# Getting Started `asdf` installation involves: 1. Installing dependencies 2. Downloading `asdf` core 3. Installing `asdf` 4. Installing a plugin for each tool/runtime you wish to manage 5. Installing a version of the tool/runtime 6. Setting global and project versions via `.tool-versions` config files ## 1. Install Dependencies asdf primarily requires `git` & `curl`. Here is a _non-exhaustive_ list of commands to run for _your_ package manager (some might automatically install these tools in later steps). | OS | Package Manager | Command | | ----- | --------------- | ---------------------------------- | | linux | Aptitude | `apt install curl git` | | linux | DNF | `dnf install curl git` | | linux | Pacman | `pacman -S curl git` | | linux | Zypper | `zypper install curl git` | | macOS | Homebrew | `brew install coreutils curl git` | | macOS | Spack | `spack install coreutils curl git` | ::: tip Note `sudo` may be required depending on your system configuration. ::: ## 2. Download asdf ### Official Download ```shell git clone https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf.git ~/.asdf --branch v0.15.0 ``` ### Community Supported Download Methods We highly recommend using the official `git` method. | Method | Command | | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Homebrew | `brew install asdf` | | Pacman | `git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/asdf-vm.git && cd asdf-vm && makepkg -si` or use your preferred [AUR helper](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AUR_helpers) | ## 3. Install asdf There are many different combinations of Shells, OSs & Installation methods all of which affect the configuration here. Expand the selection below that best matches your system. **macOS users, be sure to read the warning about `path_helper` at the end of this section.** ::: details Bash & Git Add the following to `~/.bashrc`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/asdf.sh" ``` Completions must be configured by adding the following to your `.bashrc`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/completions/asdf.bash" ``` ::: ::: details Bash & Git (macOS) If using **macOS Catalina or newer**, the default shell has changed to **ZSH**. Unless changing back to Bash, follow the ZSH instructions. Add the following to `~/.bash_profile`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/asdf.sh" ``` Completions must be configured manually with the following entry in your `.bash_profile`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/completions/asdf.bash" ``` ::: ::: details Bash & Homebrew Add `asdf.sh` to your `~/.bashrc` with: ```shell echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh\"" >> ~/.bashrc ``` Completions will need to be [configured as per Homebrew's instructions](https://docs.brew.sh/Shell-Completion#configuring-completions-in-bash) or with the following: ```shell echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/etc/bash_completion.d/asdf.bash\"" >> ~/.bashrc ``` ::: ::: details Bash & Homebrew (macOS) If using **macOS Catalina or newer**, the default shell has changed to **ZSH**. Unless changing back to Bash, follow the ZSH instructions. Add `asdf.sh` to your `~/.bash_profile` with: ```shell echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh\"" >> ~/.bash_profile ``` Completions will need to be [configured as per Homebrew's instructions](https://docs.brew.sh/Shell-Completion#configuring-completions-in-bash) or with the following: ```shell echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/etc/bash_completion.d/asdf.bash\"" >> ~/.bash_profile ``` ::: ::: details Bash & Pacman Add the following to `~/.bashrc`: ```shell . /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.sh ``` [`bash-completion`](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/bash#Common_programs_and_options) needs to be installed for the completions to work. ::: ::: details Fish & Git Add the following to `~/.config/fish/config.fish`: ```shell source ~/.asdf/asdf.fish ``` Completions must be configured manually with the following command: ```shell mkdir -p ~/.config/fish/completions; and ln -s ~/.asdf/completions/asdf.fish ~/.config/fish/completions ``` ::: ::: details Fish & Homebrew Add `asdf.fish` to your `~/.config/fish/config.fish` with: ```shell echo -e "\nsource "(brew --prefix asdf)"/libexec/asdf.fish" >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish ``` Completions are [handled by Homebrew for the Fish shell](https://docs.brew.sh/Shell-Completion#configuring-completions-in-fish). Friendly! ::: ::: details Fish & Pacman Add the following to `~/.config/fish/config.fish`: ```shell source /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.fish ``` Completions are automatically configured on installation by the AUR package. ::: ::: details Elvish & Git Add `asdf.elv` to your `~/.config/elvish/rc.elv` with: ```shell mkdir -p ~/.config/elvish/lib; ln -s ~/.asdf/asdf.elv ~/.config/elvish/lib/asdf.elv echo "\n"'use asdf _asdf; var asdf~ = $_asdf:asdf~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv echo "\n"'set edit:completion:arg-completer[asdf] = $_asdf:arg-completer~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv ``` Completions are automatically configured. ::: ::: details Elvish & Homebrew Add `asdf.elv` to your `~/.config/elvish/rc.elv` with: ```shell mkdir -p ~/.config/elvish/lib; ln -s (brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.elv ~/.config/elvish/lib/asdf.elv echo "\n"'use asdf _asdf; var asdf~ = $_asdf:asdf~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv echo "\n"'set edit:completion:arg-completer[asdf] = $_asdf:arg-completer~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv ``` Completions are automatically configured. ::: ::: details Elvish & Pacman Add `asdf.elv` to your `~/.config/elvish/rc.elv` with: ```shell mkdir -p ~/.config/elvish/lib; ln -s /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.elv ~/.config/elvish/lib/asdf.elv echo "\n"'use asdf _asdf; var asdf~ = $_asdf:asdf~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv echo "\n"'set edit:completion:arg-completer[asdf] = $_asdf:arg-completer~' >> ~/.config/elvish/rc.elv ``` Completions are automatically configured. ::: ::: details ZSH & Git Add the following to `~/.zshrc`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/asdf.sh" ``` **OR** use a ZSH Framework plugin like [asdf for oh-my-zsh](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/asdf) which will source this script and setup completions. Completions are configured by either a ZSH Framework `asdf` plugin or by adding the following to your `.zshrc`: ```shell # append completions to fpath fpath=(${ASDF_DIR}/completions $fpath) # initialise completions with ZSH's compinit autoload -Uz compinit && compinit ``` - if you are using a custom `compinit` setup, ensure `compinit` is below your sourcing of `asdf.sh` - if you are using a custom `compinit` setup with a ZSH Framework, ensure `compinit` is below your sourcing of the framework **Warning** If you are using a ZSH Framework the associated `asdf` plugin may need to be updated to use the new ZSH completions properly via `fpath`. The Oh-My-ZSH asdf plugin is yet to be updated, see [ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh#8837](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/pull/8837). ::: ::: details ZSH & Homebrew Add `asdf.sh` to your `~/.zshrc` with: ```shell echo -e "\n. $(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh" >> ${ZDOTDIR:-~}/.zshrc ``` **OR** use a ZSH Framework plugin like [asdf for oh-my-zsh](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/asdf) which will source this script and setup completions. Completions are configured by either a ZSH Framework `asdf` or will need to be [configured as per Homebrew's instructions](https://docs.brew.sh/Shell-Completion#configuring-completions-in-zsh). If you are using a ZSH Framework the associated plugin for asdf may need to be updated to use the new ZSH completions properly via `fpath`. The Oh-My-ZSH asdf plugin is yet to be updated, see [ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh#8837](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/pull/8837). ::: ::: details ZSH & Pacman Add the following to `~/.zshrc`: ```shell . /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.sh ``` Completions are placed in a ZSH friendly location, but [ZSH must be configured to use the autocompletions](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/zsh#Command_completion). ::: ::: details PowerShell Core & Git Add the following to `~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1`: ```shell . "$HOME/.asdf/asdf.ps1" ``` ::: ::: details PowerShell Core & Homebrew Add `asdf.sh` to your `~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1` with: ```shell echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.ps1\"" >> ~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1 ``` ::: ::: details PowerShell Core & Pacman Add the following to `~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1`: ```shell . /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.ps1 ``` ::: ::: details Nushell & Git Add `asdf.nu` to your `~/.config/nushell/config.nu` with: ```shell "\n$env.ASDF_DIR = ($env.HOME | path join '.asdf')\n source " + ($env.HOME | path join '.asdf/asdf.nu') | save --append $nu.config-path ``` Completions are automatically configured ::: ::: details Nushell & Homebrew Add `asdf.nu` to your `~/.config/nushell/config.nu` with: ```shell "\n$env.ASDF_DIR = (brew --prefix asdf | str trim | into string | path join 'libexec')\n source " + (brew --prefix asdf | str trim | into string | path join 'libexec/asdf.nu') | save --append $nu.config-path ``` Completions are automatically configured ::: ::: details Nushell & Pacman Add `asdf.nu` to your `~/.config/nushell/config.nu` with: ```shell "\n$env.ASDF_DIR = '/opt/asdf-vm/'\n source /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.nu" | save --append $nu.config-path ``` Completions are automatically