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Codify - Your Development Environment as Code

Stop manually setting up your development environment. Define it once, replicate it everywhere.

Codify is a command-line tool that brings the power of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to your local development machine. Manage system settings, install packages, configure tools, and automate your entire setup using a simple, declarative configuration file—just like you manage your infrastructure with Terraform.

Website • Web Editor • Documentation

oclif Github Actions License

The Problem

Every developer has been there:

  • New machine? Spend hours reinstalling and configuring everything
  • Team onboarding? Send them a scattered wiki page of manual installation steps
  • Multiple machines? Keep them in sync manually
  • What's installed? No clear record of your development environment
  • Configuration drift? Your laptop works differently than your colleague's

The Solution

With Codify, your entire development environment is defined in a single codify.jsonc file:

[
  {
    "type": "homebrew",
    "formulae": ["git", "node"]
  },
  {
    "type": "vscode"
  },
  {
    "type": "docker"
  }
]

Now you can:

  • ✅ See what changes before applying them with codify plan
  • ✅ Apply changes automatically with codify apply
  • ✅ Version control your environment setup
  • ✅ Share configurations with your team
  • ✅ Replicate setups across multiple machines in minutes

Key Features

🎯 Declarative Configuration

Define your entire development environment in a single, readable configuration file. No more shell scripts or scattered installation instructions.

🔍 Plan Before You Apply

Like Terraform, Codify shows you exactly what changes will be made before executing them. No surprises.

$ codify plan
...
╭───────────────────────────────────────╮
│Codify Plan                            │
╰───────────────────────────────────────╯
The following actions will be performed:

 + vscode will be created
  {
      "directory": "/Applications"
  }

 + nvm will be created
  {
      "nodeVersions": [
          "20"
      ],
      "global": "20"
  }

Do you want to apply the above changes?
❯ Yes
  No

📥 Import Your Current Setup

Already have a configured machine? Generate a Codify configuration from your existing setup in seconds:

$ codify init
...
Codify found the following supported resorces on your system.

 Select the resources to import:
❯ ◉ asdf
  ◉ aws-cli
  ◉ docker
  ◉ git
  ◉ git-lfs
  ◉ git-repository
  ◉ homebrew
  ◉ jenv
  ◉ macports
Use <space> to select and <return> to submit.
Use <a> to select all items and <d> to de-select all items.

🔌 Extensible Plugin System

Out-of-the-box support for:

  • Homebrew (formulae and casks)
  • VS Code (extensions and settings)
  • npm global packages
  • macOS system preferences
  • Git configuration
  • And many more...

Don't see what you need? Create your own plugin in minutes.

🌐 Web-Based Editor

Edit your configuration in a beautiful web interface at dashboard.codifycli.com:

  • 🎨 Intuitive UI with auto-completion
  • 🔄 Real-time validation
  • ☁️ Cloud sync across devices
  • 🤝 Share configurations with your team

🔒 Safe & Secure

  • Preview all changes before applying
  • Sudo password prompts only when needed
  • Secure mode for extra protection
  • Open source and Apache 2.0 licensed

Quick Start

Installation

macOS / Linux:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://releases.codifycli.com/install.sh)"

Your First Codify Project

Option 1: Import your existing setup

# Scan your system and generate a configuration
codify init

# Review the generated codify.jsonc file
cat codify.jsonc

# Make changes and apply them
codify apply

Option 2: Start from scratch

# Create a new configuration file
cat > codify.jsonc << EOF
[
  {
    "type": "homebrew",
    "formulae": ["git", "node"]
  }
]
EOF

# Preview changes
codify plan

# Apply changes
codify apply

Pro Tip: Use the Web Editor

Visit dashboard.codifycli.com for a guided, visual way to build your configuration with:

  • Auto-complete for all available packages
  • Real-time validation
  • Cloud storage and sync
  • Shareable configurations

Common Commands

Command Description
codify init Scan your system and generate a configuration file
codify plan Preview what changes will be made
codify apply Apply the configuration to your system
codify import Add existing resources to your configuration
codify validate Check your configuration file for errors
codify destroy Remove resources managed by Codify
codify connect Connect CLI to the web dashboard for cloud sync
codify test Test your configuration in an isolated VM

Run codify --help for a complete list of commands and options.

Real-World Use Cases

Individual Developers

  • Keep multiple machines (work laptop, personal laptop, desktop) in sync
  • Quickly recover from system reinstalls or upgrades
  • Document your development environment as code
  • Try out new tools without the hassle of installing them

Development Teams

  • Onboard new developers in minutes instead of days
  • Ensure everyone has the same development environment
  • Share team configurations via Git or the Codify editor
  • Reduce "works on my machine" problems

Organizations

  • Standardize development environments across teams
  • Maintain compliance with required tools and versions
  • Reduce IT support burden for developer setup
  • Break down barriers between teams and departments

Example Configurations

Full-Stack JavaScript Developer

[
  {
    "type": "homebrew",
    "formulae": ["postgresql@18", "redis"]
  },
  {
    "type": "nvm",
    "nodeVersions": ["20.0.0", "18.0.0"],
    "global": "20.0.0"
  },
  {
    "type": "git-repository",
    "parentDirectory": "~/projects",
    "repositories": [
      "git@github.com:myorg/frontend.git",
      "git@github.com:myorg/backend.git"
    ]
  },
  {
    "type": "vscode"
  },
  {
    "type": "docker"
  }
]

Python Data Science Environment

[
  {
    "type": "pyenv",
    "pythonVersions": ["3.11.0", "3.10.0"],
    "global": "3.11.0"
  },
  {
    "type": "pip",
    "install": ["pandas", "numpy", "matplotlib", "scikit-learn"]
  }
  {
    "type": "venv-project",
    "envDir": ".venv",
    "cwd": "~/data-science",
    "automaticallyInstallRequirementsTxt": true
  }
]

DevOps Toolkit

[
  {
    "type": "homebrew",
    "formulae": ["kubernetes-cli", "helm"]
  },
  { "type": "aws-cli" },
  {
    "type": "aws-profile",
    "profile": "production",
    "awsAccessKeyId": "AKIA...",
    "awsSecretAccessKey": "TOP_SECRET"
  },
  {
    "type": "docker"
  },
  {
    "type": "ssh-key",
    "passphrase": ""
  },
  {
    "type": "terraform"
  }
]

Why Codify vs. Alternatives?

Feature Codify Homebrew Bundle Shell Scripts Manual Setup
Declarative configuration ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌
Plan before apply ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Import existing setup ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Multi-format support ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Web-based editor ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Cross-tool management ✅ ❌ ⚠️ ❌
Extensible plugins ✅ ❌ ⚠️ ❌
Cloud sync ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Update detection ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Codify work on Linux and Windows? A: Codify currently supports macOS and Linux. Windows support works via WSL.

Q: Can I use Codify with my existing Homebrew setup? A: Yes! Run codify init to import your existing packages into a Codify configuration.

Q: Is my sudo password stored? A: No. Codify only caches your password in memory during a session and prompts when needed. Use --secure mode for extra protection.

Q: How is this different from Ansible/Chef/Puppet? A: Those tools are designed for server configuration management. Codify is purpose-built for local development environments with a focus on simplicity and developer experience.

Community & Support

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

Made with ❤️ by developers, for developers

codifycli.com • GitHub • Docs