Genesis

Stop wasting hours setting up development environments. One command, done.

Ever spent your first day at a new job following a 20-step setup guide that doesn't work? Ever had a teammate say "it works on my machine"? Yeah, we've been there too.

Genesis fixes that. Define your entire development environment once, and let Genesis handle the rest. No more manual setup, no more "works on my machine" bugs, no more outdated wiki pages.

🚀 This Changes Everything

The Old Way (Painful)

# 20-step setup guide that's 6 months old
brew install node@20
brew install python@3.11
brew install git
brew install docker
# ...15 more steps
# Oh wait, this doesn't work on Ubuntu...
# Let me google the Ubuntu equivalents...
# Now I need to configure environment variables...
# What was that PATH trick again?
# 3 hours later... finally ready to code

The Genesis Way (Magical)

# One command, any platform
genesis apply

# ✅ Node.js 20 installed
# ✅ Python 3.11 installed
# ✅ Git configured
# ✅ Docker running
# ✅ All repos cloned
# ✅ Environment variables set
# ✅ Dependencies installed
# Ready to code in 2 minutes

🎯 What Genesis Actually Does

Genesis is a declarative environment provisioning engine. Think of it as:

Infrastructure as Code... but for your laptop
Docker Compose... but for development tools, not services
Homebrew/Brewfile... but cross-platform and way more powerful
Ansible... but simple enough for anyone to use

It Sets Up Everything:

🛠️ Development Tools - Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Java, Git, Docker
📦 Package Managers - npm, pip, cargo, maven, brew, apt
🔌 IDE Extensions - VS Code extensions, settings, keybindings
🌍 Environment Variables - API keys, paths, configuration
📂 Project Structure - Clone repos, create directories, organize workspace
🔧 System Configuration - Shell aliases, git config, Docker daemon

And It Works Everywhere:

macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon)
Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
Windows (WSL2 & Native)
Docker Containers (fresh containers get fully set up)

🌟 Why You'll Love Genesis

For New Team Members

# Day 1 at new job:
git clone company-project
cd company-project
genesis apply

# 5 minutes later:
# ✅ All tools installed
# ✅ All repos cloned
# ✅ Environment configured
# ✅ Ready to contribute

For DevOps Teams

# Standardize environments across 50 developers
# One config file, perfect consistency
genesis validate  # Everyone passes the same checks

For Open Source Contributors

# Contributing to a new project?
git clone cool-project
cd cool-project
genesis apply

# Instantly have the exact same setup as the maintainers

For Freelancers/Consultants

# Jumping between client projects?
cd client-a
genesis apply    # Client A's stack

cd client-b
genesis apply    # Client B's stack

# Perfect isolation, zero conflicts

🎮 Getting Started (It's Stupidly Simple)

Installation

# One-liner install (works everywhere)
curl -fsSL https://genesis-docs.vercel.app/install | sh

# Or download the binary directly
curl -fsSL https://releases.genesis-docs.vercel.app/latest/genesis-linux-x64 -o genesis
chmod +x genesis
sudo mv genesis /usr/local/bin/

Your First Environment

# In any project directory
genesis init

# Answer a few questions (or skip with --defaults)
# What Node.js version? 20
# Need Python? Yes, 3.11
# Need Docker? Yes
# Git repos to clone? https://github.com/your-org/backend

# Genesis creates genesis.config.yaml
# Now apply it:
genesis apply

# That's it. You're done.

Example Configuration

# genesis.config.yaml - Your entire setup in one file
tools:
  - type: node
    version: "20"
    use_nvm: true

  - type: python
    version: "3.11"

  - type: git
    user_name: "Your Name"
    user_email: "you@company.com"

repositories:
  - url: https://github.com/your-org/backend
    path: ./backend
    branch: main

  - url: https://github.com/your-org/frontend
    path: ./frontend
    branch: develop

env:
  NODE_ENV: development
  API_URL: http://localhost:3000
  DATABASE_URL: postgresql://localhost:5432/myapp

scripts:
  - name: setup-database
    command: docker-compose up -d postgres
    when: before

  - name: install-deps
    command: npm install
    when: after

🚀 Advanced Magic

Cloud Environments

# Login to Genesis Cloud
genesis login

# List team environments
genesis list --cloud

# Apply a specific environment
genesis apply production-env-123

# Switch between local and cloud
genesis apply              # Local config
genesis apply staging-456  # Cloud environment

Environment Caching

# Genesis caches environments for instant switching
# First setup: 5 minutes
# Switch to cached environment: 10 seconds

genesis apply node-project     # Sets up Node.js project
cd ../python-project
genesis apply python-project   # Instant switch to Python setup

Parallel Execution

# Genesis installs everything in parallel
# Node.js, Python, Git, Docker all install at once
# 3x faster than sequential installation

Validation & Diffing

# See what would change before applying
genesis diff

# Validate your environment matches the config
genesis validate

# Run health checks
genesis doctor

🎯 Real-World Examples

Web Development Team

tools:
  - type: node
    version: "20"
    use_nvm: true

  - type: python
    version: "3.11"

  - type: docker

env:
  NODE_ENV: development
  REACT_APP_API_URL: http://localhost:8000

scripts:
  - name: start-services
    command: docker-compose up -d redis postgres
    when: before

Mobile Development Team

tools:
  - type: node
    version: "18"

  - type: java
    version: "17"

  - type: android-sdk
    version: "34"

env:
  ANDROID_HOME: /opt/android-sdk
  JAVA_HOME: /opt/java-17

Data Science Team

tools:
  - type: python
    version: "3.11"

  - type: docker

  - type: r
    version: "4.3"

env:
  PYTHONPATH: /workspace/src
  R_LIBS_USER: /workspace/r-packages

scripts:
  - name: setup-jupyter
    command: docker-compose up -d jupyter
    when: after

🔧 The CLI Commands You'll Actually Use

# The essentials
genesis init          # Create config file
genesis apply         # Apply configuration
genesis diff          # Preview changes
genesis validate      # Check environment

# Cloud features
genesis login         # Login to cloud
genesis list          # List environments
genesis apply env-123 # Apply cloud environment

# Utilities
genesis doctor        # Run diagnostics
genesis list-plugins  # Show available tools

🏗️ How It Works (The Cool Parts)

Declarative Configuration

Your genesis.config.yaml is the single source of truth. No more scattered documentation, no more "remember to run this command" - everything is in one file that lives in git with your code.

