The latest articles on DEV Community by adrienclaire (@adrienclaire). https://dev.to/adrienclaire https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4003819%2F3d8f58e5-72ce-488f-a970-154d46140848.png https://dev.to/adrienclaire en adrienclaire Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:36:21 +0000 https://dev.to/adrienclaire/why-i-stopped-maintaining-dotfiles-and-built-a-cross-platform-shell-bootstrap-400b https://dev.to/adrienclaire/why-i-stopped-maintaining-dotfiles-and-built-a-cross-platform-shell-bootstrap-400b <p>Every new workstation started the same way.</p> <p>Install Git.</p> <p>Install PowerShell.</p> <p>Install fzf.</p> <p>Install bat.</p> <p>Install eza.</p> <p>Configure Starship.</p> <p>Copy aliases.</p> <p>Configure SSH.</p> <p>Restore my PowerShell profile.</p> <p>Install Docker.</p> <p>Install GitHub CLI.</p> <p>Repeat.</p> <p>Every single time.</p> <p>Eventually I realized something:</p> <p>I wasn't maintaining my shell anymore.</p> <p>I was maintaining the setup process.</p> <h2> Dotfiles weren't solving the whole problem </h2> <p>Dotfiles are fantastic.</p> <p>I still think everyone should keep their configuration in version control.</p> <p>But they only solve part of the problem.</p> <p>They don't install dependencies.</p> <p>They don't configure SSH.</p> <p>They don't know whether you're preparing a workstation or a server.</p> <p>They don't help you rebuild an environment from scratch.</p> <p>I wanted something closer to an operating system bootstrap.</p> <h2> The idea </h2> <p>Instead of restoring configuration files one by one, why not bootstrap the entire terminal environment?</p> <p>That became ShellDeck.</p> <p>It prepares a fresh Windows, Linux or macOS machine by configuring PowerShell, Bash or Zsh, installing common CLI tools, managing aliases, configuring SSH and optionally turning the machine into a lightweight homelab control node.</p> <p>The goal isn't to replace Ansible or configuration management.</p> <p>Those tools manage infrastructure.</p> <p>ShellDeck prepares <strong>your</strong> environment.</p> <h2> What it can do today </h2> <ul> <li>Bootstrap Windows, Linux and macOS</li> <li>Configure PowerShell, Bash and Zsh</li> <li>Install common CLI utilities</li> <li>Configure shell profiles</li> <li>Manage SSH hosts</li> <li>Optional Linux security hardening</li> <li>Startup environment dashboard</li> <li>Preserve configuration during updates</li> </ul> <h2> Why I built it </h2> <p>Like many engineers, I was constantly copying the same scripts between machines.</p> <p>Eventually the scripts became the project.</p> <p>I wanted one installer that could prepare a new machine in minutes and let me start working immediately.</p> <h2> I'd love your feedback </h2> <p>I'm sure there are workflows I've never considered.</p> <p>If you're someone who spends a lot of time in a terminal, I'd love to hear what you think.</p> <p>GitHub:</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/adrienclaire/ShellDeck" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/adrienclaire/ShellDeck</a></p> devops cli productivity opensource