# DevShell

> A Nix-based development shell that provides all tools needed to work with the Panfactum framework.

A *DevShell* (development shell) is a reproducible, isolated shell environment built using Nix flakes
that automatically provides all the tooling required to work with the Panfactum framework.

Key properties:

- **Automatic activation**: Activated automatically via `direnv` when you navigate into the repository
- **Isolated**: Installed in a separate directory and does not interfere with system-level tooling
- **Versioned**: Tools are pinned to specific versions that are tested to work with your live infrastructure
- **Configurable**: Defined in a `flake.nix` file at the repository root; custom tools can be added
- **First-run build time**: Takes several minutes on initial setup as Nix downloads and builds packages

The Panfactum DevShell includes CLI tools like `kubectl`, `tofu`, `aws`, `helm`,
and all other utilities needed for infrastructure management. Organizations can extend the base
DevShell to include their own tooling.