Comparison of mise vs. asdf for JavaScript project environment management

Introduction

• Mise: A tool that simplifies environment management for polyglot development.
• Asdf: Another tool for managing different tool versions when working with various programming languages and frameworks.

Installation Process

Mise

• Install mise by running a command, no need to clone a git repository.
• After installation, run mise status to check the status.
• Use mise list to see the versions of tools installed.

Asdf

• Clone the asdf repository into your home directory.
• Restart your shell and run asdf to check if it's running.
• Install plugins for the desired tools (e.g., Node.js).
• Use asdf plugin-add nodejs to add the Node.js plugin.
• Install Node.js versions with commands like asdf install nodejs 23.1.0.

Handling Tool Versions

Asdf

• Creates a .tool-versions file to manage tool versions.
• Use asdf global nodejs 23.1.0 to set a global Node.js version.
• Use asdf local nodejs 22.0.0 for a specific directory.
• Different versions can be used in different sub-directories of a project.

Mise

• Leverages similar mechanism as asdf for handling tool versions.
• No concept of plugins in mise, simplifying the process of installing specific tool versions.

Conclusion

• Both mise and asdf are helpful tools for managing tool versions in polyglot development environments.
• Mise simplifies the installation process and eliminates the need for plugins, while asdf offers more granular control over versions in different directories.