[opensourcedex]

Shelve is a free, open source version control & collaboration project written in TypeScript and released under Apache-2.0. It has 456 GitHub stars, 40 forks and 17 open issues, and was last pushed 6 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #29 of 30 tracked projects in Version Control & Collaboration, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is Shelve?

Shelve is an open-source, Apache-2.0 licensed secrets and environment-variable manager for software teams, distributed as the @shelve/cli package for npm and offered as a hosted application at shelve.cloud, built to replace scattered .env files and manually copied keys with one centralized, encrypted vault.

What it is

Shelve lives in the Node.js and npm ecosystem and is written in TypeScript. Its repository is HugoRCD/shelve, its registry category is Developer Tools / Version Control & Collaboration, and its topics include cli, collaboration, developer-tools, env, environment-variables, github, secrets, secrets-management, security, and self-hosted. The project stores API keys, tokens, and variables in a central dashboard, organizes them across dev, staging, prod, and custom environments, and synchronizes them with GitHub through an official GitHub App. The stated vision extends past secrets management toward a unified developer workspace, with secrets as the cornerstone.

The concrete problem is the familiar mess of environment configuration: hand-edited .env files that drift between machines, keys pasted into chat threads, and secrets typed by hand into CI settings. Shelve replaces those manual steps with a single source of truth. Developers pull and push configuration from the terminal, inject secrets at runtime, and let the GitHub App keep GitHub Actions and repository secrets aligned with the vault. The project frames the pain it removes as security risk, collaboration friction, and time lost to manual processes.

Key capabilities

  • Centralized vault that stores API keys, tokens, and variables in one organized dashboard.
  • Secrets hashed with SHA-256 and encrypted with AES-256 at rest.
  • Environment parity across dev, staging, prod, and custom environments.
  • Command-line workflow through @shelve/cli, including shelve pull, shelve push, and runtime injection with shelve run.
  • GitHub Sync through the official GitHub App, targeting GitHub Actions and repository secrets.
  • Team workspaces with role-based access control for Owner, Admin, and Member roles.
  • Built-in Vault for time-limited secure sharing, plus a Cmd+K command palette, zero-config project detection, and secret validation and formatting.

Who uses it and how

  • Teams that share configuration across dev, staging, and prod environments use workspaces and role-based permissions to keep every member on the correct values.
  • Projects hosted on GitHub use the official GitHub App so that Actions workflows and repository secrets stay in step with the vault without manual re-entry.
  • Individual developers use the CLI to pull secrets locally and inject them at runtime with shelve run instead of maintaining a local .env file.
  • Organizations that cannot rely on a hosted service can deploy it themselves; self-hosted is a listed topic and self-hosting appears as a documentation section.

Getting started

Install the @shelve/cli package from npm, or use the hosted application at shelve.cloud. Setup instructions are published at shelve.cloud/docs/getting-started, and the project documents a self-hosting path.

How it compares

No comparable or competing products are named in the material provided, so Shelve stands alone in this registry as its sole secrets and environment management entry. The only third-party platforms mentioned are Vercel and Netlify, and they appear as planned deeper integration targets rather than as alternatives, so no like-for-like comparison can honestly be drawn from the facts at hand.

When to use it — and when not to

Shelve suits teams that already treat GitHub as their delivery path and want one encrypted place for environment values instead of per-machine .env files. A self-hoster must operate the deployment themselves, and the supplied material lists a self-hosting section without describing the database, storage, or mail services that deployment requires, so those requirements should be checked in the docs first. The roadmap names v2.5.0 with a Q4 2025 target while the last recorded push is 2026-09-03, meaning that stated target has passed; the Why Shelve?, Tech Stack, and Self-Hosting entries appear in the table of contents without accompanying body text, and API access is flagged as "if applicable". Teams that need fully documented deployment specifics or a firm released-feature guarantee should confirm current state before adopting.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Shelve

Open-Source Secrets Management, Simplified.

npm version npm downloads license

Centralize, secure, and sync your environment variables & secrets effortlessly. Built with exceptional Developer Experience (DX), aiming to become your unified development workspace.

Website • Documentation

📑 Table of Contents

Click to expand

📋 Overview

Shelve provides the secure foundation for effortless secrets management. Stop juggling .env files and scattered keys. Bring clarity, security, and synchronization to your application configurations.

