mvx vs mise: A Comparison

Both mvx and mise are excellent tools for managing development environments and tool versions. While they share similar goals, they take different approaches and excel in different scenarios.

Quick Comparison

Feature mvx mise
Installation Bootstrap scripts (no global install needed) Global installation required
Primary Focus Project-centric, zero-dependency bootstrap Universal tool version manager
Configuration JSON5/YAML in .mvx/ directory TOML in .mise.toml or .tool-versions
Language Go Rust
Maturity New (2025) Established (formerly rtx)
Plugin Ecosystem Built-in tools only Extensive plugin ecosystem
Shell Integration Full shell activation support Full shell activation support
Task Runner Built-in with mvx-shell Built-in task runner
Environment Variables Supported Supported with direnv replacement

Philosophy & Approach

mvx: Bootstrap-First, Project-Centric

mvx follows the Maven Wrapper philosophy: every project should be self-contained and require zero external dependencies to get started.

Key Principles:

  • Zero dependencies: Clone and run ./mvx setup - no prior installation needed
  • Project isolation: Each project has its own .mvx/ directory with configuration
  • Reproducibility: Bootstrap scripts ensure everyone gets the exact same environment
  • Simplicity: Focused feature set with sensible defaults

Best for:

  • Projects that need to work "out of the box" for new contributors
  • Teams that want guaranteed reproducibility across environments
  • CI/CD pipelines where you can't rely on pre-installed tools
  • Projects that need to work without internet access (after initial setup)

mise: Universal Tool Manager

mise is a comprehensive tool version manager that replaces asdf, nvm, pyenv, rbenv, and similar tools with a single unified solution.

Key Principles:

  • Universal: One tool to manage all language runtimes and tools
  • Extensible: Large plugin ecosystem for any tool imaginable
  • Shell integration: Automatic environment activation when changing directories
  • Feature-rich: Extensive configuration options and backends

Best for:

  • Developers who work across many projects and want unified tool management
  • Teams already using asdf who want better performance
  • Projects that need tools not built into mvx
  • Developers who want automatic shell activation

Feature Comparison

Tool Management

mvx:

{
  tools: {
    java: { version: "21", distribution: "temurin" },
    maven: { version: "4.0.0" },
    node: { version: "22" },
    go: { version: "1.24" },
    python: { version: "3.12" }
  }
}
  • Built-in support for Java, Maven, Node.js, Go, Python
  • Multiple Java distributions (Temurin, Zulu, GraalVM, etc.)
  • Project-specific virtual environments for Python
  • Tools cached in ~/.mvx/tools/

mise:

[tools]
java = "21"
maven = "4.0.0"
node = "22"
go = "1.24"
python = "3.12"
  • Hundreds of tools via plugins and backends
  • Support for asdf, cargo, npm, pipx, ubi, and more backends
  • Global and project-specific tool versions
  • Tools cached in ~/.local/share/mise/

Bootstrap & Installation

mvx:

# Install bootstrap scripts in your project
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gnodet/mvx/main/install-mvx.sh | bash

# Now anyone can clone and run
git clone your-project
cd your-project
./mvx setup  # Downloads mvx binary and installs tools
./mvx build  # Just works

Benefits:

  • No global installation required
  • Works offline after initial setup
  • Bootstrap scripts committed to repository
  • Guaranteed version consistency

mise:

# Install mise globally
curl https://mise.run | sh

# Activate in shell
echo 'eval "$(mise activate bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc

# Use in projects
cd your-project
mise install  # Installs tools from .mise.toml

Benefits:

  • One-time global installation
  • Automatic shell activation
  • Works across all projects
  • Faster for developers working on many projects

Cross-Platform Scripts

mvx includes a built-in cross-platform shell interpreter (mvx-shell):

{
  commands: {
    "setup-dev": {
      description: "Setup development environment",
      script: "mkdir -p logs temp && copy .env.example .env",
      interpreter: "mvx-shell"  // Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
    }
  }
}

Built-in commands: cd, mkdir, copy, rm, echo, open Benefits: Write once, run anywhere without platform-specific scripts

mise uses native shell scripts with platform detection:

[tasks.setup-dev]
run = """
mkdir -p logs temp
cp .env.example .env
"""

Benefits: Full shell power, but may need platform-specific handling

Task Running

mvx:

{
  commands: {
    build: {
      description: "Build the project",
      script: "mvn clean install",
      pre: { script: "echo Starting build..." },
      post: { script: "echo Build complete!" }
    }
  }
}

mise:

[tasks.build]
description = "Build the project"
run = "mvn clean install"
depends = ["clean"]

Both support:

  • Custom task definitions
  • Task dependencies
  • Environment variables per task
  • Multi-step commands

Environment Variables

mvx:

{
  environment: {
    JAVA_OPTS: "-Xmx2g",
    APP_ENV: "development"
  },
  commands: {
    test: {
      environment: {
        TEST_MODE: "integration"
      }
    }
  }
}

mise:

[env]
JAVA_OPTS = "-Xmx2g"
APP_ENV = "development"

[tasks.test.env]
TEST_MODE = "integration"

Both support global and command-specific environment variables.

