omnienv

omnienv aims to make it simpler to create and use container-based (or vm) virtual environments, and to make a directory tree available to that virtual environment.

omnienv is implemented using LXD and built with golang.

omnienv mounts $HOME read-only in the environment, along with read-write mounting the working directory of the project being manged.

omnienv arranges for a matching $USER to be created in the environment with passwordless sudo access, the shell invocation has appropriate user environment variables set up, and the resulting shell has a pty for compatibility with various terminal applications.

omnienv shells can handle waiting for startup of containers and virtual-machines, including handling the non-instant wait time for a LXD vm to go from stopped to shell-ready. If the environment is stopped when a shell is requested, omnienv first transparently starts that environment and initiates the shell when possible.

project status

Pre-alpha. Config file format under active development and expected to make breaking changes.

installation

go install github.com/dbungert/omnienv/cmd/oe@latest

usage

1. Identify a project directory you would like to associate with a container or vm.
2. Add a file .omnienv.yaml to this directory with the following contents:

system: noble

3. Run oe --launch. The container will be created, the project directory mounted into that environment, and the shell will start in the same directory you are in right now (but in the environment).
4. Standard lxd management commands can be used with the container. For instance, this container can be deleted with lxc delete foo-noble, where foo is the basename of the directory containing .omnienv.yaml.
5. Return to this same instance later by running oe from the directory with .omnienv.yaml or lower.

config file format

An omnienv project is defined by the .omnienv.yaml config file and location. The parent directory of that config is the working directory, and that working directory is mounted read-write in the environment.

These fields are supported:

• system: the OS version of environment to use. At this time only Ubuntu is supported, and only using the series names, so jammy for Ubuntu 22.04 and noble for Ubuntu 24.04 and so on.
• virtualization (optional): use a container (default) or vm.
• label (optional): the prefix for the environment name, this is inferred from the basename of the rootdir config.
• rootdir (optional): which directory to mount read-write in the environment. If unspecified, this is set to the parent directory of .omnienv.yaml.

expected project direction

• The config file format is under active work, and I don't like some of the terms used just yet.
• Support expected for Ubuntu based on version numbers, and other Linux distributions handled by the lxd images remote.
• Ubuntu pre-bionic doesn't launch correctly today.