Features

Features

Comparison to Other Tools

Other configuration management utilities exist such as Ansible, but they are designed for remote deployment and maintenance from a master device to many nodes.

Tools such as Ansible are designed for remote deployment and maintenance from a master device to many nodes. Programs such as GNU Stow synchronize dotfiles well but don't allow for custom changes between different devices. Additionally, the use of symlinks is not ideal for files that get changed automatically, such as program configuration settings

Unique Features

• Each device is a peer - no master/node relationship
• No background changes - a diff is shown when backing up or restoring files; no symlinks
• Works with Git for version control
• Add files to sync from the command line or with YAML
• Copies local files to filename.filetailor_backup before restoring for easy undos
• No need to edit a master copy - all edits can be done on the active local file, even edits for other devices
• Sync between devices can be done by any file transfer tool (Nextcloud, Dropbox, SSH, flash drives...)
• Variables can be defined to replace text when restoring a file to a specific device
• Line-specific controls to comment out or uncomment lines for specified devices
• Ability to execute custom scripts before/after backing up or restoring files
• Purely YAML configuration and simple comment tags
• Devices are defined by hostname, eliminating complicated inventories/hosts (but also no remote deployment)
• Self-install the necessary configuration files and folders
• Cross-platform: Linux, Windows (need testers for Mac)