asdf

Asdf is an all-in-one tool version manager designed to replace individual language-specific version managers such as pyenv, nvm, rbenv, and others. It operates on a plugin-based system to support different tools. A full list of supported plugins can be found at https://github.com/asdf-community.

Installing a tool with asdf is a multistep process:

Install asdf
Install the plugin for the desired language/tool: asdf plugin add <name>
Install the desired version of the tool: asdf install <name> <version>
Set the version globally or locally before it can be used: asdf global <name> <version> or asdf local <name> <version>

Asdf also supports .tool-versions files. Running asdf install in a directory containing a .tool-versions file installs all the tools listed in it. The installed tools are then available in that directory and its subdirectories.

Platform-specific installation

macOS: Installed via Homebrew (brew install asdf). Homebrew must be present.
Linux: The latest release binary is downloaded directly from GitHub and placed in ~/.local/bin. Codify also adds the asdf shims directory to PATH in your shell RC file.

Codify Resources

asdf — Installs asdf itself and optionally installs plugins.
asdf-plugin — Installs an asdf plugin and optionally installs specific versions of the tool.
asdf-install — Installs a .tool-versions file in a directory, or installs specific versions of a tool. Automatically installs missing plugins.

Parameters:

plugins: (array[string]) An optional list of asdf plugins to install. The plugin names must match those found at https://github.com/asdf-community. This list is managed statefully — plugins are added when they appear in the list and removed when they are taken off.

Example usage:

Install asdf

codify.jsonc

[
  {
    "type": "asdf"
  }
]

Install asdf with plugins

codify.jsonc

[
  {
    "type": "asdf",
    "plugins": ["nodejs", "python"]
  }
]

Install a `.tool-versions` file

The asdf-install resource automatically installs missing plugins when using the directory parameter. The config below installs asdf and then installs all tool versions specified in ~/path/to/dir/.tool-versions.

codify.jsonc

[
  {
    "type": "asdf"
  },
  {
    "type": "asdf-install",
    "directory": "~/path/to/dir"
  }
]

Install and version-pin a tool

Asdf provides the latest keyword as a shortcut. Otherwise a fully qualified version (down to the patch level) must be used. The config below installs asdf, the Node.js plugin, and two Node.js versions.

codify.jsonc

[
  {
    "type": "asdf",
    "plugins": ["nodejs"]
  },
  {
    "type": "asdf-install",
    "plugin": "nodejs",
    "versions": ["latest", "20.18.0"]
  }
]

On this page