binenv

The last binary you'll ever install.

TOC

• binenv
  • TOC
  • What
  • Quick start
    • Linux (bash/zsh)
    • MacOS (with bash)
    • Windows
  • Install
  • Updating binenv
  • Supported "distributions"
  • Usage
    • Updating available distributions versions
      • Updating versions using a token
      • Update available distributions
      • Examples
    • Searching distributions
    • Installing new versions
      • Examples
    • Listing versions
      • Examples
      • Freezing versions
    • Uninstalling versions
      • Examples
    • Completion
  • Selecting versions
    • Version selection process
    • Install versions form .binenv.lock
      • Example
  • Removing binenv stuff
  • Status
  • FAQ
    • I installed a binary but is still see the system (or wrong) version
    • After installing a distribution, I get a "shim: no such file or directory"
    • I don't like binenv, are there alternatives ?
  • Distributions file format
    • Distributions file reference
    • Distributions file example
  • Contributions
  • Licence

What

binenv will help you download, install and manage the binaries programs (a.k.a. distributions) you need in you everyday DevOps life (e.g. kubectl, helm, ...).

Think of it as a tfenv + tgenv + helmenv + ...

Now you can install your favorite utility just by typing binenv install something.

Quick start

Linux (bash/zsh)

wget -q https://github.com/devops-works/binenv/releases/latest/download/binenv_linux_amd64 -O binenv
chmod +x binenv
./binenv update
./binenv install binenv
rm binenv
if [[ -n $BASH ]]; then ZESHELL=bash; fi
if [[ -n $ZSH_NAME ]]; then ZESHELL=zsh; fi
echo $ZESHELL
echo 'export PATH=~/.binenv:$PATH' >> ~/.${ZESHELL}rc
echo "source <(binenv completion ${ZESHELL})" >> ~/.${ZESHELL}rc
exec $SHELL

MacOS (with bash)

wget -q https://github.com/devops-works/binenv/releases/latest/download/binenv_darwin_amd64 -O binenv
chmod +x binenv
./binenv update
./binenv install binenv
rm binenv
echo 'export PATH=~/.binenv:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'source <(binenv completion bash)' >> ~/.bashrc
exec $SHELL

Windows

binenv does not support windows.

Install

• download a suitable binenv (yes, but wait !) for your architecture/OS at http://github.com/devops-works/binenv/releases.

wget -q https://github.com/devops-works/binenv/releases/latest/download/binenv-<OS>-<ARCH>

• rename it

mv binaryname binenv

• make it executable

chmod +x binenv

• execute an update

./binenv update

• now install binenv with binenv (so meta)

./binenv install binenv <version>

• you can now remove the downloaded file

rm binenv

• prepend ~/.binenv to your path in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc or ...

export PATH=~/.binenv:$PATH

• while you're at it, install the completion (replace bash with your shell)

source <(binenv completion bash)

• "restart" your shell

exec $SHELL

See a walkthough on asciinema.org:

Updating binenv

Just run binenv install binenv

This is the whole point.

Supported "distributions"

"Distributions" are installable binaries. We just had to find a name ¯\(ツ)/¯.

Currently supported distributions are:

• ali
• annie
• argocd
• asciigraph
• asciinema-edit
• awless
• aws-iam-authenticator
• awstaghelper
• bat
• binenv
• bomberman
• buildx
• changie
• chezmoi
• cli53
• consul
• devspace
• dive
• doctl
• driftctl
• duf
• dw-query-digest
• eksctl
• fzf
• gbt
• gdu
• gh
• github-release-notes
• gitjacker
• gitui
• glab
• glow
• gocloc
• golangci-lint
• goreleaser
• gosec
• gotop
• gping
• grizzly
• gws
• hadolint
• helm
• helmfile
• hey
• hcloud
• httpx
• hugo
• imgpkg
• juicefs
• k6
• k9s
• kapp
• kbld
• ketall
• kind
• krew
• kops
• kube-bench
• kubeconf
• kubectl
• kubectx
• kubens
• kubeseal
• kustomize
• lazygit
• local-php-security-checker
• logcli
• loki
• minikube
• naabu
• nomad
• onefetch
• operator-sdk, ansible-operator, helm-operator
• oto
• pass-checker
• packer
• phpsecscan
• pluto
• pomerium
• pomerium-cli
• popeye
• promtail
• rancher[^1]
• saml2aws
• scan-exporter
• shaloc
• skaffold
• sops
• ssllabs-scan
• starship
• stern
• subfinder
• sonobuoy
• tanka
• task
• taskctl
• teler
• terraform
• terraform-docs
• terraform-inventory
• terragrunt
• tflint
• tfsec
• toji
• traefik
• trivy
• upx
• vagrant
• vault
• vmctl
• yh
• yj
• yq
• ytt

The always up-to-date list is here.