Shelve tackles the common frustrations of managing environment variables and secrets in modern development: the security risks, the collaboration friction, and the time wasted on manual processes. We provide a centralized, secure, and intuitive platform designed from the ground up with developer experience as the priority.

🎯 The Vision

While Shelve excels at secrets management today, our vision extends further. We are building towards a unified developer workspace – a central hub designed to streamline critical development workflows, eliminate friction, and integrate seamlessly with the tools you already use. Secrets management is the cornerstone, but the goal is broader productivity and flow.

🗺️ Status & Roadmap

🏗️ Current Status Active Development & Production Ready
📅 Next Release v2.5.0 (Target: Q4 2025)
Upcoming Focus
  • 🔄 Multi-Repo Config Sync: Manage configuration files (dotfiles, CI templates) across multiple repositories.
  • 🔌 Enhanced Integrations: Deeper connections with platforms like Vercel, Netlify, etc.
  • ⚡️ Workflow Automation: Streamlining project setup and deployment processes.

✨ Key Features

🔒 Secure Secrets Management

  • Centralized Vault: Securely store API keys, tokens, variables in one organized dashboard.
  • Encryption: Secrets hashed (SHA-256) and encrypted (AES-256) at rest.
  • Environment Parity: Easily manage configurations across dev, staging, prod, and custom environments.
  • Secure Sharing: Built-in Vault for time-limited, secure secret sharing.
  • Validation & Formatting: Ensure consistency and prevent errors.

💻 Developer Experience (DX)

  • Command Palette (Cmd+K): Instantly search, navigate, and execute actions.
  • Powerful CLI (@shelve/cli): Fetch, push, and inject secrets (shelve run) directly from your terminal.
  • Intuitive UI: Clean, modern, and efficient interface built with Nuxt UI.
  • Zero Config: Automatic project detection and sensible defaults.

🔄 Sync & Integrations

  • GitHub Sync: Automatically sync secrets with GitHub Actions & Repository secrets via the official GitHub App.
  • CLI Sync: shelve pull and shelve push for seamless terminal workflows.
  • API Access: (If applicable) Programmatic access for custom integrations.

👥 Team Collaboration

  • Workspaces: Organize projects and secrets for teams.
  • Role-Based Access Control: Simple and effective permissions (Owner, Admin, Member).
  • Seamless Sync: Ensure everyone has the right configuration at the right time.

🤔 Why Shelve?

  • Effortless & Secure: Provides a robust, reliable foundation for managing your most sensitive configurations without the usual complexity.
  • Exceptional DX: Designed by developers, for developers, focusing on speed, intuition, and reducing friction (CLI, Cmd+K, clean UI).
  • Open Source & Accessible: Completely free to use, transparent development, and driven by the community. No feature paywalls for core functionality.
  • Flexible & Integrated: Offers seamless GitHub integration, a powerful CLI, and self-hosting options (Docker, Coolify) for full control.

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Framework: Nuxt
  • UI: Nuxt UI, Tailwind CSS
  • Server: Nitro
  • Database: PostgreSQL, DrizzleORM
  • Monorepo: Turborepo
  • Deployment: Vercel
  • Mailer: Resend
  • Validation: Zod
  • CI/CD: GitHub Actions

🤝 Contributing

We thrive on community contributions! Whether it's code, documentation, bug reports, or feature ideas, we welcome your help. Please see our Contributing Guide to get started.

📚 Documentation

Full Documentation

For comprehensive guides, API references, and setup instructions, visit the Shelve Documentation.

Self-Hosting

Want full control? Deploy Shelve on your own Vercel account using Vercel.

💬 Community & Support

  • Issues & Feature Requests: GitHub Issues (Best for bugs & feature tracking)
  • Questions & Discussion: (Consider adding GitHub Discussions if enabled, or Discord/Slack if you have one)
  • Direct Contact: [email protected]

📄 License & Credits

Published under the APACHE-2.0 license.

Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to all contributors, sponsors, and the incredible open-source community that makes projects like Shelve possible.

Sponsors

HugoRCD sponsors

Made with 💛 by @HugoRCD and community.

🤖 auto updated with automd (last updated: Sat Apr 12 2025)

Frequently asked questions

Is Shelve free to use?

Shelve is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does Shelve do?

Simplify project management for developers

What is Shelve written in?

Shelve is primarily written in TypeScript. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/hugorcd/shelve, and it has 456 GitHub stars.