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Renu Bhati
Renu Bhati

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How I Cut My Local Development Setup Time by 95% Using Makefile

#go #webdev #productivity #postgres

How one simple file transformed my development workflow from 10 minutes to 30 seconds

As a developer, I was constantly typing the same Docker and database commands over and over. Starting PostgreSQL containers, running migrations, creating databases - it was getting repetitive and error-prone.

Setting up my local development environment was taking forever every time I switched between projects or started fresh. I needed something to make local development setup quick and consistent.

That's when I discovered I could use Makefiles to automate all these database operations for faster local development. Here's what I learned.

What is a Makefile?

A Makefile is a simple text file that contains commands you can run with the make command. While most people think it's only for compiling C programs, it's actually great for automating any repetitive tasks - including database operations.

My Database Makefile for Local Development

Here's the Makefile I created to speed up my local development setup with PostgreSQL:

# Default target - shows help when you just run 'make'
.DEFAULT_GOAL := help

help: ## Show all available commands
    @echo "Available commands:"
    @grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | sort | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  %-15s %s\n", $1, $2}'

postgres: ## Start PostgreSQL container
    docker run --name postgres -p 5432:5432 -e POSTGRES_USER=root -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret -d postgres

remove-postgres: ## Stop and remove PostgreSQL container
    docker stop postgres
    docker rm postgres

createdb: ## Create database
    docker exec -it postgres createdb --username=root --owner=root simple_bank

dropdb: ## Delete database
    docker exec -it postgres dropdb simple_bank

migrateup: ## Run database migrations
    migrate -path db/migration -database "postgresql://root:secret@localhost:5432/simple_bank?sslmode=disable" up

migratedown: ## Rollback database migrations
    migrate -path db/migration -database "postgresql://root:secret@localhost:5432/simple_bank?sslmode=disable" down

.PHONY: help postgres remove-postgres createdb dropdb migrateup migratedown
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How Each Command Works

Starting PostgreSQL 

make postgres
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This starts a PostgreSQL container with:

  • Container name: postgres
  • Port: 5432
  • Username: root
  • Password: secret

Stopping PostgreSQL 

make remove-postgres
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This stops and removes the PostgreSQL container completely.

Creating Database 

make createdb
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This creates a new database called simple_bank inside the running PostgreSQL container.

Dropping Database 

make dropdb
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This deletes the simple_bank database.

Running Migrations 

make migrateup
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This runs all pending database migrations from the db/migration folder.

Rolling Back Migrations 

make migratedown
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This rolls back the last migration.

Why Use Makefile for Local Development?

Before Makefile (slow setup):

# I had to remember and type these long commands every time
docker run --name postgres -p 5432:5432 -e POSTGRES_USER=root -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret -d postgres
docker exec -it postgres createdb --username=root --owner=root simple_bank
migrate -path db/migration -database "postgresql://root:secret@localhost:5432/simple_bank?sslmode=disable" up
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After Makefile (quick setup):

# Simple, fast commands for local development
make postgres
make createdb
make migrateup
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Now I can get my local development environment running in seconds instead of minutes!

Adding a Help Command

One really useful feature I added is a help command that shows all available commands:

make help
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This displays:

Available commands:
  createdb         Create database
  dropdb           Delete database
  help             Show all available commands
  migratedown      Rollback database migrations
  migrateup        Run database migrations
  postgres         Start PostgreSQL container
  remove-postgres  Stop and remove PostgreSQL container
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You can also just run make without any command, and it will show the help automatically.

The help command works by:

  1. Adding ## description after each command
  2. Using a special help target that parses these descriptions

  3. Setting .DEFAULT_GOAL := help so make alone shows help

  4. Create a file named Makefile in your project root

  5. Copy the commands above and modify them for your project:

    • Change database name from simple_bank to your database name
    • Update username/password if needed
    • Adjust the migration path if different

  6. Run commands using make <command-name>

Important Notes

  • The indentation in Makefile must be tabs, not spaces
  • The .PHONY line tells Make that these aren't file names
  • Make sure Docker is running before using these commands
  • Install migrate tool if you want to use migration commands

Common Local Development Workflow

Here's how I typically use these commands to set up my local development environment:

# Quick local setup when starting work
make postgres
make createdb
make migrateup

# Now I can start coding immediately!

# When switching projects or need fresh database
make remove-postgres
make postgres
make createdb
make migrateup

# At end of day (optional - frees up resources)
make remove-postgres
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This workflow gets me from zero to coding in under 30 seconds!

Benefits for Local Development

  1. Super fast setup - From zero to coding in 30 seconds
  2. No more typos - I don't have to type long Docker commands
  3. Consistency - Same setup works on any machine
  4. Easy project switching - Quick tear down and setup
  5. Team onboarding - New developers can start immediately

Conclusion

Using Makefiles for local development database operations has been a game-changer for my workflow. Instead of memorizing complex Docker and migration commands, I just run simple make commands and get my development environment ready instantly.

If you're tired of slow local development setup and want to start coding faster, give this approach a try. Start with basic commands like the ones I shared, and you'll quickly see how much time it saves in your daily development routine.

Quick Reference 

make postgres      # Start PostgreSQL container
make remove-postgres # Stop and remove container
make createdb      # Create database
make dropdb        # Delete database
make migrateup     # Run migrations
make migratedown   # Rollback migrations
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