Open an issue (or send a PR) if you need one that is not in the list.

[^1]: cli for rancher 1.x

Usage

Updating available distributions versions

In order to update the list of installable version for distributions, you need to update the version list (usually located in $XDG_CONFIG/cache.json or ~/.config/binenv/cache.json).

This is done automatically when invoking binenv update.

Without arguments, it will fetch the cache from this repo. This cache is generated automatically daily.

Using the -f argument, binenv will retrieve available versions for all distributions (watch out for Github API rate limits, but see below).

With a distribution passed as an argument (e.g. binenv update kubectl), it will only update installable versions for kubectl.

Note that Github enforces rate limits (e.g. 60 unauthenticated API requests per hours). So you should update all distributions (e.g. binenv update -f) with caution. binenv will stop updating distributions when you only have 4 unauthenticated API requests left.

GitHub tokens are also supported to avoid being rate-limited and fetch releases from their respective sources.

Updating versions using a token

To avoid being rate limited, you can also use a personal access token.

• go to Settings/Personal Access Tokens/New personal access token
• click "Generate token"

To use the token, just export it in the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable:

export GITHUB_TOKEN=aaa...bbb

Update available distributions

Distributions are maintained in this file.

To benefit from new additions, you need to update the distribution list from time to time.

This list is usually located in your home directory under $XDG_CONFIG/distributions.yaml (often ~/.config/binenv/distribution.yaml).

To update only distributions:

binenv update --distributions # or -d

To update distributions and their versions:

binenv update --all # or -a

Examples

• binenv update: update available versions for all distributions from github cache
• binenv update -f: update available versions for all distributions from all releases
• binenv update -d: update available distributions
• binenv update kubectl helm: update available versions for kubectl and helm

Searching distributions

The search command lets you search a distribution by name or description:

$ binenv search kube
binenv: One binary to rule them all. Manage all those pesky binaries (kubectl, helm, terraform, ...) easily.
helm: The Kubernetes Package Manager
helmfile: Deploy Kubernetes Helm Charts
k9s: Kubernetes CLI To Manage Your Clusters In Style!
ketall: Like `kubectl get all`, but get really all resources
... (lots of things with "kube" in it)

Installing new versions

After updating the list, you might want to install a shiny new version. No problem,binenv install has you covered.

If you want the latest non-prerelease version for something, just run:

binenv install something

If you want a specific version:

binenv install something 1.2.3

Note that completion works, so don't be afraid to use it.

You can also install several distribution versions at the same time:

binenv install something 1.2.3 somethingelse 4.5.6

Using the --dry-run flag (a.k.a -n) will show what would be installed.

Examples

• binenv install kubectl: install latest non-prerelease kubectl version
• binenv install kubectl 1.18.8: install kubectl version 1.18.8
• binenv install kubectl 1.18.8 helm 3.3.0: install kubectl version 1.18.8 and helm 3.3.0

Listing versions

You can list available, installed and activated distribution versions using binenv versions.

When invoked without arguments, all version of all distributions will be printed.

With distributions as arguments, only versions for those distributions will be printed.

In the output, versions printed in reverse mode are the currently selected (a.k.a. active) versions (see Selecting versions below.

Versions in bold are installed.

All other versions are available to be installed.

