devup

Clone any repo. Run one command. Start coding.

npx devup

Zero-config dev environment setup in seconds.

No config files. No documentation hunting. No "works on my machine."

The Problem

You clone a repo. Then you spend 30-90 minutes:

• Reading outdated README setup instructions
• Figuring out which package manager to use
• Setting up .env files from scratch
• Installing the right Node/Python version
• Starting databases and services
• Running migrations
• Finding the dev server command

devup does all of this in one command.

How It Works

git clone https://github.com/someone/cool-project
cd cool-project
npx devup

That's it. devup will:

1. Scan your project and detect the entire stack
2. Generate .env from .env.example with smart defaults
3. Start Docker services (Postgres, Redis, etc.)
4. Install dependencies with the correct package manager
5. Run migrations
6. Launch the dev server

  ██████╗ ███████╗██╗   ██╗██╗   ██╗██████╗
  ██╔══██╗██╔════╝██║   ██║██║   ██║██╔══██╗
  ██║  ██║█████╗  ██║   ██║██║   ██║██████╔╝
  ██║  ██║██╔══╝  ╚██╗ ██╔╝██║   ██║██╔═══╝
  ██████╔╝███████╗ ╚████╔╝ ╚██████╔╝██║
  ╚═════╝ ╚══════╝  ╚═══╝   ╚═════╝ ╚═╝

  Zero-config dev environment setup

🔍  Scanning project...
   ✓ Detected: Node.js (pnpm) · Docker (3 services) · .env template

📝  Setting up environment...
   ✓ Created .env from .env.example

🐳  Starting Docker services...
   Databases: postgres
   Caches: redis
   ✓ Services running (3 containers)

📦  Installing Node.js dependencies...
   ✓ Dependencies installed

  ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Ready at http://localhost:3000     │
  └─────────────────────────────────────┘

Supported Stacks

| Stack | Detection | What devup does | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Node.js | package.json | Detects npm/yarn/pnpm/bun, installs deps, checks Node version | | Python | requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Pipfile | Creates venv, installs with pip/poetry/pipenv/uv | | Django | manage.py | Runs migrations, starts runserver | | FastAPI | fastapi in deps | Starts uvicorn with reload | | Flask | flask in deps | Starts with debug mode | | Docker | docker-compose.yml | Starts all services, waits for health | | Environment | .env.example | Generates .env with smart defaults |

Smart .env Generation

devup doesn't just copy your .env.example — it fills in smart values:

• Secrets/tokens/keys — random 64-char hex strings
• Database URLs — correct connection strings for detected Docker services
• Redis URLs — redis://localhost:6379
• NODE_ENV — development
• Ports — 3000
• Everything else — changeme (so you know what to update)

Options

npx devup              # Set up current directory
npx devup ./my-project # Set up a specific path
npx devup --dry-run    # Scan only, don't change anything
npx devup --no-docker  # Skip Docker services
npx devup --no-server  # Set up but don't start dev server

For Repo Maintainers

Add this to your README to help contributors get started instantly:

## Quick Start

```bash
npx devup
```

### Tips for best results:

- Include a `.env.example` with all required variables
- Use a `docker-compose.yml` for databases and services
- Have a `dev` script in `package.json`
- Include a `.nvmrc` or `.node-version` for Node version

## Requirements

- **Node.js 18+** (to run devup itself)
- **Docker** (optional, for running services)

## License

MIT