Chocolatey Devbox Package Repository

Packages in this repository are public tools, well known to everybody. We are using these packages for internal purposes in FirstBeatMedia Devbox development environment.

After researching other package managers like Npackd, CoApp or 0install, we decided to use Chocolatey as an application manager for Windows.

Install Chocolatey package manager

Chocolatey is installed with a simple copy-paste procedure from their home page. It's installed in C:\Chocolatey directory, by default. The reasoning for that is explained here, but just remember that the folder name must not contain spaces.

I decided to use more appropriate subdirectory - I want it to be installed in C:\Tools\Choco and later we will install all the Linux- like applications in sub-folders under C:\Tools.

To force that installation directory, we must set an environment variable ChocolateyInstall, so this is our complete copy-paste installation sequence:

:: Set user's permanent environment variables
set ChocolateyInstall="%SystemDrive%\Tools\Choco"
setx ChocolateyInstall "%ChocolateyInstall%"

:: Create that directory
mkdir "%ChocolateyInstall%"

:: Install Chocolatey
@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('http://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%ChocolateyInstall%\bin

Note that modifying environment variables can take a while, so please be patient. Chocolatey should automatically and permanently set %ChocolateyInstall% environment variable.

Basic package manipulation

Command examples are shown for package named Devbox-Vagrant.

Installing packages

cinst Devbox-Vagrant

Search for a package

Lists packages available from a remote source, containing word-phrase.

clist vagrant

Information about a package

cver Devbox-Vagrant

Uninstall a package

cuninst Devbox-Vagrant

List installed packages

cver all -localonly

or even shorter:

cver all -lo

Install Devbox stack

:: We assume that Choco is already installed

cinst Devbox-Common.extension
cinst Devbox-Common
cinst Devbox-VirtualBox
cinst Devbox-Vagrant

:: Vagrant will probably restart system without question.
:: If not, restart command shell or type 'setenv'

Install Devbox optional components

:: Tools
cinst Devbox-Wget
cinst Devbox-UnZip
cinst Devbox-Sed
cinst Devbox-RapidEE
cinst Devbox-Nano

:: Console improvements
cinst Devbox-VCRedist2010
cinst Devbox-Clink
cinst Devbox-ConEmu

:: Git
cinst Devbox-Notepad2
cinst Devbox-P4Merge
cinst Devbox-Git
cinst Devbox-GitFlow
cinst Devbox-GitSettings

Conclusion

Chicolatey could become very usable package manager for Windows.