steep for those unfamiliar with how build systems work or for those coming from more feature-rich environments.
  • Dependency on Generators
    Ninja often requires an external generator (like CMake) to create its build files, which can add to the setup complexity and introduce dependencies on other tools.
  • Limited Scripting Capabilities
    Unlike some build systems that offer extensive scripting support (e.g., Python in SCons), Ninja's functionality is largely limited to what its syntax and predefined rules allow.
  • Less Flexibility
    Due to its minimalist nature, Ninja may not be as flexible as other build systems, potentially limiting its use in more complex or unusual build scenarios.

Browsh features and specs

  • Low Bandwidth Usage
    Browsh uses textual and minimal visual elements by rendering web pages in a text-based browser like Lynx, which reduces the bandwidth requirement significantly.
  • Compatibility with Modern Websites
    Unlike traditional text-based browsers, Browsh can handle modern web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, making it more adaptable to contemporary web standards.
  • Remote Access
    Browsh can be used over SSH, allowing users to browse the internet from a remote server, which is beneficial in accessing blocked content or when local internet is slow.
  • System Resources Efficiency
    Browsh primarily operates in a terminal, consuming fewer system resources compared to graphic-intensive web browsers, ideal for users on older hardware.
  • Privacy
    Running Browsh on a remote server can enhance user privacy by hiding the user's IP address and isolating sessions from the local machine.

Possible disadvantages of Browsh

  • Limited Visual Experience
    As Browsh primarily functions in a text-based environment, it lacks the full visual and interactive experience of a fully-featured graphical web browser.
  • Learning Curve
    Users may find navigating and understanding the terminal interface challenging, particularly for those unfamiliar with using command-line tools.
  • JavaScript Limitations
    Even though Browsh supports JavaScript, complex functionalities might not render as effectively as in graphic browsers, potentially impacting interactive web applications.
  • Limited Multimedia Support
    Multimedia content, like videos or animated graphics, may not display perfectly, limiting the user's ability to consume certain types of content.
  • Setup Complexity
    Setting up Browsh to work optimally, especially for remote access scenarios, can be more complex compared to regular web browsers, requiring some technical knowledge.

Analysis of Ninja Build

Overall verdict

  • Ninja Build is considered a strong choice for users seeking a fast, reliable, and efficient build system. Its simplicity and focus on performance make it appealing to developers working on projects where build speed is critical.

Why this product is good

  • Ninja Build is a high-performance build system designed to handle complex build processes efficiently. It is known for its minimalistic yet powerful design, which allows for faster build times compared to traditional build systems like Make. Its approach to dependency tracking and parallelism is optimized for modern build environments, making it suitable for large codebases and incremental builds.

Recommended for

    Ninja Build is recommended for developers working on large-scale projects with complex build processes, particularly in environments where build speed and efficiency are prioritized. It is especially beneficial for projects that are continuously integrated or require frequent incremental builds.

Ninja Build videos

FORTNITE STW: HERE IS THE BEST NINJA BUILD (AFTER MONTHS OF TESTING)

Browsh videos

Browsh A Text based Browser that is Actually Pretty Good! | Odd Projects #2

More videos:

  • Review - Linux Fails on the Desktop, Plus Arch Malware and the Browsh Browser
  • Review - Linux Terminal Browser [Browsh]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ninja Build and Browsh)
Front End Package Manager
Web Browsers
0 0%
100% 100
JavaScript Package Manager
Web Development Tools
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100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ninja Build should be more popular than Browsh. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ninja Build mentions (23)

  • CMake Made Simple: A Reusable Template for Your First C++ Project
    On Windows, download the binaries from the cmake and Ninja websites. After that, add the executables to your PATH. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • TypeScript's Successor is Waiting, and You'll Never Want to Turn Back
    Under the hood, Rescript uses a build system called Ninja. Ninja is similar to Make, but cross-platform and more minimal/performant. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Using Make โ€“ writing less Makefile
    Ninja was super easy to pick up even after using make for some time (10+ years). GN is just a ninja generator that is optional. https://gn.googlesource.com/gn/+/main/docs/quick_start.md https://ninja-build.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What outdated tech are you still using and are perfectly happy with?
    Really? I thought most new projects were switching to ninja[^1] and have never used it. [^1]: https://ninja-build.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • What was used to build C++ programs before Cmake?
    Ninja showed real promise for a while, but then CMake grew up and people stopped seeing a reason to leave it behind. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Browsh mentions (13)

  • This doesnโ€™t sound right. Thoughts?
    Well I do also regularly make use of brow.sh expecially when I hit the slow hours of the internet. I just login to my old ssh sdf.org shell account and away I go. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (November 2022)
    15 years experience. You may have seen my text-based modern browser, https://brow.sh, here on the front page a few times. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Is it still possible to live in a terminal?
    You might be interested in https://brow.sh. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (May 2022)
    Some of you may know me from https://brow.sh `. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • [plugin] browse internet from neovim
    That looks really useful! It would be even nicer to see something like this, but integrated with brow.sh for those who prefer to stay on the terminal. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ninja Build and Browsh, you can also consider the following products

GNU Make - GNU Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files of a program from the program's source files.

W3M - w3m is a text-based web browser as well as a pager like ' ...

SCons - SCons is an Open Source software construction toolโ€”that is, a next-generation build tool.

Links - Links is a graphics and text mode web browser, released under GPL. Links is free software.

Meson - Meson is an open source build system meant to be both extremely fast, and, even more importantly...

ELinks - ELinks - Full-Featured Text WWW Browser