BoxLang Version Manager (BVM)

BVM is a simple version manager for BoxLang, similar to jenv or nvm. It allows you to easily install, manage, and switch between different versions of BoxLang.

BoxLang Version Manager

BVM is a simple version manager for BoxLang, similar to jenv or nvm. It allows you to easily install, manage, and switch between different versions of BoxLang.

BVM vs Single-Version Installer

Choose BVM if you:

• 🔄 Work on multiple projects that might need different BoxLang versions

• 🧪 Want to test your code against different BoxLang releases

• 🚀 Need to switch between stable and snapshot versions

• 📦 Want centralized management of BoxLang installations

• 🛠️ Are a BoxLang developer or advanced user

Choose the single-version installer (install-boxlang.sh) if you:

• 📌 Only need one BoxLang version system-wide

• 🎯 Want the simplest possible installation

• 🏢 Are setting up production servers with a specific BoxLang version

• ⚡ Want the fastest installation with minimal overhead

Both installers provide identical functionality:

• ✅ Same BoxLang runtime and MiniServer

• ✅ Same helper scripts (install-bx-module, install-bx-site, etc.)

• ✅ Same command-line tools (boxlang, bx, boxlang-miniserver, etc.)

• ✅ Same installation quality and reliability

The only difference is that BVM adds version management capabilities on top.

Features

• 📦 Install complete BoxLang environment - runtime, MiniServer, and helper scripts

• 🔄 Switch between versions easily - change your active BoxLang version with one command

• 📋 List installed versions - see what's installed locally with bvm list or bvm ls

• 🌐 List remote versions - see what's available for download with bvm list-remote or bvm ls-remote

• 🗑️ Clean uninstall - remove versions you no longer need with bvm uninstall, bvm remove, or bvm rm

• 🔍 Health check - verify your BVM installation with bvm doctor or bvm health

• 🧹 Cache management - clean up downloaded files with bvm clean

• 🚀 Execute BoxLang components - run BoxLang, MiniServer through BVM with version management

• 🔗 Seamless integration - wrapper scripts make all tools available in PATH

• ⚡ Command aliases - convenient short aliases for all major commands

• 🛠️ Helper script integration - all BoxLang helper scripts work with active version

Quick Start

Installation

# Install BVM
curl -fsSL https://install-bvm.boxlang.io/ | bash

# Or download and run locally
wget --content-disposition https://install-bvm.boxlang.io/
chmod +x install-bvm.sh
./install-bvm.sh

Basic Usage

# Install the latest stable BoxLang version
bvm install latest

# Switch to the latest version
bvm use latest

# Check current version
bvm current

# List installed versions
bvm list

# Run BoxLang
bvm exec --version

# Get help
bvm help
# or use aliases
bvm --help
bvm -h

Commands

Version Management

• bvm install <version> - Install a specific BoxLang version

  • bvm install latest - Install latest stable release

  • bvm install snapshot - Install latest development snapshot

  • bvm install 1.2.0 - Install specific version

• bvm use <version> - Switch to a specific BoxLang version

• bvm current - Show currently active BoxLang version

• bvm uninstall <version> - Uninstall a specific BoxLang version

  • Aliases: bvm remove <version>, bvm rm <version>

Information

• bvm list - List all installed BoxLang versions

  • Alias: bvm ls

• bvm list-remote - List available BoxLang versions for download

  • Alias: bvm ls-remote

• bvm which - Show path to current BoxLang installation

• bvm version - Show BVM version

  • Aliases: bvm --version, bvm -v

Execution

• bvm exec <args> - Execute BoxLang with current version

  • Alias: bvm run <args>

• bvm miniserver <args> - Start BoxLang MiniServer with current version

  • Aliases: bvm mini-server <args>, bvm ms <args>

Maintenance

• bvm clean - Clean cache and temporary files

• bvm doctor - Check BVM installation health

  • Alias: bvm health

• bvm help - Show help message

  • Aliases: bvm --help, bvm -h

What BVM Installs

When you install a BoxLang version with BVM, it downloads and sets up:

Core Components

• BoxLang Runtime (boxlang, bx) - The main BoxLang interpreter

• BoxLang MiniServer (boxlang-miniserver, bx-miniserver) - Web application server

Helper Scripts

• install-bx-module - BoxLang module installer (available in PATH after installation)

• install-bx-site - BoxLang site installer (available in PATH after installation)

• Other utility scripts - Various helper tools

Integration

• Wrapper scripts - BVM creates wrapper scripts so you can use boxlang, bx, boxlang-miniserver, etc. directly

• Version management - All tools automatically use the currently active BoxLang version

• Helper script integration - All helper scripts work with the currently active BoxLang version

Examples

# Install and use the latest BoxLang
bvm install latest
bvm use latest

# Install a specific version
bvm install 1.2.0
bvm use 1.2.0

# See what's installed
bvm list
# or use the short alias
bvm ls

# Check what versions are available
bvm list-remote
# or use the short alias
bvm ls-remote

# Run BoxLang REPL
bvm exec
# or use the direct command (after installation)
boxlang

# Run BoxLang MiniServer
bvm miniserver
# or use the direct command
boxlang-miniserver --port 8080

# Install a BoxLang module (using helper script)
install-bx-module bx-orm

# Install a BoxLang site template (using helper script)
install-bx-site mysite

# Run a BoxLang script
bvm exec myscript.bx

# Get BoxLang version
bvm exec --version

# Check BVM health
bvm doctor

# Clean up cache
bvm clean

Migrating from Single-Version Installer to BVM

If you currently have BoxLang installed via install-boxlang.sh and want to switch to BVM for version management:

1. Uninstall Current BoxLang (Recommended)

# Remove system-wide installation
sudo install-boxlang.sh --uninstall

# Or remove user installation
install-boxlang.sh --uninstall

2. Install BVM

curl -fsSL https://boxlang.io/install-bvm.sh | bash

3. Install Your Preferred BoxLang Version

# Install the same version you had before
bvm install latest  # or specific version like 1.2.0
bvm use latest

4. Verify Everything Works

bvm doctor
boxlang --version

Note: Your BoxLang home directory (~/.boxlang) with modules, settings, and data will be preserved during migration.

Prerequisites

• curl - For downloading BoxLang releases

• unzip - For extracting archives

• jq - For parsing JSON (optional, fallback available)

• Java 21+ - Required to run BoxLang

Installing Prerequisites

macOS (with Homebrew):

brew install curl unzip jq

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl unzip jq

RHEL/CentOS/Fedora:

sudo dnf install curl unzip jq

Integration with Shell

BVM automatically adds itself and the current BoxLang version to your PATH. After installation, restart your terminal or run:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, etc.

Troubleshooting

BVM not found after installation

• Restart your terminal

• Check that ~/.bvm/bin is in your PATH

• Run source ~/.bashrc (or your shell's profile file)

BoxLang not found after switching versions

• Run bvm doctor to check installation health

• Verify the version exists with bvm list

• Try bvm use <version> again

Download failures

• Check your internet connection

• Verify the version exists with bvm list-remote

• Try clearing cache with bvm clean

Health check

bvm doctor

This will check your BVM installation and identify any issues.

Contributing

BVM is part of the BoxLang Quick Installer project. To contribute:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Test thoroughly

5. Submit a pull request

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• 🌐 Website: https://boxlang.io

• 📖 Documentation: https://boxlang.io/docs

• 💾 GitHub: https://github.com/ortus-boxlang/boxlang

• 💬 Community: https://boxlang.io/community

• 🧑‍💻 Try: https://try.boxlang.io

• 🫶 Professional Support: https://boxlang.io/plans