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CLI Reference

devex config

Comprehensive configuration management for DevEx

devex config

The config command provides comprehensive tools for managing DevEx configuration files. It includes subcommands for viewing, editing, validating, and backing up your configuration files, as well as advanced features like team configuration management and environment-specific settings.

Usage

devex config <subcommand> [flags]

Subcommands Overview

show

Display configuration status and summary

edit

Edit configuration files with your preferred editor

validate

Validate configuration syntax and content

diff

Compare configuration files

backup

Create and manage configuration backups

team

Manage team configuration templates

environment

Handle environment-specific configurations

export/import

Export and import configuration packages

version

Configuration version management

undo

Undo configuration changes

Core Subcommands

devex config show

Display comprehensive configuration information and status.

devex config show [flags]

Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--formatstringtableOutput format (table, json, yaml)
--verboseboolfalseShow detailed information
--filesboolfalseShow individual file details

Examples

devex config show

Configuration Summary:
┌─────────────────┬────────┬─────────┬──────────────────┐
│ File            │ Status │ Size    │ Last Modified    │
├─────────────────┼────────┼─────────┼──────────────────┤
│ applications    │ ✓      │ 45.2 KB │ 2024-08-17 14:30 │
│ environment     │ ✓      │ 12.1 KB │ 2024-08-17 14:25 │
│ desktop         │ ✓      │ 8.4 KB  │ 2024-08-17 14:25 │
│ system          │ ✓      │ 2.1 KB  │ 2024-08-17 14:25 │
└─────────────────┴────────┴─────────┴──────────────────┘

Config Directory: ~/.local/share/devex/config
Override Directory: ~/.devex (2 files)
Total Size: 67.8 KB

devex config edit

Open configuration files in your preferred editor.

devex config edit <file> [flags]

Arguments

  • file: Configuration file to edit (applications, environment, desktop, system)

Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--editorstring$EDITOREditor to use (vim, nano, code, etc.)
--backupbooltrueCreate backup before editing
--templatestringStart from a template

Examples

# Edit applications configuration
devex config edit applications

# Use specific editor
devex config edit environment --editor code

# Edit with automatic backup
devex config edit desktop --backup

# Start from template
devex config edit applications --template backend-team

devex config validate

Validate configuration files for syntax and logical errors.

devex config validate [file] [flags]

Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--strictboolfalseEnable strict validation mode
--fixboolfalseAutomatically fix common issues
--schemastringCustom schema file to validate against

Examples

devex config validate

Validation Results:
✓ applications.yaml - No issues found
✓ environment.yaml - No issues found  
⚠ desktop.yaml - 1 warning
  → Line 45: Theme 'custom-theme' not found in available themes
✗ system.yaml - 1 error
  → Line 12: Invalid Git email format

Summary: 2 files valid, 1 warning, 1 error

devex config diff

Compare configuration files or show changes.

devex config diff <source> [target] [flags]

Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--unifiedint3Number of context lines
--ignore-whitespaceboolfalseIgnore whitespace differences
--semanticboolfalseShow semantic differences only

Examples

# Compare with backup
devex config diff applications backup-20240817.yaml

# Compare current with default
devex config diff applications default

# Show changes since last commit
devex config diff --since-commit

# Semantic comparison (ignores formatting)
devex config diff applications backup.yaml --semantic

Advanced Configuration Management

Team Configuration

Manage shared team configurations and templates.

devex config team <subcommand> [flags]

Team Subcommands

devex config team status

Team Configuration Status:
Repository: https://github.com/company/devex-configs
Branch: main
Last Sync: 2024-08-17 10:30:00
Local Changes: 3 files modified

Available Templates:
✓ backend-team     - Backend development setup
✓ frontend-team    - Frontend development setup
✓ full-stack-team  - Full-stack development setup
⚠ data-science     - Template needs update

Environment-Specific Configuration

Handle different configurations for different environments (development, staging, production).

devex config environment <subcommand> [flags]

Environment Subcommands

# List available environments
devex config environment list

# Show current environment
devex config environment status

# Switch to different environment
devex config environment use production

# Create new environment configuration
devex config environment init staging --from development

Environment Example

Create Environment

devex config environment init staging

Customize for Environment

devex config edit applications --env staging
# Remove development-only tools
# Add staging-specific monitoring

Switch Environment

devex config environment use staging
devex install  # Installs staging configuration

