Platform Support OverviewCopy Anchor Link

DevEx is designed to work across multiple operating systems and package managers, providing a unified development environment setup experience regardless of your platform.

Supported PlatformsCopy Anchor Link

Primary Support (Full Testing)Copy Anchor Link

Secondary Support (Community Tested)Copy Anchor Link

Platform DetectionCopy Anchor Link

DevEx automatically detects your platform using several methods:

Operating System DetectionCopy Anchor Link

• Linux: Reads /etc/os-release and distribution-specific files
• macOS: Uses runtime detection for Darwin systems
• Windows: Runtime detection (planned)

Distribution Detection (Linux)Copy Anchor Link

# DevEx checks in order:
1. /etc/os-release (ID field)
2. Distribution-specific files:
   - /etc/ubuntu-release (Ubuntu)
   - /etc/debian_version (Debian)
   - /etc/fedora-release (Fedora)
   - /etc/arch-release (Arch)
   - /etc/manjaro-release (Manjaro)
   - /etc/SUSE-release (openSUSE)

Desktop Environment Detection (Linux)Copy Anchor Link

DevEx detects your desktop environment for theme and configuration management:

• GNOME: GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID or XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME
• KDE: KDE_FULL_SESSION or XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=KDE
• XFCE: XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE
• Unity: XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=Unity
• Cinnamon: DESKTOP_SESSION=cinnamon

Installer Priority SystemCopy Anchor Link

DevEx automatically selects the best installer for your platform based on a priority system:

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)Copy Anchor Link

1. apt        (System package manager)
2. flatpak    (Universal Linux packages)
3. snap       (Ubuntu's universal packages)
4. mise       (Programming language manager)
5. curlpipe   (Direct downloads via curl)
6. download   (Manual downloads)

Linux (Fedora/RHEL)Copy Anchor Link

1. dnf        (System package manager)
2. rpm        (Package files)
3. flatpak    (Universal Linux packages)
4. mise       (Programming language manager)
5. curlpipe   (Direct downloads via curl)
6. download   (Manual downloads)

Linux (Arch-based)Copy Anchor Link

1. pacman     (System package manager)
2. yay        (AUR helper)
3. flatpak    (Universal Linux packages)
4. mise       (Programming language manager)
5. curlpipe   (Direct downloads via curl)
6. download   (Manual downloads)

macOSCopy Anchor Link

1. brew       (Homebrew package manager)
2. mas        (Mac App Store CLI)
3. mise       (Programming language manager)
4. curlpipe   (Direct downloads via curl)
5. download   (Manual downloads)

Windows (Planned)Copy Anchor Link

1. winget     (Windows Package Manager)
2. chocolatey (Community package manager)
3. scoop      (Command-line installer)
4. mise       (Programming language manager)
5. download   (Manual downloads)

Cross-Platform ApplicationsCopy Anchor Link

DevEx supports applications that have different installation methods per platform:

applications:
  development:
    - name: visual-studio-code
      description: 'Code editor by Microsoft'
      category: 'Development'
      default: true
      # macOS configuration
      macos:
        install_method: 'brew'
        install_command: '--cask visual-studio-code'
        official_support: true
      # Windows configuration  
      windows:
        install_method: 'winget'
        install_command: 'Microsoft.VisualStudioCode'
        official_support: true
      # Linux configuration
      linux:
        install_method: 'apt'
        install_command: 'code'
        official_support: true

Platform RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

Minimum System RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

Linux RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

• Kernel: 3.10+ (most distributions)
• glibc: 2.17+ (for binary compatibility)
• systemd: Recommended for service management
• sudo: Required for system package installation

macOS RequirementsCopy Anchor Link

• Version: macOS 10.14+ (Mojave)
• Xcode CLI Tools: Automatically installed if needed
• Homebrew: Automatically installed if needed

Windows Requirements (Planned)Copy Anchor Link

• Version: Windows 10 1809+ or Windows 11
• PowerShell: 5.1+ or PowerShell Core 7+
• Windows Package Manager: Automatically installed if needed

Getting StartedCopy Anchor Link

1. Check platform support: Run devex status to see detected platform
2. View available installers: Run devex config list-installers
3. Install applications: Run devex install to install default apps
4. Customize: Edit configuration files in ~/.devex/

Platform-Specific GuidesCopy Anchor Link

• Linux Distributions - Detailed Linux support information
• macOS Support - macOS-specific installation and configuration
• Windows Support - Windows support roadmap and current status
• Installer Reference - Complete installer documentation

Contributing Platform SupportCopy Anchor Link

Help us expand platform support:

1. Test on your platform and report compatibility
2. Submit installer implementations for new package managers
3. Contribute platform detection improvements
4. Document platform-specific issues and solutions

See our contribution guide for details.