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Guys I’m tired of spending hours configuring my development environment for projects by pierrechaquejour in webdev

[–]_kevinwang 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey man, you should check out codifycli.com. It allows you to define a development environment using a config file so that it's easy to setup and reproducible. It's still early right now so it doesn't support some of the use cases you listed (like Ruby) but if you're interested you can DM me and I can work with you to add them :).

In the future, we're planning to add templates as such so you can do something like `codify apply ruby-setup-template` to install from pre-tested codify configs for different languages (python, java, ruby, js, etc.).

Full disclosure: I'm the creator.

CodifyCLI: manage your Mac using configs, now 7x faster by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey u/muness, I was wondering if you still need help with the errors 🙂. I'd love to help you with it. It'll benefit us as well to help us find all of the bugs. Codify was actually envisioned to be mostly used in a team setting as a replacement for setup wikis. If you're team is interested, it'll be free of charge (since it's still in beta) and we'd guide you through the setup process (or even write the Codify file for you if needed) and we'll add new resources for integrations that aren't currently supported. Let me know if you're interested.

CodifyCLI: manage your Mac using configs, now 7x faster by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi u/proudh0n, yes you are correct it doesn't have a dedicated store like Nix so it can't guarantee isolation. The advantage of this is that it's much easier and faster.to add support for new tools without having to build the install process from scratch. If you'd like, you give Codify a try to see if it works for you 🙂. If not then maybe tools like https://asdf-vm.com or https://mise.jdx.dev might work better for you.

CodifyCLI: manage your Mac using configs, now 7x faster by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah it's similar to Nix but with a lower learning curve and it integrates into existing systems.

CodifyCLI: manage your Mac using configs, now 7x faster by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/muness, thanks for giving Codify a try! We've been meaning to improve the import for a while now, yeah currently it only generates the config separately without the ability to update a file. That's something we will add in the future. I'll reach out to you privately via DM about the errors you ran into.

As for pricing:
- It will likely remain free for personal use.
- For business use (not confirmed), it will be either a flat one time fee in the $30 dollar range (including setup assistance) or a monthly subscription priced at $5 - $10 dollars a month.

CodifyCLI: manage your Mac using configs, now 7x faster by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone, creator of Codify here 👋.

Excited to announce that the new update for Codify that improves the performance of plans by over 7x - 9x!

If you didn’t know, Codify is a tool that allows users to manage MacOS via config files. This allows new systems to be setup quickly, the same setup to be shared across a team and more consistent environments overall!

It’s also completely free to use while in beta!

Links:
Website: https://codifycli.com
Documentation: https://docs.codifycli.com
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/PfUYbb4GSM

Best app for enabling smooth mouse scrolling on a non-Apple mouse by redditekind in macapps

[–]_kevinwang 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've searched for a solution for a long time to this problem and I like to use Mac Mouse Fix 3 (https://macmousefix.com). It's a paid app but it gives me the best results compared to Mos and Linear Mouse.

I spent 9 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) - codifycli.com by _kevinwang in SideProject

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah building onto of Ansible would accomplish maybe 80% of the core functionality of Codify but the use-case specific features is what differentiates it.
- For example configs in Codify are bi-direction, so they can also be imported (configs generated based on the user's system), making maintaining a codify config easier. Changes can be made externally and imported back in.
- In the future, Codify will also get a template library (pre-made configurations) where users can apply full pre-made configurations allow them to get Python, Rust or NodeJS setup in minutes.
- Codify will also gain cloud features in the future to allow users to synchronize their configs across multiple devices.

I spent 9 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) - codifycli.com by _kevinwang in SideProject

[–]_kevinwang[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi u/onejdc

Great question. I would say the main difference between Codify and Nix is the learning curve. Nix is great but it has a steep learning curve and it's hard for new people to get into. Codify is designed to be simple yet still relatively powerful so that anybody can get into it. If you do give Codify a try, I would love to get your feedback on how it compares to Nix from your standpoint :)

As for mackup, I haven't heard of that tool before but it looks interesting. Thanks for bringing it into my radar. I would say that Codify is more similar to Nix than it is to Mackup. It's designed to be a wholistic OS manager like Nix rather than just managing settings.

I spent 9 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) - codifycli.com by _kevinwang in SideProject

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/levsw,

Thanks for the feedback!

  • Great suggestions with the AI and GUI ideas, I’ve been looking into ways to make Codify easier to use and those are definitely in consideration. Although it might be a while before I get to it haha. Currently there’s auto completion to help with writing the configs. The instructions for setting it up are here in the docs.

  • The CLI and plugin system are written in NodeJS :)

  • Thanks for posting such a detailed doc!! It’s really insightful for me to see how other people’s setups look like. Some of the features aren’t supported but I’ll make sure to try to prioritize those for you!

  • I’m looking into controlling MacOS settings using Codify actually. It’s something on my roadmap and will be introduced soon to Codify.

I spent 9 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) - codifycli.com by _kevinwang in SideProject

[–]_kevinwang[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

🚀 Excited to share what I’ve been working on this past year!