Plugin Architecture

Genesis is extensible. Need to set up a custom tool? Write a simple plugin. Most common tools are already supported:

✅ Node.js (NVM or standalone)
✅ Python (pyenv, conda, or system)
✅ Git (with configuration)
✅ Docker (with daemon setup)
🚧 Java, Go, Rust, .NET (coming soon)
🚧 VS Code extensions (coming soon)

Cross-Platform Magic

The same config works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Genesis handles:

Package managers (brew, apt, yum, choco, winget)
Path differences
Shell configuration (bash, zsh, fish, powershell)
Architecture differences (x64, ARM64)

Idempotent Operations

Run genesis apply 100 times - it only makes changes when needed. Safe to run anytime, anywhere.

🎁 What Makes Genesis Special

It's Not Another Docker

Genesis and Docker solve different problems:

Genesis: Sets up your development tools (what you code WITH)
Docker: Runs your services (what you code FOR)

Use both together for the perfect setup:

genesis apply    # Install Node.js, Git, IDE extensions
docker-compose up # Run PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka

It's Not Another Ansible

Ansible: Powerful, complex, requires learning curve
Genesis: Simple, declarative, anyone can use it

It's Not Another Package Manager

Package managers: Install individual packages
Genesis: Orchestrates your entire environment

🚀 The Standalone Revolution

Here's the game-changer: Genesis is a single standalone executable.

# Download one binary, that's it
curl -fsSL https://releases.genesis-docs.vercel.app/latest/genesis-linux-x64 -o genesis
chmod +x genesis
./genesis apply

# Works on a completely bare system
# No Node.js required, no dependencies needed
# Genesis can even install Node.js if you need it

This means:

Fresh laptop? Genesis works
Docker container? Genesis works
CI/CD pipeline? Genesis works
Air-gapped system? Genesis works (with offline bundle)

🌈 Why Developers Are Switching to Genesis

Before Genesis

😫 New developer onboarding takes 2-3 days
😫 "Works on my machine" bugs waste hours
😫 Environment drift causes subtle bugs
😫 Documentation is always outdated
😫 Platform-specific setup is a nightmare

After Genesis

😊 New developers productive in 15 minutes
😊 Perfect consistency across the team
😊 Environments are version-controlled
😊 Config file IS the documentation
😊 Same config works everywhere

🎯 Who Is This For?

Development Teams

Standardize environments across 5, 50, or 500 developers
Onboard new team members in minutes, not days
Eliminate "works on my machine" bugs forever

DevOps Engineers

Define reproducible environments as code
Manage multiple environments (dev, staging, prod)
Integrate with CI/CD pipelines

Open Source Maintainers

Make it easy for contributors to get started
Ensure consistent testing environments
Reduce support burden

Freelancers & Consultants

Jump between client projects seamlessly
Maintain separate environments for each client
Impress clients with professional setup

🚀 Ready to Transform Your Workflow?

# Install Genesis (one command)
curl -fsSL https://genesis-docs.vercel.app/install | sh

# Try it in any project
cd your-project
genesis init
genesis apply

# Welcome to the future of development environments

🆚 Genesis vs Alternatives

Why Genesis is the future of environment setup.

Feature	Genesis	Nix	Docker	Devbox	Asdf
Setup Time	5 minutes	2-4 hours	10 minutes	15 minutes	20 minutes
Learning Curve	Low	Very High	Medium	Medium	Medium
Team Sync	✅ Cloud	❌ Complex	❌ Manual	❌ Manual	❌ Manual
Performance	3x faster	Slow	Medium	Medium	Slow
Dependencies	None	Heavy	Heavy	Medium	Light

Quick Comparison:

Nix: Powerful but painful 2-4 hour setup, steep learning curve
Docker: Containers, not development - poor IDE integration
Devbox: Good but incomplete - no parallel execution, limited cloud features
Asdf: Version manager only - no environment setup
Genesis: Complete solution - 5-minute setup, perfect team sync, 3x faster

📖 See detailed comparison → Complete feature breakdown, migration guides, and real-world examples

📚 Learn More

CLI Documentation - All commands and options
Plugin Development - Build your own plugins
Core Architecture - How Genesis works under the hood
Examples - Real-world configuration examples
[Genesis vs Alternatives(./apps/docs/guide/comparison.md) - See how Genesis compares to Nix, Docker, Devbox, and more

🤝 Contributing

We're building this together! Whether you're:

🐛 Fixing bugs
✨ Adding features
🔌 Building plugins
📖 Improving docs

Your contribution matters. See the Contributing Guide to get started.

📄 License

💬 Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Documentation: Full Docs

Made with ❤️ by developers who were tired of wasting time on setup

P.S. Yes, it really is this good. Try it and see for yourself. 🚀

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 47 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
apps		apps
examples		examples
packages		packages
.gitignore		.gitignore
BOOTSTRAP_ARCHITECTURE.md		BOOTSTRAP_ARCHITECTURE.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
bun.lock		bun.lock
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
turbo.json		turbo.json
vercel.json		vercel.json

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