Backup and Version Management

Configuration Backups

devex config backup <subcommand> [flags]

Backup Subcommands

# Create backup
devex config backup create

# Create named backup
devex config backup create --name "before-team-config"

# Create backup with description
devex config backup create --description "Pre-migration backup"

Version Management

devex config version <subcommand> [flags]

Version Subcommands

# Show current configuration version
devex config version show

# List all versions
devex config version list

# Migrate to newer version
devex config version migrate --to 2.1.0

# Check compatibility
devex config version compatibility

# Update configuration format
devex config version update

Import and Export

Export Configurations

devex config export [flags]

Export Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--outputstringdevex-config.tar.gzOutput file path
--formatstringarchiveExport format (archive, directory, git)
--include-backupsboolfalseInclude backup files
--compressbooltrueCompress the export

Export Examples

# Export complete configuration
devex config export

# Export to specific file
devex config export --output my-devex-setup.tar.gz

# Export as directory
devex config export --format directory --output ./my-config

# Export for team sharing (includes templates)
devex config export --team --include-templates

Import Configurations

devex config import <source> [flags]

Import Options

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--mergeboolfalseMerge with existing configuration
--backupbooltrueCreate backup before import
--validatebooltrueValidate imported configuration

Import Examples

# Import configuration package
devex config import devex-config.tar.gz

# Import and merge with existing
devex config import team-config.tar.gz --merge

# Import from directory
devex config import ./config-directory

# Import from Git repository
devex config import https://github.com/company/devex-configs.git

Undo System

Configuration Undo

Track and undo configuration changes.

devex config undo <subcommand> [flags]

Undo Subcommands

devex config undo list

Recent Configuration Changes:
┌────┬─────────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────────┐
│ ID │ Operation           │ Files Changed   │ Timestamp           │
├────┼─────────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ 1  │ team apply          │ applications    │ 2024-08-17 14:30:00 │
│ 2  │ edit environment    │ environment     │ 2024-08-17 13:15:00 │
│ 3  │ import config       │ all files       │ 2024-08-17 12:00:00 │
└────┴─────────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

Configuration Inheritance

DevEx supports configuration inheritance for complex scenarios:

devex config inheritance <subcommand> [flags]

Inheritance Chain

User Override (~/.devex/)
        ↓
Team Configuration
        ↓
Environment Configuration
        ↓
Default Configuration

Inheritance Commands

# Show inheritance chain
devex config inheritance show

# Show effective configuration (after inheritance)
devex config inheritance effective

# Debug inheritance issues
devex config inheritance debug

Best Practices

Configuration Management Best Practices:

  1. Always backup before major changes
  2. Use team configurations for consistent environments
  3. Validate regularly to catch issues early
  4. Version control your custom configurations
  5. Document changes with meaningful commit messages

Backup Current Configuration

devex config backup create --name "before-changes"

Make Changes Safely

devex config edit applications --backup

Validate Changes

devex config validate --strict

Test with Dry Run

devex install --dry-run

Apply if Successful

devex install

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

# Check syntax errors
devex config validate --verbose

# Auto-fix common issues
devex config validate --fix

# Use schema validation
devex config validate --schema

The config command is the heart of DevEx's flexibility. Master these subcommands to get the most out of your development environment setup.

Non-interactive installs

Install a declarative application list in scripts, CI, and server automation

devex template

Validate, plan, list, inspect, and manage DevEx templates

On this page

devex configUsageSubcommands OverviewCore Subcommandsdevex config showOptionsExamplesdevex config editArgumentsOptionsExamplesdevex config validateOptionsExamplesdevex config diffOptionsExamplesAdvanced Configuration ManagementTeam ConfigurationTeam SubcommandsEnvironment-Specific ConfigurationEnvironment SubcommandsEnvironment ExampleBackup and Version ManagementConfiguration BackupsBackup SubcommandsVersion ManagementVersion SubcommandsImport and ExportExport ConfigurationsExport OptionsExport ExamplesImport ConfigurationsImport OptionsImport ExamplesUndo SystemConfiguration UndoUndo SubcommandsConfiguration InheritanceInheritance ChainInheritance CommandsBest PracticesBackup Current ConfigurationMake Changes SafelyValidate ChangesTest with Dry RunApply if SuccessfulTroubleshootingCommon IssuesRelated Commands