New Project

The fastest way to start a DevRail-compliant project is to create a repository from one of the official templates. All DevRail configuration files are included and pre-configured.

From GitHub Template

Step 1: Create the Repository

Navigate to the DevRail GitHub template and click “Use this template” to create a new repository in your organization or personal account.

Alternatively, use the GitHub CLI:

# Create a new repository from the DevRail GitHub template
gh repo create my-new-project --template devrail-dev/github-repo-template --public
cd my-new-project

Step 2: Configure Your Languages

Edit .devrail.yml to declare which languages your project uses. The Makefile reads this file to determine which tools to run.

# .devrail.yml -- declare your project's languages
languages:
  - python
  - bash

fail_fast: false
log_format: json

Supported languages: python, bash, terraform, ansible. List only the languages your project actually uses.

Step 3: Install Pre-Commit Hooks

# Install git hooks for local enforcement
make install-hooks

This sets up pre-commit hooks that run formatting checks and secret detection on every commit.

Step 4: Run Your First Check

# Run all DevRail checks
make check

The first run pulls the dev-toolchain Docker image (~1 GB). Subsequent runs use the cached image and complete in under 5 minutes.

Step 5: Make Your First Commit

# Stage all files
git add .

# Commit using conventional commit format
git commit -m "feat: initialize project with DevRail standards"

The pre-commit hooks run automatically. If any check fails, fix the issue and commit again.

From GitLab Template

Step 1: Create the Project

In GitLab, navigate to New Project > Create from template > Custom and select the DevRail GitLab template. Enter your project name and create the project.

Alternatively, clone the template manually:

# Clone the DevRail GitLab template
git clone https://gitlab.com/devrail-dev/gitlab-repo-template.git my-new-project
cd my-new-project

# Reset git history for a clean start
rm -rf .git
git init
git add .
git commit -m "feat: initialize project with DevRail standards"

Step 2: Configure Your Languages

Edit .devrail.yml just as described in the GitHub workflow above. The configuration file format is identical across platforms.

Step 3: Install Pre-Commit Hooks and Verify

# Install git hooks
make install-hooks

# Run all DevRail checks
make check

What Is Included in the Template

Both templates ship with the following files:

Next Steps

• View Standards Reference to understand which tools run for your declared languages
• Learn About the Container to understand how the dev-toolchain image works
• Customize Templates for advanced configuration