kx - Elixir Version Manager

kx allows you to easily build and switch between different Elixir versions. It supports setting the default (global) Elixir version as well as per-shell or per-project versions. Everything is self-contained under one directory, by default $XDG_DATA_HOME/kx (usually $HOME/.local/share/kx).

kx is forked from kiex and has a few key differences:

• kx focuses on modern Elixirs (support is provided for Elixir 1.7.0 or later, but kx should build any version after Elixir 1.0.0).

• kx Elixir builds are tied to the version of Erlang/OTP used to build Elixir, and uses that to prevent the use of Elixir builds incompatible with the current version of Erlang/OTP installed.

• kx installs Elixir releases from elixir-lang/elixir tarballs. It only uses git to install branches. Branches can be installed from any repo.

While kx will be familiar to users of kiex, it is different, intentionally so.

Install

# Install to $XDG_DATA_HOME/kx ($HOME/.local/share/kx)
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/halostatue/kx/main/install |
  bash -s

If a different directory is preferred it can be installed by specifying $KX_HOME prior to running bash.

# Install to $HOME/kx
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/halostatue/kx/main/install |
  KX_HOME=$HOME/kx bash -s

Prerequisites

• bash 3.x+
• curl
• erlang
• git
• make (or gmake on FreeBSD)
• openssl # Required to build
• jq

Usage

• kx list [installed]: Shows kx-managed Elixir versions
• kx list releases: Shows available Elixir releases
• kx list branches: Shows available Elixir branches
• kx install VERSION [AS]: Installs the given release version
• kx reinstall VERSION: Reinstalls the given release version
• kx uninstall VERSION: Uninstalls the given release version
• kx use VERSION: Uses the given version for this shell
• kx shell VERSION: Uses the given version for this shell
• kx source VERSION: Prints the script to load for this version
• kx default VERSION|--clear: Manages the default Elixir version
• kx doctor: Checks whether kx can be used
• kx self update: Downloads and Updates kx
• kx self destruct: Removes kx and all installed Elixirs

Options

• KX_HOME: Set this to a different directory to use instead of $XDG_DATA_HOME/kx.
• KX_OAUTH_TOKEN: A GitHub token to be used for GitHub API requests.

Limitations

• kx does not build Erlang; it uses the currently active version.
• The same build directory used for every git build (saving space vs keeping build around). At the moment, the build directory for each version's tarball is kept. (This may change.)

Licence

LICENCE