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https://github.com/untitaker/quickenv

An unintrusive environment manager
https://github.com/untitaker/quickenv

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An unintrusive environment manager

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# `quickenv`: An unintrusive environment manager



[`direnv`](https://direnv.net/) is a manager for loading/unloading environment

variables per-project. It achieves this by hooking into your shell and

executing a shellscript called `.envrc` upon `cd`, loading environment

variables generated by that shellscript into your current shell. It is useful

for automatically activating

[virtualenvs](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html), for example.



Unfortunately `direnv` can be a little bit "intrusive" to use. For a start, it

runs its own code in your shell. This alone is not noticeable in terms of

terminal responsiveness, but the various `.envrc`s that people end up writing

sometimes are.  `direnv` does not have a reliable, out-of-the-box way to cache

the execution of `.envrc`s, as it is arbitrary code, and so it runs everytime

you `cd` in and out of a project.



`quickenv` is a replacement for `direnv`. It works with existing `.envrc`s, and

as such is a drop-in replacement, but how you interact with `quickenv` and how

it loads environment variables is fundamentally different.



* `quickenv` does not hook into your shell. It only requires an addition to

  your `PATH`.

* `quickenv` does not load `.envrc` when changing directories. Instead you need

  to initialize `quickenv` per-project using `quickenv reload`, and rerun that

  command everytime the `.envrc` changes.

* `quickenv` does not even load environment variables into your shell. Instead

  it creates shim binaries that dispatch to the right executable.



`quickenv` is heavily inspired by [volta](https://volta.sh/) which achieves

version management for nodejs by also providing "shim" binaries for the most

common commands (`yarn`, `npm`, `node`).



## Installation



**quickenv is work in progress. that said, I use it daily at work**



[Download the latest binary](https://github.com/untitaker/quickenv/releases) and:



```bash

# Into your bashrc/zshrc. This should be at the front of your PATH, such that

# quickenv can shim/shadow binaries effectively.

export PATH=$HOME/.quickenv/bin/:$PATH



# You can remove "direnv hook" from your bashrc/zshrc, but the tool needs to

# stay installed.

```



Some notes:



* `quickenv` currently assumes `direnv` is in your path, in order to load its

  "standard library".



* `quickenv` also currently does not have pre-built binaries. You need to

  [install Rust](https://rustup.rs/) and install it using Rust's package

  manager, Cargo.



* `quickenv` assumes a POSIX environment.



### Installation from source



```bash

cargo install quickenv  # latest stable release

cargo install --git https://github.com/untitaker/quickenv  # latest git SHA

```



## Usage



We're going to check out [sentry](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry), because

that's one of the `.envrc`s I use. Note that Sentry's `.envrc` only works on

MacOS.



```bash

git clone https://github.com/getsentry/sentry

cd sentry



# Execute the .envrc and cache the resulting environment variables in ~/.quickenv/envs/.

# Sentry will prompt you to create a virtualenv, install dependencies via homebrew, etc.

# Re-run this command manually everytime the .envrc changes.

quickenv reload



# As part of executing the .envrc, a virtualenv has been created at './.venv/'.

# There are multiple commands available in '.venv/bin/', such as 'pytest' (a test

# runner), or 'sentry' (the main application).



# 'quickenv shim' makes those commands available in your shell.

quickenv shim



# These commands will now run with the virtualenv enabled.

sentry devserver --workers

pytest tests/sentry/

```



## Advanced usage



```bash

# Alternatively you can shim commands explicitly. Be careful: Any command you

# missed (such as 'python' or 'pip') would run outside of the virtualenv!

quickenv shim sentry pytest



# You can also run commands within the current .envrc without shimming them.

quickenv exec -- pytest



# Your git hooks don't execute in the virtualenv for some reason? Just replace

# git with a binary that itself loads the virtualenv.

quickenv shim git



# Actually activate the virtualenv in your current shell. `quickenv vars`

# prints all the extra environment variables with which each shimmed binary runs.

set -o allexport

eval "$(quickenv vars)"

set +o allexport



# Or alternatively, substitute your shell with one where your .envrc is loaded

exec quickenv exec $SHELL



# Or shim 'bash', so that when you open a subshell, the virtualenv is activated.

quickenv shim bash



# Or shim 'make', so your Makefile runs in the virtualenv.

quickenv shim make



# Curious which binary is actually being executed?

quickenv which make

# /home/user/.quickenv/bin/make



# Or for general debugging, increase the log level:

QUICKENV_LOG=debug make

# [DEBUG quickenv] argv[0] is "make"

# [DEBUG quickenv] attempting to launch shim

# [DEBUG quickenv] abspath of self is /home/user/.quickenv/bin/make

# [DEBUG quickenv] removing own entry from PATH: /home/user/.quickenv/bin

# [DEBUG quickenv] execvp /usr/bin/make

# ...

```



## License



Licensed under `MIT`, see `LICENSE`.