Examples

$ binenv versions
terraform: 0.13.1 (/home/you/some/dir) 0.13.0 0.13.0-rc1 0.13.0-beta3 0.13.0-beta2 0.13.0-beta1 0.12.29 0.12.28 0.12.27 0.12.26 0.12.25 0.12.24 0.12.23 0.12.22 0.12.21 0.12.20 0.12.19 0.12.18 0.12.17 0.12.16 0.12.15 0.12.14 0.12.13 0.12.12 0.12.11 0.12.10 0.12.9 0.12.8 0.12.7 0.12.6
terragrunt: 0.23.38 0.23.37 0.23.36 0.23.35 0.23.34 0.23.33 0.23.32 0.23.31 0.23.30 0.23.29 0.23.28 0.23.27 0.23.26 0.23.25 0.23.24 0.23.23 0.23.22 0.23.21 0.23.20 0.23.19 0.23.18 0.23.17 0.23.16 0.23.15 0.23.14 0.23.13 0.23.12 0.23.11 0.23.10 0.23.9
toji: 0.2.4 (default) 0.2.2
vault: 1.5.3 1.5.2 1.5.1 1.5.0 1.5.0-rc 1.4.6 1.4.5 1.4.4 1.4.3 1.4.2 1.4.1 1.4.0 1.4.0-rc1 1.4.0-beta1 1.3.10 1.3.9 1.3.8 1.3.7 1.3.6 1.3.5 1.3.4 1.3.3 1.3.2 1.3.1 1.3.0 1.3.0-beta1 1.2.7 1.2.6 1.2.5 1.2.4
...

(the output above does not show bold or reverse terminal output)

Freezing versions

When the versions command is invoked with the --freeze option, it will write a .binenv.lock style file on stdout.

This way you can "lock" the dependencies for your project just by issuing:

cd myproject
binenv versions --freeze > .binenv.lock

You can the commit this file to your project so everyone will use the same distributions versions when in this repository. See Selecting Versions for more information on this file.

Note that currently selected versions for all distributions will be outputted. You might want to trim stuff you do not use from the file.

Uninstalling versions

If you need to clean up a bit, you can uninstall a specific version, or all versions for a distribution. In the latter case, a confirmation will be asked.

The command accepts:

• a single argument (remove all versions for distributions)
• an even count of arguments (distribution / version pairs)

Examples

• binenv uninstall kubectl 1.18.8 helm 3.3.0: uninstall kubectl version 1.18.8 and helm 3.3.0
• binenv uninstall kubectl 1.18.8 kubectl 1.16.15: uninstall kubectl versions 1.18.8 and 1.16.15
• binenv uninstall kubectl: removes all kubectl versions

Completion

Install completion for your shell. See binenv help completion for in-depth info.

Selecting versions

To specify which version to use, you have to create a .binenv.lock file in the directory. Note that only semver is supported.

This file has the following structure:

<distributionA><constraintA>
<distributionB><constraintB>
...

For instance:

kubectl=1.18.8
terraform>0.12
terragrunt~>0.23.0

You can then commit the file in your project to ensure everyone in your team is on the same page.

The constraint operators are:

• =: version must match exactly
• !=: version must not match
• >: version must be strictly higher
• <: version must be strictly lower
• >=: version must be at least
• <=: version must be at most
• ~>: version must be at least this one in the same but match the same minor versions

Version selection process

When you execute a distribution (e.g. you run kubectl), binenv runs it under the hood. Before running it, it will check which version it should use. For this, it will check for a .binenv.lock file in the current directory.

If none is found, it will check in the parent folder. No lock file ? Check in parent folder again. this process continues until binenv reaches your home directory.

If no version requirements are found at this point, binenv will use the last non-prerelease version installed.

Install versions form .binenv.lock

Install versions specified in .binenv.lock file, you can use the --lock (a.k.a. -l) flag.

Example

$ cat .binenv.lock
terraform>0.13.0
helmfile<0.125.0
hadolint<1.17.0
$ binenv install -l
2020-08-29T11:39:18+02:00 WRN installing "terraform" (0.13.1) to satisfy constraint "terraform>0.13.0"
fetching terraform version 0.13.1 100% |█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████| (33/33 MB, 3.274 MB/s) [10s:0s]
2020-08-29T11:39:29+02:00 WRN installing "helmfile" (0.124.0) to satisfy constraint "helmfile<0.125.0"
fetching helmfile version 0.124.0 100% |█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████| (45/45 MB, 1.404 MB/s) [31s:0s]
2020-08-29T11:40:02+02:00 WRN installing "hadolint" (1.16.3) to satisfy constraint "hadolint<1.17.0"
fetching hadolint version 1.16.3 100% |███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████| (3.5/3.5 MB, 431.886 kB/s) [8s:0s]
$

Removing binenv stuff

binenv stores downloaded binaries in ~/.binenv/binaries, and a cache in ~/.config/binenv/ (or whatever your XDG_CONFIG variable points to).

