One Justfile Template for All My Projects¶

I prefer consistency because it boosts my productivity. For my Python project, I usually use this exact justfile. You can simply Copy it. Customize the variables. Done.

Covers 80% of what you need. Takes 2 minutes to set up.

The Template¶

# justfile - Python project automation

# =================================
# Configuration
# =================================
python_version := "3.12"
app_name := "myapp"

# =================================
# Help
# =================================

# Show available commands
default:
    @just --list

# =================================
# Setup
# =================================

# Install dependencies
install:
    uv sync

# Setup project for first time
setup: install
    uv run pre-commit install
    @echo "✓ Project ready"

# =================================
# Development
# =================================

# Start development server
dev:
    uv run python -m {{app_name}}

# Run Python REPL with project context
repl:
    uv run python

# =================================
# Code Quality
# =================================

# Format code
format:
    uv run ruff format .

# Lint code
lint:
    uv run ruff check .

# Type check
types:
    uv run mypy {{app_name}}

# Run all checks
check: format lint types
    @echo "✓ All checks passed"

# =================================
# Testing
# =================================

# Run tests
test:
    uv run pytest tests/ -v

# Run tests with coverage
test-cov:
    uv run pytest tests/ --cov={{app_name}} --cov-report=html

# Run tests in watch mode
test-watch:
    uv run pytest-watch tests/

# =================================
# Cleanup
# =================================

# Clean build artifacts
clean:
    rm -rf __pycache__ .pytest_cache .ruff_cache .mypy_cache
    find . -type f -name "*.pyc" -delete
    find . -type d -name "__pycache__" -delete
    rm -rf .coverage htmlcov dist build *.egg-info

# Clean and reinstall
reset: clean
    rm -rf .venv
    uv sync

# =================================
# Build & Deploy
# =================================

# Build package
build: check
    uv build

# Deploy (customize for your needs)
deploy ENV: check
    @echo "Deploying to {{ENV}}..."
    # Add your deployment commands here

# =================================
# Utilities
# =================================

# Show project info
info:
    @echo "Project: {{app_name}}"
    @echo "Python: {{python_version}}"
    @echo ""
    @just --list

How to Use It¶

1. Copy the Template¶

Create justfile in your project root:

touch justfile
# Paste template above

2. Customize Variables¶

Change these two lines:

python_version := "3.12"    # Your Python version
app_name := "myapp"         # Your package name

3. Start Using¶

just             # See all commands
just setup       # First time setup
just dev         # Start development
just check       # Before committing

That's it.

What Each Section Does¶

Configuration¶

python_version := "3.12"
app_name := "myapp"

Why: Change once, use everywhere. DRY principle.

Help¶

default:
    @just --list

Why: Type just to see all commands. Self-documenting.

Setup¶

setup: install
    uv run pre-commit install

Why: One command for new developers. Gets everything ready.

Code Quality¶

check: format lint types

Why: Run all quality checks before committing. No broken code.

Testing¶

test-watch:
    uv run pytest-watch tests/

Why: Tests run automatically as you code. Instant feedback.

Cleanup¶

reset: clean
    rm -rf .venv

Why: Nuclear option when things break. Fresh start in one command.

Customization Examples¶

Add Database Commands¶

# Database migrations
db-migrate:
    uv run alembic upgrade head

# Reset database
db-reset:
    uv run alembic downgrade base
    uv run alembic upgrade head

Add Docker Commands¶

# Build Docker image
docker-build:
    docker build -t {{app_name}}:latest .

# Run container
docker-run:
    docker run -p 8000:8000 {{app_name}}:latest

Add Documentation¶

# Serve documentation
docs-serve:
    uv run mkdocs serve

# Build documentation
docs-build:
    uv run mkdocs build

What's Not Included¶

Deliberately left out:

Project-specific commands (every project differs)
Complex CI/CD (belongs in .github/workflows/)
IDE configuration (too personal)
Multiple environments (keep it simple)

Add these as you need them. Start simple.

Why This Template Works¶

Covers common tasks:

Setup
Development
Testing
Quality checks
Deployment
Cleanup

Uses modern tools:

UV (not pip)
Ruff (not black/flake8)
pyproject.toml (not requirements.txt)

Stays minimal:

✅ ~60 lines
✅ No complexity
✅ Easy to understand
✅ Easy to modify

My Actual Projects¶

I use variations of this template in:

REST APIs (FastAPI)
CLI tools (Click)
Data pipelines (Pandas)
ML projects (PyTorch)
Web scrapers (Playwright)

Same structure. Different customizations.

The check, test, and clean commands? Identical across all projects.

Quick Start Checklist¶

Starting a new project?

# 1. Copy template
touch justfile
# Paste template

# 2. Update variables
python_version := "3.12"
app_name := "your_project"

# 3. First run
just setup

# 4. Daily workflow
just dev          # Start coding
just test-watch   # Tests running
just check        # Before commit
just deploy prod  # Ship it

2 minutes. Now you're automated.

Download & Use¶

Get the template:

# Download
curl -o justfile https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dr-saad-la/polyglot-engineer-templates/main/justfile-templates/python/justfile

# Customize
# Edit python_version and app_name variables

# Use
just setup
just dev

All Templates¶

Explore the complete collection:
🔗 github.com/dr-saad-la/polyglot-engineer-templates

Categories: Python, FastAPI, CLI, ML, PyTorch, TensorFlow, NLP, Computer Vision, MLOps

Make it yours: Fork it. Modify it. Share improvements.

The 80/20 Rule¶

This template covers 80% of tasks in 80% of projects.

The remaining 20%? That's where you customize.

But for most projects, most of the time, this is all you need.

Copy it. Use it. Forget about it. Focus on code.

Related:

Questions? Email me - I'd love to see your customizations.