# asdf [![Lint](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/actions/workflows/lint.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/actions/workflows/lint.yml) [![Tests](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/actions/workflows/tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/actions/workflows/tests.yml)
**Manage multiple runtime versions with a single CLI tool, extendable via plugins** - [docs at asdf-vm.com](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/)
asdf is a CLI tool that can manage multiple language runtime versions on a per-project basis. It is like `gvm`, `nvm`, `rbenv` & `pyenv` (and more) all in one! Simply install your language's plugin!
## Why use asdf?
- single CLI for multiple languages
- consistent commands to manage all your languages
- single global config keeping defaults in one place
- single `.tool-versions` config file per project
- support for existing config files `.node-version`, `.nvmrc`, `.ruby-version` for easy migration
- automatically switches runtime versions as you traverse your directories
- simple plugin system to add support for your language of choice
- shell completion available for common shells (Bash, Zsh, Fish)
## Documentation
[Please head over to the documentation site for more information](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/)!
- [Getting Started](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/guide/getting-started.html)
- [All Commands](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/manage/commands.html)
- [All Plugins](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-plugins)
- [Create a Plugin](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/plugins/create.html) with our [asdf-plugin-template](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-plugin-template)
- [asdf GitHub Actions](https://github.com/asdf-vm/actions)
## Contributing
See [CONTRIBUTING.md in the repo](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) or the [Contributing section on the docs site](http://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/#/contributing-core-asdf).
## Community & Questions
- [FAQ](https://asdf-vm.github.io/asdf/learn-more/faq.html)
- [![GitHub Issues](https://icongr.am/simple/github.svg?color=808080&size=16) GitHub Issues](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/issues): report a bug or raise a feature request to the `asdf` core team
- [![GitHub Discussions](https://icongr.am/simple/github.svg?color=808080&size=16) GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf/discussions): our preferred method for community Q&A and interaction
- [![StackOverflow Tag](https://icongr.am/fontawesome/stack-overflow.svg?size=16&color=808080) StackOverflow Tag](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/asdf-vm): see existing Q&A for `asdf`. Some of the core team watch this tag in addition to our helpful community
## Ballad of asdf
> Once upon a time there was a programming language
> There were many versions of it
> So people wrote a version manager for it
> To switch between versions for projects
> Different, old, new.
> Then there came more programming languages
> So there came more version managers
> And many commands for them
> I installed a lot of them
> I learnt a lot of commands
> Then I said, just one more version manager
> Which I will write instead
> So, there came another version manager
> **asdf version manager** -
> A version manager so extendable
> for which anyone can create a plugin
> To support their favourite language
> No more installing more version managers
> Or learning more commands
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