envkit

envkit is a CLI that manages local development environments from a single config file. Define dependencies, databases, and services in one place; run one command to set up the project, generate Docker Compose, and optionally snapshot or share configs—without committing secrets.

Requirements: Node.js >= 16

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What it does

• Setup — Uses your .dev-env.yml to install dependencies and run database migrations and seed commands in one go.
• Generate — Builds a docker-compose.yml from the same config (databases, services, network).
• Snapshots — Saves and restores config versions under .devkit/snapshots/ so you can switch between setups.
• Share — Exports a sanitized config (secrets replaced with placeholders) or imports a shared config file into your project.

Configuration is a single YAML file; secrets live in .env and are referenced as ${VAR_NAME}. The CLI discovers the project root from your current directory (it looks for .dev-env.yml or markers like package.json).

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Install

npm install -g dev-env-kit

After installation you can use either:

• envkit <command> — short name
• dev-env-kit <command> — same, using the package name

After install, path-setup runs automatically: if you're in an interactive terminal, you may be prompted to add envkit to your PATH so envkit works from any folder. You can run it again anytime with npx dev-env-kit path-setup or npx dev-env-kit pathsetup (no hyphen; use pathsetup if your shell doesn't like path-setup).

If the command is still not found, use:

npx dev-env-kit <command>

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How to use

1. Add a config file

You need a .dev-env.yml in your project root for setup, generate, share export, and snapshot create. If you don’t have one yet:

• Interactive terminal: Run envkit init to create .dev-env.yml via a short wizard. If you run a command that needs config (e.g. envkit setup) without a config file, the CLI will ask whether to run envkit init now.
• Non-interactive (CI, scripts): Create .dev-env.yml by hand or run envkit init in a terminal first; otherwise those commands exit with a message to create a config or run envkit init.

If you already have an example file, the fastest way to start is to copy it and edit it:

cp .dev-env.example.yml .dev-env.yml

The example file documents all options (dependencies, databases, services, env vars, Docker settings). Keep sensitive values in a .env file and reference them in the config with ${VAR_NAME} so they never end up in version control.

See .dev-env.example.yml for the full reference.

2. Set up the environment

From the project root (or any subdirectory):

envkit setup

This installs dependencies, runs database migrations, and runs seed commands according to your config. You can narrow what runs:

Option	Description
--skip-deps	Skip dependency installation
--skip-db	Skip database migrations and seed
--dry-run	Show what would run, without running

3. Generate Docker Compose

When docker.enabled is set in your config, you can generate a Compose file from it:

envkit generate

Output goes to docker-compose.yml by default. Use -o <file> to write elsewhere, e.g. envkit generate -o docker-compose.dev.yml.

4. Snapshots

Save the current config as a named snapshot under .devkit/snapshots/:

envkit snapshot create [name]

If you omit the name, a timestamp-based name is used. List existing snapshots:

envkit snapshot list

Restore a snapshot (overwrites .dev-env.yml):

envkit snapshot restore <name>

5. Share config (export / import)

Export a safe-to-share copy of your config (passwords and secrets become placeholders like ${DB_PASSWORD}):

envkit share export

By default this writes dev-env.shared.yml. Use -o <file> to change the path.

Import a shared config file (it is validated and then written to .dev-env.yml by default). The <file> path is resolved relative to your current working directory:

envkit share import path/to/dev-env.shared.yml

Use -o <file> to write to a different path (also relative to the current directory unless you pass an absolute path).

Global options

• -v, --verbose — More detailed log output.
• -q, --quiet — Reduce output.

Example: envkit -q setup

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Command reference

Command	Description
envkit init	Create .dev-env.yml interactively (wizard). Run from a project folder when you don’t have a config yet.
envkit setup	Install dependencies, run database migrations, and run seed commands from your config. Use --skip-deps, --skip-db, or --dry-run to limit what runs.
envkit generate	Generate docker-compose.yml from your config (requires docker.enabled in config). Use -o <file> to set the output path.
envkit snapshot create [name]	Save the current .dev-env.yml as a snapshot under .devkit/snapshots/. Omit name to use a timestamp.
envkit snapshot list	List all saved snapshots.
envkit snapshot restore <name>	Restore a snapshot; overwrites .dev-env.yml.
envkit share export	Export a sanitized config (secrets → placeholders) to share safely. Default output: dev-env.shared.yml; use -o <file> to override.
envkit share import <file>	Import a shared config file; writes to .dev-env.yml by default. Use -o <file> to write elsewhere.
envkit path-setup or envkit pathsetup	Add the npm global bin folder to your PATH so envkit works from any directory. Use if the shell says “envkit” is not recognized after a global install.

For more detail: envkit --help or envkit <command> --help.

Development and testing

To work on the source or run tests:

npm install
npm test

Use npm test -- --coverage for a coverage report.

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License

MIT