stackenv 0.1.0

Native, zero-container multi-project dev environment manager. No Docker, no VMs.
stackenv-0.1.0 is not a library.

stack

Native, zero-container multi-project dev environment manager. No Docker, no VMs.

stack runs your project's languages, databases, and dev server as plain child processes and routes a real local domain to whichever one you're working on — no containers, no idle hypervisor, nothing running you didn't ask for.

Windows — available now (PowerShell & cmd) · macOS — coming soon · Linux — coming soon

Documentation · Examples · Changelog

Quick look

# stack.toml
[project]
name = "acme-api"

[language]
php = "8.3.1"

[service.mysql]
version = "8.0.35"

[run]
command = "php -S 127.0.0.1:{port} -t public"

$ stack up
Loaded C:\Users\you\acme-api\stack.toml
  project: acme-api
  domain: acme-api.localhost
  languages: ["php"]
  services: ["mysql"]
  php: C:\Users\you\.vfox\cache\php\v-8.3.1\...\php.exe -> PHP 8.3.1 (cli)
  service.mysql: started (pid 41232, port 3306)
  run: php -S 127.0.0.1:52140 -t public  (pid 41244, port 52140)
  routed: http://acme-api.localhost -> 127.0.0.1:52140

Every project pinning the same language+version shares one binary from a central store — nothing copied per project. Every project pinning the same service+version shares one running instance, isolated by schema.

Install

winget install stack.cli

or scoop, choco, cargo install stackenv (published under stackenv since stack was already taken on crates.io — it still installs a stack command) — see Getting Started for all four.

Then, once:

stack setup

Wires the shell hook and installs the tools stack delegates to (vfox, uv, Caddy) at pinned, tested versions.

Why not Docker

Containers solve "works on every machine" by shipping an entire OS layer per project. stack solves the same problem differently: pin exact versions per project through the version managers you'd install anyway (vfox, uv), share one binary across every project at that version, and run everything as plain processes — no virtualization overhead, no idle daemon between projects.

License

Licensed under either of Apache License, Version 2.0 or MIT license at your option.