Introducing Daytona Project Config: Simplify Workspace Setup

Developing similar development environments for different projects can often be boring and time-consuming. Each time you begin a new project or adjust a new workspace, you probably recreate the repository and environment variables and build settings by hand.

The more complex your projects are, the more these overhead tasks hinder productivity. Project Configs, introduced in v0.24.0, enable you to predefine project settings and automate all those processes, maintaining consistency throughout your workspaces.

What Is a Project-Config?

A project configuration contains all necessary properties to define and manage projects within a Workspace. It stores the repository URL, build configuration, and environment variables. This allows for easy reuse of previously set configurations, ensuring a consistent and reproducible setup across multiple Workspaces.

What makes this significant?

Maintaining a consistent development environment is crucial for developers managing several projects or working in teams in order to prevent problems like inconsistent build procedures, missing dependencies, and version mismatches. In addition to saving time, project configurations provide reproducible and consistent environments.

Key Features of a Project-Config

Repository URL

The URL of the Git repository associated with the Project.

Build Configuration

• Automatic: Auto-detects the most appropriate Builder for your project.

• Devcontainer: Utilizes a predefined development container specified by a devcontainer.json file.

• Custom image: Builds the Project image by specifying a custom base container.

• None: Builds a Project using the default base image (daytonaio/workspace-project).

Environment Variables

Environment variables are specified in the KEY=VALUE format. These variables are essential for the Project’s build and runtime environments. You can set the variables directly or pass them from the machine’s environment during execution.

Project Configuration Name

A unique identifier for the Project Configuration, which distinguishes it from other configurations within the system.

daytona project-config command allows you to add, inspect, change, list, set as default, and delete Project Configurations, providing you complete control over and reuse your Project configurations across many Workspaces.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a New Project Config

No 1. Add a New Project Config

Open your terminal and run the following command:

1daytona project-config add

You’ll be asked to enter key information for the configuration, such as the repository URL, build configuration, and environment variables.

1daytona project-config add
2> Enter repository URL: https://github.com/user/repo
3> Select build configuration: Devcontainer
4> Enter environment variables: ENV_VAR=production
5> Name your project config: MyProjectConfig

This simple set of inputs ensures that the next time you create a workspace, Daytona will automatically load these settings, significantly reducing setup time.

2. Sample Repository for Project Config

Let’s set up a Project Config for a TypeScript Node Project , which includes a basic Node.js app and a devcontainer.json for an easy development setup.

Let’s learn how to make a Project Config:

1daytona project-config add
2> Enter repository URL: https://github.com/daytonaio/sample-typescript-node
3> Select build configuration: Devcontainer
4> Enter environment variables: NODE_ENV=development
5> Name your project config: TypeScript-Node

Saving this, will apply this configuration to multiple workspaces, ensuring that each workspace has the same repository and environment setup. To create a new workspace with this setup, use:

1daytona create
2> Select project config: TypeScript-Node

This process will easily set up your workspace with the exact configuration, making it smooth to get started.

Managing Your Project Configs

Once you’ve created a Project Config, Daytona provides several commands to manage and view these configurations. You can explore these commands in more detail in the Daytona CLI Reference.

Listing All Project Configs

To list all your existing Project Configs, use the command:

1daytona project-config list

This will display a table with the Project Config name, associated repository, build configuration, and whether it’s set as the default.

Seeing the Details of a Project Config

To see the details of a specific Project Config, run:

1daytona project-config info

Select the configuration you want to view, and Daytona will display details about the repository URL, build configuration, and any associated environment variables. It might look like this:

1Project Config Info:
2---------------------
3Name: sample-typescript-node
4Repository: https://github.com/daytonaio/sample-typescript-node.git
5Default: Yes
6Build: Devcontainer
7Devcontainer path: .devcontainer/devcontainer.json

This result provides a structured view of the Project Config, showing important details such as the repository URL, build configuration, and the path to the development container configuration.

Updating or Removing Project Configs

Updating a Project Config

If you need to change settings within an active Project Config, Daytona makes it easy. Simply run:

1daytona project-config update

You’ll be asked to choose the Project Config you want to remake and then change any of the settings, such as changing the repository URL or adding a new environment variable.

Deleting a Project Config

If a configuration is no longer needed, you can delete it using the following command:

1daytona project-config delete

This will remove the configuration from Daytona, ensuring your workspace remains clean and organized.

What’s Next: Project Configs and Prebuilds

Introducing Project Configs is part of Daytona’s broader start to improve developer productivity by automating repetitive tasks. One upcoming feature that will further streamline the development process is Prebuilds.

How Prebuilds Will Enhance Project Configs

Prebuilds allow for even rapid workspace setup by listening for changes in the underlying repository and automatically running builds in the background. This ensures that when a developer creates a new workspace, all necessary builds have already been completed, significantly reducing wait times.

Prebuilds are made to take Daytona’s automation to the next level,
allowing for ‘ready-to-go’ environments. Coupled with Project Configs, they’ll
make workspace creation nearly instantaneous.

Conclusion

Daytona’s Project Configs streamline workspace setup by reducing the time and effort needed to configure repositories, environment variables, and build settings. Whether you’re a solo developer or part of a larger team, the ability to define and reuse configurations can dramatically enhance your productivity.

As Daytona continues to launch new features like Prebuilds, the development experience will only get faster and more efficient, allowing developers to spend less time on setup and more time coding.