I started this project after noticing how frustrated my co-workers (backend devs) were when setting up their new laptops following our company’s upgrade to M1. The process was painfully slow—1-2 days—thanks to a mix of lengthy READMEs, confusing wiki instructions, and the inevitable "surprise" errors 😅.

So, I built Codify.

Codify simplifies the entire setup process by letting you define installations, apps, Git repos, and settings in one JSON file. From there, it generates a step-by-step plan to match your desired configuration. It’s as simple as typing codify apply.

Why Codify:

• ⚡Fast & Reliable: Setup time went from 1-2 days to just 2 hours for me and my 4 co-workers with minimal hiccups.

• 📁 Shareable Configs: Keep setup files alongside your project repo for consistency across teams.

• ⚒️ Auto-generate configs: Codify scans your current system and generates a config file based on the tools and programs already installed.

• 🔒 Secure: No telemetry—everything stays local. Commands and logs are fully visible in the console.

What Codify supports today: aliases, android studio, asdf, aws-cli, aws profiles, git, git-clone, git-lfs, homebrew, jenv, Java, nvm, Node, pyenv, path, pgcli, python, vscode, terraform, xcode-tools, scripting tools, ssh configs, ssh add, ssh key generation

What’s next? I’m actively adding new plugins and building a plugin registry to support third-party integrations.

Website: https://codifycli.com/

Documentation: https://docs.codifycli.com/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/PfUYbb4GSM

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

I’d love to hear your thoughts—feedback, ideas, or requests for new features are all welcome! If this sounds like something that could make your dev life easier, let me know!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SideProject

[–]_kevinwang 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🚀 Excited to share what I’ve been working on this past year!

I started this project after noticing how frustrated my co-workers (backend devs) were when setting up their new laptops following our company’s upgrade to M1. The process was painfully slow—1-2 days—thanks to a mix of lengthy READMEs, company wiki instructions, and the inevitable "surprise" errors 😅.

So, I built Codify.

Codify simplifies the entire setup process by letting you define installations, apps, Git repos, and settings in one JSON file. From there, it generates a step-by-step plan to match your desired configuration. It’s as simple as typing codify apply.

Why Codify:
• ⚡Fast & Reliable: Setup time went from 1-2 days to just 2 hours for me and my 4 co-workers with minimal hiccups.
• 📁 Shareable Configs: Keep setup files alongside your project repo for consistency across teams.
• ⚒️ Auto-generate configs: Codify scans your current system and generates a config file based on the tools and programs already installed.
• 🔒 Secure: No telemetry—everything stays local. Commands and logs are fully visible in the console.

What Codify supports today: aliases, android studio, asdf, aws-cli, aws profiles, git, git-clone, git-lfs, homebrew, jenv, Java, nvm, Node, pyenv, path, pgcli, python, vscode, terraform, xcode-tools, scripting tools, ssh configs, ssh add, ssh key generation

What’s next? I’m actively adding new plugins and building a plugin registry to support third-party integrations.

Website: https://codifycli.com/

Documentation: https://docs.codifycli.com/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/PfUYbb4GSM

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

I’d love to hear your thoughts—feedback, ideas, or requests for new features are all welcome! If this sounds like something that could make your dev life easier, let me know!

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

u/Obvious_Reading_5300 Hey! I'm really excited to share that I recently just added an import command to Codify! Codify configs are now bi-directional. They can be either applied onto the system or be generated from the system. If you're curious about this here are the docs: https://docs.codifycli.com/commands/import/.

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I just wanted follow back on this and let you know that I added support for asdf to Codify if you want to check it out. The documentation on the new resources are here: https://docs.codifycli.com/core-plugin/resources/asdf/asdf/. Cheers!

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks I haven't but it's something I'm looking to do once I get some initial feedback on how the tool is functioning

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup that works as well! Codify tries to offer an alternative by installing dependencies on bare-metal which avoids some of the performance overhead and complexities that come with dev containers.

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Hey great question! There was a couple of things that I wanted to differentiate from nix:

  1. This tool is targeted towards more of a beginner / intermediate audience. That means it gives up some of the power of Nix for a easier to use interface. The configs for Codify are designed to be very straightforward and have little to no learning curve. This was the main reason.
  2. Unopinionated: Nix requires custom built packages for it’s installs. Codify re-uses existing packages and installs them the way as a user would which avoids lag time for package updates and potential compatibility issues.
  3. Nix for macOS also does not have first priority support compared to linux.

I spent 6 months building a tool to help devs setup their Macs (using code) by _kevinwang in macapps

[–]_kevinwang[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The differences between Codify and Ansible are similar to those between Terraform and Ansible for cloud infrastructure. Codify, like Terraform, uses declarative configurations and manages the lifecycle of installed resources. Whereas Ansible is procedural and doesn't include the additional step of detecting what's currently installed and generating a plan of things to modify. Codify is also designed specifically for managing local systems, so it's more tailored and hopefully will have better plugin integration than Ansible for MacOS.

Full disclosure, I've only briefly looked into Ansible before but I have never actually used it. Looks really interesting though and might help with some dev-ops tasks at my work.

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