Motivation

Managing command-line tools across different environments and operating systems can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex dependencies and system-specific package managers. Developers often struggle with version conflicts, system dependencies, and cross-platform compatibility.

Tools that require specific environments or dependencies can be problematic to install and maintain:

# Traditional approach with potential issues
$ brew install ffmpeg # May not work on Linux
$ apt install wget    # Different package names on different systems

This example shows how installing tools directly on the system can lead to dependency conflicts and platform-specific issues.

What Is Docker?

Docker is a platform that enables developers to package applications and their dependencies into standardized units called containers. Think of a container as a lightweight, standalone package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software:

├── Docker Image
│   ├── Application Code
│   ├── Runtime Environment (e.g., Python, Node.js)
│   ├── System Libraries
│   └── Configuration Files
└── Container (Running instance of an image)

Introduction to Whalebrew

Whalebrew is a package manager that leverages Docker images to install command-line tools. It creates command aliases that run tools inside containers, providing isolation and cross-platform compatibility.

Installation:

# On macOS/Linux with Homebrew
$ brew install whalebrew

# Or direct download
$ curl -L "https://github.com/whalebrew/whalebrew/releases/download/0.5.0/whalebrew-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/whalebrew
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/whalebrew

Installing and Using Docker-Based Tools

Whalebrew simplifies tool installation by:

• Installing Docker images as native commands
• Handling volume mounting for file access
• Managing environment variables and configurations

Example usage:

# Install a tool
$ whalebrew install whalebrew/wget

# Use the installed tool
$ wget https://example.com/file.txt

Let’s see a more complex example with environment variables and volume mounting:

# Install AWS CLI
$ whalebrew install whalebrew/awscli

# Use AWS CLI with credentials
$ aws s3 ls

The AWS CLI container automatically gets access to:

• AWS credentials from ~/.aws
• Current working directory
• Necessary environment variables

Finding Available Packages

Whalebrew provides a simple search interface to discover available packages:

# Search all available packages
$ whalebrew search
whalebrew/ack
whalebrew/awscli
whalebrew/docker-cloud
whalebrew/ffmpeg
whalebrew/gnupg
...
​
# Search for specific package
$ whalebrew search wget
whalebrew/wget

Listing Installed Packages

Keep track of your installed packages using the list command:

$ whalebrew list
COMMAND     IMAGE
ffmpeg      bfirsh/ffmpeg
wget        whalebrew/wget
awscli      whalebrew/awscli
whalesay    whalebrew/whalesay

Upgrading Packages

Whalebrew packages can be upgraded by pulling the latest version of their Docker images:

# Upgrade a single package
$ docker pull whalebrew/wget
​
# Upgrade multiple packages
$ docker pull whalebrew/awscli
$ docker pull whalebrew/ffmpeg
​
# Verify the upgrade
$ whalebrew list

Uninstalling Packages

Remove packages you no longer need:

# Uninstall a single package
$ whalebrew uninstall wget
​
# Verify removal
$ whalebrew list
​
# The command is no longer available
$ wget
-bash: wget: command not found

Conclusion

Whalebrew provides a powerful solution for managing command-line tools using Docker containers, offering isolation, cross-platform compatibility, and simplified dependency management. It’s particularly useful for teams working across different operating systems or requiring consistent tool environments.

Link to Whalebrew