aliasx

Safe, modular shell aliases for bash and zsh on Linux and macOS. 502 aliases and functions in 25 modules.

Install

git clone https://github.com/bakhod1r/aliasx ~/.aliasx
~/.aliasx/install.sh

install.sh adds one line to ~/.bashrc and ~/.zshrc. Running it again changes nothing. Open a new shell.

oh-my-zsh: clone into $ZSH_CUSTOM/plugins/aliasx and add aliasx to plugins=(...).

Profiles

export ALIASX_PROFILE=backend     # devops, sysadmin, minimal; combine: "backend devops"
aliasx profiles                   # what each profile loads

Your own aliases

aliasx add deploy './scripts/deploy.sh --prod' "deploy to production"
aliasx mine
aliasx rm deploy

Saved in ~/.aliasx.local.sh, loaded last, with hints and search like built-in ones.

Configure

export ALIASX_DISABLE="docker k8s"      # skip default modules
export ALIASX_ENABLE="modern dangerous"  # load opt-in modules

Set these before the aliasx line in your rc file.

Inspect

aliasx modules          # list modules
aliasx list git         # aliases in one module
aliasx check gs k tf    # is a name taken?
aliasx conflicts        # names that hide programs or clash with your rc files
aliasx doctor           # version, shell, profile, install state
aliasx update           # pull the latest version
aliasx why lni          # lni → ln -i · link, ask before overwriting

Hints

Type an aliasx name and press Space: zsh shows what it does under the prompt.

$ lni █
lni → ln -i · link, ask before overwriting

Don't know the name? Type a word like port and press Space: related commands are listed.

$ port █
related commands:
ports [PORT] · listening TCP ports, or who listens on PORT
freeport PORT · kill what listens on PORT after y/N
waitport HOST PORT [SEC] · wait until PORT accepts connections

Same in any shell: aliasx find port. Turn lists off with ALIASX_FIND=0.

bash 4+ prints the hint above the prompt. bash 3 (macOS default) has no live hook; use aliasx why.

Safe mode

aliasx mode safe     # rm lists targets and asks [Y/n]
aliasx mode normal   # plain rm
aliasx mode          # show current mode
export ALIASX_MODE=safe   # keep it on (put in rc before aliasx)

Rules

Tool modules load only when the tool is installed (has docker, has kubectl…).
Standard commands (cp, mv, rm, cat, top, ping) are never replaced by default. Safe variants get new names: cpi, mvi, rmi.
Destructive actions show what they will touch and ask first. Bulk deletes live in the opt-in dangerous module and need a typed phrase.
No implicit sudo outside package and power commands. No -y on upgrades.
One meaning per name: h is history, Helm uses hm; Rust uses cargo-*; pnpm uses pn*.

Modules

Module	Covers	Count
Core	Core: helpers, terminal and the aliasx command. Always loaded.	20
Hints	Hints: typing an aliasx name then Space shows what it does.	2
Completion	Tab completion for the aliasx command.	1
Navigation	Navigation and listing.	17
Files	Files: safe operations, search, disk, archives, history.	39
Git	Git and GitHub CLI.	58
Docker	Docker and Docker Compose.	30
Podman	Podman (pd*): same shape as the docker module.	21
Kubernetes	Kubernetes and Helm.	49
Infrastructure	Infrastructure as code: Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible.	21
DevOps	DevOps: retries, tunnels, certificates, DNS, cron, logs.	9
Sysadmin	Sysadmin: users, logins, services, disk hogs, kernel messages.	14
Network	Networking and HTTP.	11
System	System: processes, services, packages, macOS.	54
Development	Development: Node, Python (uv, poetry), PHP, Ruby, .NET, Go, Rust, Java, TLS.	57
Backend & API	Backend and API work: HTTP calls, timing, JWT, ports, keys, certs.	12
Databases	Databases: PostgreSQL (pg), MySQL (my), Redis (r*), MongoDB.	25
nginx	nginx: test, reload, logs. Config is always tested before reload/restart.	9
SSH & tmux	Remote work: ssh and tmux.	9
Utilities	Utilities: passwords, ids, time, encoding, quick checks.	13
.env files	.env files: insert or update KEY=VALUE without opening an editor.	4
Cloud	Cloud CLIs: read-only identity and listing only.	7
Modern tools	Modern CLI tools that add new names only (never replace standard commands).	6
Modern replacements opt-in	Opt-in: replace standard commands with modern tools.	9
Dangerous helpers opt-in	Opt-in: destructive helpers. Each one shows targets and asks for a phrase.	5

Uninstall

~/.aliasx/install.sh --uninstall