Grunt-open is a Grunt task designed to simplify the process of opening URLs and files directly from your Grunt build process. Version 0.2.0, released in February 2013, builds upon the initial foundation laid by version 0.1.0, released in October 2012, offering refined dependency management and a more streamlined integration with the Grunt ecosystem.
A key difference lies in the declared dependencies. While version 0.1.0 broadly specified grunt: "*", indicating compatibility with any version of Grunt, version 0.2.0 tightens this dependency to grunt: "~0.4.0", aligning the task with the specific Grunt 0.4.x series. This ensures better compatibility and reduces potential conflicts with newer, potentially breaking changes in future Grunt releases. Version 0.2.0 also introduces grunt-contrib-jshint as a dev dependency, suggesting an increased focus on code quality and adherence to JavaScript best practices through linting.
Both versions rely on the open package (version 0.0.2) to handle the actual opening of URLs and files. For developers, grunt-open provides a convenient way to automate tasks like opening a browser to a specific URL after a server starts or opening documentation after a build process completes. Its simple configuration and integration with Grunt workflows make it a valuable tool for streamlining development workflows. Consider the dependency differences when choosing a version for your project, ensuring compatibility with your existing Grunt setup.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 0.2.0 of the package
Command Injection in open
Versions of open before 6.0.0 are vulnerable to command injection when unsanitized user input is passed in.
The package does come with the following warning in the readme:
The same care should be taken when calling open as if you were calling child_process.exec directly. If it is an executable it will run in a new shell.
open is now the deprecated opn package. Upgrading to the latest version is likely have unwanted effects since it now has a very different API but will prevent this vulnerability.