Onyx
A next-generation version control system designed as a superior user experience layer on top of Git.
Overview
Onyx provides transparent versioning, workstreams for stacked-diff management, and an action log for universal undo functionality. The project is written in Go and uses the go-git library for Git interaction.
Features
- 100% Git Data Model Compatibility: Uses standard .git directory for shared truth
- Transparent Versioning: Background daemon creates continuous snapshots
- Workstreams: Stacked-diff workflow management
- Action Log: Transactional undo/redo capability
- Hybrid Storage: .git for Git objects, .onx for Onyx-specific metadata
Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Go 1.24.2 or later
- Git 2.30.0 or later
Installation
# Clone the repository
git clone https://git.dws.rip/DWS/onyx.git
cd onyx
# Install dependencies
go mod tidy
# Build the CLI and daemon
make build
# Install to PATH
make install
Usage
# Initialize repository
onx init
# Create workstream
onx new feature-branch
# Save work
onx save -m "Add new feature"
# List workstreams
onx list
# Switch workstreams
onx switch main
# Sync with remote
onx sync
# Push workstream
onx push
# Undo last operation
onx undo
Push Workflows: Single-Branch vs Stacked Diffs
Onyx supports two push workflows to match your team's needs:
Single-Branch Mode (Default) - Recommended
Perfect for: Traditional teams, simple features, clean remote UI
onx new add-login --base main
onx save -m "Add login form"
onx save -m "Add validation"
onx save -m "Add tests"
# Push creates ONE branch with all commits
onx push
# Result on remote:
# - Branch: add-login (contains all 3 commits)
# - Clean UI, easy PR workflow
What you get:
- ✅ One clean branch per workstream
- ✅ Perfect for traditional PR workflows
- ✅ All commits preserved locally for undo
- ✅ Clean remote repository UI
Stacked Diffs Mode - Advanced
Perfect for: Complex features, incremental review, Meta/Google-style workflows
onx new big-refactor --base main
onx save -m "Step 1: Database schema"
onx save -m "Step 2: API endpoints"
onx save -m "Step 3: Frontend UI"
# Push creates MULTIPLE branches (one per commit)
onx push --stacked
# Result on remote:
# - Branch: onyx/workstreams/big-refactor/commit-1
# - Branch: onyx/workstreams/big-refactor/commit-2
# - Branch: onyx/workstreams/big-refactor/commit-3
# - Each can have its own PR for focused review
What you get:
- ✅ One branch per commit for incremental review
- ✅ PRs can be merged independently
- ✅ Better for large, complex changes
- ⚠️ More branches in remote UI
Choosing Your Workflow
Criterion | Single-Branch (onx push ) |
Stacked Diffs (onx push --stacked ) |
---|---|---|
Team Style | Traditional Git workflow | Meta/Google stacked review |
Feature Size | Any size | Large, complex features |
Review Style | One big PR | Multiple small PRs |
Remote UI | Clean (1 branch) | More branches (N commits) |
PR Creation | gh pr create --head feature |
Multiple PRs, stacked dependencies |
Recommendation: Start with default onx push
(single-branch). Use --stacked
only when you need incremental review of complex changes.
Development
Building
# Build the CLI and daemon
go build -o bin/onx ./cmd/onx
go build -o bin/onxd ./cmd/onxd
# Install to PATH
go install ./cmd/onx
go install ./cmd/onxd
Testing
# Run all tests
go test -v ./...
# Run tests with coverage
go test -cover ./...
# Run specific test package
go test -v ./internal/core
Linting and Code Quality
The project uses several tools to maintain code quality:
# Run linter
golangci-lint run
# Run security scanner
gosec ./...
# Run tests with race detection
go test -race ./...
CI/CD
This project uses Gitea Actions for continuous integration and deployment. The workflow includes:
CI Pipeline
- Test: Runs unit tests with race detection and coverage reporting
- Build: Cross-compiles binaries for multiple platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS)
- Security: Runs security scans using Gosec
- Lint: Performs comprehensive code linting with golangci-lint
- Release: Creates releases and uploads artifacts for main branch builds
Supported Platforms
- Linux (amd64, arm64)
- Windows (amd64)
- macOS (amd64, arm64)
Workflow Triggers
- Push to
main
ordevelop
branches - Pull requests to
main
branch
Architecture
Project Structure
onyx/
├── cmd/
│ ├── onx/ # CLI entry point
│ └── onxd/ # Daemon entry point
├── internal/
│ ├── core/ # Core abstractions
│ ├── git/ # Git interaction layer
│ ├── models/ # Data models
│ ├── storage/ # .onx directory management
│ ├── commands/ # CLI command implementations
│ ├── daemon/ # Daemon implementation
│ └── utils/ # Utilities
├── pkg/ # Public APIs
├── test/ # Integration tests
└── docs/ # Documentation
Core Components
- Repository: Central object encapsulating access to both Git repository and Onyx metadata
- Action Log: Append-only binary log storing state before/after each operation
- Workstreams: Manages stacked-diff workflows through .onx/workstreams.json
- Daemon: Background process for continuous snapshot creation
Contributing
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
onx new feature-name
) - Make your changes
- Run tests and linting (
make test lint
) - Commit your changes (
onx save -m "Add feature"
) - Push to your fork (
onx push
) - Create a pull request
License
[License information to be added]