Project19 Releases
Vex
A fast, multi-language version manager for macOS. Symlink-based switching, zero shim overhead, everything under ~/.vex.
Vex
Vex is a multi-language version manager for macOS, built in Rust. It manages Node.js, Go, Java, Rust, and Python from a single tool, using symlinks instead of shims for instant, zero-overhead version switching.
Why I Built This
Every language has its own version manager — nvm, rustup, sdkman, pyenv, goenv. They each scatter files across your home directory, use different switching mechanisms, and don't know about each other. I wanted one tool that keeps everything clean under a single ~/.vex directory.
Technical Highlights
- Symlink-based switching — no shim overhead, version changes are instant
- Atomic operations — TOCTOU protection ensures symlink swaps can't leave broken state
- Parallel downloads — up to 3 concurrent downloads with atomic writes
- Checksum verification — SHA256 verification for Node.js, upstream metadata for others
- Concurrent install protection — file-based locking prevents parallel install corruption
- Security hardening — ownership validation, path traversal protection
Features
- 5 languages: Node.js, Go, Java (Eclipse Temurin), Rust, Python
.tool-versionssupport with auto-switch oncd- Fuzzy version matching (
node@20→ latest 20.x) - Lockfile support for reproducible environments
- Team config sync from HTTPS URLs or Git repos
- Project templates (
vex init --template rust-cli) - TUI dashboard (
vex tui) - Python venv integration
- Self-update (
vex self-update) - Official GitHub Action (
uses: noah-qin/vex@v1) - Homebrew tap (
brew install noah-qin/homebrew-vex/vex)
Development Timeline
| Date | Version | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 27 | v0.1.0 | First release — Node.js support |
| Feb 28 | v0.1.1–0.1.4 | Rapid bug fixes (4 patches in 24 hours) |
| Mar 8 | v0.2.0 | Multi-language support (Go, Java, Rust) |
| Mar 9 | v1.0.0 | Stable release with security hardening |
| Mar 11–16 | v1.1–v1.4 | Python, lockfiles, team sync, templates |
| Mar 30 | v1.5.0 | Feature expansion |
| Apr 4–8 | v1.6.0–v1.6.1 | npm global management, Rust historical versions |
Read the full story in my blog post.
Architecture
~/.vex/
├── bin/ # Symlinks (on PATH)
├── toolchains/ # Installed versions
├── current/ # Active version symlinks
├── cache/ # Download + version cache
├── locks/ # Concurrent install protection
└── config.toml # User configuration
Built with Rust. Single binary, no runtime dependencies.