To wipe everything clean:

rm -rfi ~/.binenv ~/.config/binenv/

Don't forget to remove the PATH and the completion you might have changed in your shell rc file.

Status

This is really super alpha and has only be tested on Linux & MacOS. YMMV on other platforms.

There are no tests. I will probably go to hell for this.

FAQ

I installed a binary but is still see the system (or wrong) version

Try to rehash your binaries (hash -r in bash or rehash in Zsh).

After installing a distribution, I get a "shim: no such file or directory"

If you see something like:

2020-11-10T09:01:20+01:00 ERR unable to install "kubectl" (1.19.3) error="unable to find shim file: stat /Users/foo/.binenv/shim: no such file or directory"

you probably did not follow the installation instructions.

Running ./binenv update binenv && ./binenv install binenv should correct the problem.

I don't like binenv, are there alternatives ?

Sorry to hear that. Don't hesitate opening an issue or sending a PR is something does not fit your use case

Some nice alternatives exist:

• https://gofi.sh/
• https://asdf-vm.com/#/

Distributions file format

distributions.yaml contains all the distributions supported by binenv, and how to fetch them. It is written in YALM and is defined by the scheme below.

Distributions file reference

sources:

  # Name of the distribution
  <string>:

    # Description provided by the binary author(s).
    description: <string>

    # map creates aliases between architectures known by binenv and those
    # expected by the original author(s).
    # Check `bat` distribution for a more meaningful example.
    [map: <map_config>]

    # list contains the kind of releases and where to fetch their
    # history.
    list:

      # Type of the releases.
      # Typically "github-releases"
      type: <string>

      # Where to fetch the releases.
      # I.e. https://github.com/devops-works/binenv/releases
      url: <string>

    # fetch holds the URL from where the binaries can be downloaded.
    fetch:

      # Templatised URL to the binary. Values to templatise can be:
      # Host architecture with {{ .Arch }}, operating system with {{ .OS }},
      # version with {{ .Version }}, sometimes .exe with {{ .ExeExtension}}.
      url: <string>

    # Defines how to install the binary.
    install:

      # Type of installation. Can be :
      # "direct" if after download the binary is executable as is; 
      # "tgz" if it needs to be uncompressed using tar and gzip;
      # "zip" if it needs to be unzipped;
      # "tarx" if it needs to be uncompressed with tar;
      type: <string>

      # Name of the binar(y|ies) that will be downloaded
      [binaries: <binaries_config>]

map_config:

# Alias to amd64 arch
[amd64: <string>]

# Alias to i386 arch
[i386: <string>]

# Alias to darwin arch
[darwin: <string>]

# Alias to linux arch
[linux: <string>]

# Alias to windows arch
[windows: <string>]

binaries_config:

# Array of binaries names that will be downloaded
 - <string>

Distributions file example

sources:
  popeye:
    description: A Kubernetes cluster resource sanitizer
    map:
      amd64: x86_64
      darwin: Darwin
      linux: Linux
      windows: Windows
    list:
      type: github-releases
      url: https://api.github.com/repos/derailed/popeye/releases
    fetch:
      url: https://github.com/derailed/popeye/releases/download/v{{ .Version }/popeye_{{ .OS }}_{{ .Arch }}.tar.gz
    install:
      type: tgz
      binaries:
        - popeye

The distributions.yaml file used by default by binenv is located here, don't hesitate to have a look on it's structure.

Caveats

Since binenv uses your PATH and HOME to find binaries and layout it's configuration files, using sudo with binenv-installed binaries is not very straightforward. You can either install binenv as the root user (so it can find it's config), or pass those two environment variables when invoking sudo, like so:

sudo env "PATH=$PATH" "HOME=$HOME" binary_installed_with_binenv ...

Contributions

Welcomed !

We will need other installation mechanisms (see https://github.com/devops-works/binenv/tree/master/internal/install).

Licence

MIT