CI/CD Integration

mvx:

# GitHub Actions
- name: Build with mvx
  run: |
    ./mvx setup
    ./mvx build

Benefits:

  • No installation step needed
  • Bootstrap handles everything
  • Can use system tools with MVX_USE_SYSTEM_* flags

mise:

# GitHub Actions
- uses: jdx/mise-action@v2
- run: mise install
- run: mise run build

Benefits:

  • Dedicated GitHub Action
  • Faster with caching
  • Well-established CI patterns

Unique Features

mvx Unique Features

  1. Zero-Dependency Bootstrap

    • No global installation required
    • Bootstrap scripts committed to repository
    • Works immediately after git clone

  2. mvx-shell Cross-Platform Interpreter

    • Write scripts that work on Windows, macOS, and Linux
    • No need for platform-specific script variants
    • Built-in commands for common operations

  3. Project Isolation by Default

    • Each project has its own .mvx/ directory
    • Configuration and cache are project-specific
    • No global state to manage

  4. Maven Ecosystem Integration

    • Seamless Maven and Maven Daemon support
    • Natural Maven flag passing
    • Built for Java/Maven projects

mise Unique Features

  1. Extensive Plugin Ecosystem

    • Hundreds of tools available
    • Multiple backends (asdf, cargo, npm, pipx, ubi, etc.)
    • Community-contributed plugins

  2. Shell Activation

    • Automatic environment setup when entering directories
    • Replaces direnv for environment management
    • Seamless shell integration

  3. Advanced Configuration

    • Multiple configuration file formats
    • Configuration inheritance
    • Profile-based configurations

  4. Mature Ecosystem

    • Large community
    • Extensive documentation
    • Battle-tested in production

When to Choose mvx

Choose mvx if you:

  • ✅ Want zero-dependency project setup (no global tools required)
  • ✅ Need guaranteed reproducibility across all environments
  • ✅ Prefer project-centric tool management
  • ✅ Want cross-platform scripts without platform-specific variants
  • ✅ Work primarily with Java/Maven projects
  • ✅ Need to work offline after initial setup
  • ✅ Want simple, focused tool with minimal configuration
  • ✅ Value bootstrap-first approach like Maven Wrapper

When to Choose mise

Choose mise if you:

  • ✅ Want a universal tool manager for all your projects
  • ✅ Need automatic shell activation when changing directories
  • ✅ Require extensive plugin ecosystem for specialized tools
  • ✅ Want to replace asdf with better performance
  • ✅ Need advanced configuration options and flexibility
  • ✅ Prefer global tool management across projects
  • ✅ Want mature, battle-tested solution
  • ✅ Need direnv replacement functionality

Can You Use Both?

Yes! mvx and mise can complement each other:

Scenario 1: mise for personal setup, mvx for project distribution

  • Use mise on your development machine for shell activation
  • Use mvx in your project for contributor onboarding
  • Contributors without mise can still use ./mvx setup

Scenario 2: Different projects, different tools

  • Use mvx for Java/Maven projects that need zero-dependency setup
  • Use mise for other projects that benefit from shell activation
  • Both tools coexist peacefully

Migration

From mise to mvx

If you're using mise and want to try mvx for a specific project:

# Install mvx bootstrap
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gnodet/mvx/main/install-mvx.sh | bash

# Initialize mvx configuration
./mvx init

# Add your tools (mvx will help you configure them)
./mvx tools add java 21
./mvx tools add maven 4.0.0
./mvx tools add node 22

# Test it
./mvx setup
./mvx build

You can keep using mise globally while using mvx for this specific project.

From mvx to mise

If you want to switch from mvx to mise:

# Install mise
curl https://mise.run | sh

# Create .mise.toml from your .mvx/config.json5
# (Manual conversion needed - see mise documentation)

# Install tools
mise install

# Activate shell integration
eval "$(mise activate bash)"

Conclusion

Both mvx and mise are excellent tools with different strengths:

  • mvx excels at project-centric, zero-dependency bootstrapping with a focus on simplicity and reproducibility
  • mise excels as a universal tool manager with extensive plugins and shell integration

The best choice depends on your specific needs:

  • For project distribution and guaranteed reproducibility: mvx
  • For personal development and universal tool management: mise
  • For both: Use them together!

Learn More

Have questions about which tool is right for you? Open a discussion and we'll help you decide!