Alternatives to direnv
Loads and unloads environment variables as you change directory. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
direnv
Loads and unloads environment variables as you change directory.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as direnv.
mise
Keep project tools, environment variables and tasks in one configuration.
mise keeps environment variables in one project configuration alongside tool versions and tasks, and it also runs on Windows, while direnv covers only macOS and Linux.
Devbox
A command-line tool that creates isolated, reproducible development environments from Nix packages without containers.
Devbox builds reproducible per-project environments from Nix packages, covering toolchains as well as environment settings, but depends on Nix underneath.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
asdf
One version manager for many language runtimes.
Doppler
Hosted secrets manager that syncs environment variables across environments.
Infisical
Open-source platform for storing and distributing application secrets.
SOPS
Encrypts values inside YAML, JSON and env files so they can live in Git.
Pitchfork
Manage a project's background services from the terminal.
nvm
Installs and switches between multiple Node.js versions per shell.
