direnv

direnv is an environment management tool that automatically “loads and unloads environment variables depending on the current directory” in your shell. While not Python-specific, direnv is particularly useful for Python development by helping manage project-specific environments and settings.

Core Functionality

• Automatically activates/deactivates environment variables when entering/leaving directories in your shell
• Loads environment variables from .envrc files

Python Integration

direnv has built-in support for Python virtual environments through:

• Automatic virtual environment activation
• Support for environment variables used by Python tools
• Handling of Python-specific path configurations

For example, .envrc for a Python project might look like:

# Activate virtual environment
layout python python3.11

# Set project-specific variables
export FLASK_ENV=development

Pros

• Seamless environment switching between projects
• Language-agnostic but Python-friendly

Cons

• Requires shell integration setup
• Learning curve for .envrc syntax
• Can conflict with other environment managers

Learn More

• direnv Documentation
• direnv GitHub Repository
• Python environment management with direnv