configured. ::: ::: details POSIX Shell & Git Add the following to `~/.profile`: ```shell export ASDF_DIR="$HOME/.asdf" . "$HOME/.asdf/asdf.sh" ``` ::: ::: details POSIX Shell & Homebrew Add `asdf.sh` to your `~/.profile` with: ```shell echo -e "\nexport ASDF_DIR=\"$(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh\"" >> ~/.profile echo -e "\n. \"$(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh\"" >> ~/.profile ``` ::: ::: details POSIX Shell & Pacman Add the following to `~/.profile`: ```shell export ASDF_DIR="/opt/asdf-vm" . /opt/asdf-vm/asdf.sh ``` ::: `asdf` scripts need to be sourced **after** you have set your `$PATH` and **after** you have sourced your framework (oh-my-zsh etc). ::: warning On macOS, starting a Bash or Zsh shell automatically calls a utility called `path_helper`. `path_helper` can rearrange items in `PATH` (and `MANPATH`), causing inconsistent behavior for tools that require specific ordering. To workaround this, `asdf` on macOS defaults to forcibly adding its `PATH`-entries to the front (taking highest priority). This is controllable with the `ASDF_FORCE_PREPEND` variable. ::: Restart your shell so that `PATH` changes take effect. Opening a new terminal tab will usually do it. ## Core Installation Complete! This completes the installation of the `asdf` core :tada: `asdf` is only useful once you install a **plugin**, install a **tool** and manage its **versions**. Continue the guide below to learn how to do this. ## 4. Install a Plugin For demonstration purposes we will install & set [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) via the [`asdf-nodejs`](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-nodejs/) plugin. ### Plugin Dependencies Each plugin has dependencies so we need to check the plugin repo where they should be listed. For `asdf-nodejs` they are: | OS | Dependency Installation | | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | | Debian | `apt-get install dirmngr gpg curl gawk` | | CentOS/ Rocky Linux/ AlmaLinux | `yum install gnupg2 curl gawk` | | macOS | `brew install gpg gawk` | We should install dependencies first as some Plugins have post-install hooks. ### Install the Plugin ```shell asdf plugin add nodejs https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-nodejs.git ``` ## 5. Install a Version Now we have a plugin for Node.js we can install a version of the tool. We can see which versions are available with `asdf list all nodejs` or a subset of versions with `asdf list all nodejs 14`. We will just install the `latest` available version: ```shell asdf install nodejs latest ``` ::: tip Note `asdf` enforces exact versions. `latest` is a helper throughout `asdf` that will resolve to the actual version number at the time of execution. ::: ## 6. Set a Version `asdf` performs a version lookup of a tool in all `.tool-versions` files from the current working directory up to the `$HOME` directory. The lookup occurs just-in-time when you execute a tool that `asdf` manages. ::: warning Without a version listed for a tool execution of the tool will **error**. `asdf current` will show you the tool & version resolution, or absence of, from your current directory so you can observe which tools will fail to execute. ::: ### Global Global defaults are managed in `$HOME/.tool-versions`. Set a global version with: ```shell asdf global nodejs latest ``` `$HOME/.tool-versions` will then look like: ``` nodejs 16.5.0 ``` Some OSs already have tools installed that are managed by the system and not `asdf`, `python` is a common example. You need to tell `asdf` to pass the management back to the system. The [Versions reference section](/manage/versions.md) will guide you. ### Local Local versions are defined in the `$PWD/.tool-versions` file (your current working directory). Usually, this will be the Git repository for a project. When in your desired directory execute: ```shell asdf local nodejs latest ``` `$PWD/.tool-versions` will then look like: ``` nodejs 16.5.0 ``` ### Using Existing Tool Version Files `asdf` supports the migration from existing version files from other version managers. Eg: `.ruby-version` for the case of `rbenv`. This is supported on a per-plugin basis. [`asdf-nodejs`](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-nodejs/) supports this via both `.nvmrc` and `.node-version` files. To enable this, add the following to your `asdf` configuration file `$HOME/.asdfrc`: ``` legacy_version_file = yes ``` See the [configuration](/manage/configuration.md) reference page for more config options. ## Guide Complete! That completes the Getting Started guide for `asdf` :tada: You can now manage `nodejs` versions for your project. Follow similar steps for each type of tool in your project! `asdf` has many more commands to become familiar with, you can see them all by running `asdf --help` or `asdf`. The core of the commands are broken into three categories: - [core `asdf`](/manage/core.md) - [plugins](/manage/plugins.md) - [versions (of tools)](/manage/versions.md)