rbam - Rust Bash Alias Manager

A fast, simple CLI tool to manage your bash aliases, perfect for SSH shortcuts and frequently used commands.

Why rbam?

• 🚀 Fast - Written in Rust for blazing speed
• 🎯 Simple - Intuitive commands to add, list, and execute aliases
• 🔧 Practical - Built for developers who SSH into multiple servers
• 📝 Clean - Manages your .bash_aliases file automatically

Installation

From crates.io

cargo install rbam

From source

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rbam
cd rbam
cargo install --path .

Quick Start

# Add your first alias
rbam add
# Name: prod-server
# Command: ssh deploy@production.example.com

# List all aliases
rbam list

# List with full commands
rbam list --full

# Execute an alias
rbam exec prod-server

After adding aliases, reload your shell:

source ~/.bash_aliases

Usage

Add Alias

Interactive mode - prompts for name and command:

rbam add

Example session:

Name: cdn-staging
Command: ssh -p 2222 deploy@cdn.staging.example.com
✓ Added alias: cdn-staging

To use immediately, run:
  source ~/.bash_aliases

List Aliases

Show alias names only:

rbam list

Output:

cdn-staging
prod-server
db-backup

Show full details:

rbam list --full

Output:

alias cdn-staging='ssh -p 2222 deploy@cdn.staging.example.com'
alias prod-server='ssh deploy@production.example.com'
alias db-backup='ssh root@backup.example.com'

Execute Alias

Run a command from an alias without sourcing:

rbam exec cdn-staging

Useful for testing before sourcing your shell.

Common Use Cases

SSH Shortcuts

rbam add
# Name: prod
# Command: ssh deploy@prod.example.com

rbam add
# Name: staging
# Command: ssh deploy@staging.example.com -p 2222

Docker Commands

rbam add
# Name: dps
# Command: docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"

Git Shortcuts

rbam add
# Name: gst
# Command: git status -sb

Directory Navigation

rbam add
# Name: proj
# Command: cd ~/projects/myapp && ls

File Location

rbam manages your .bash_aliases file located at:

~/.bash_aliases

This file is automatically sourced by .bashrc on most systems.

Requirements

• Rust 1.70 or higher (for building from source)
• Bash shell
• Linux or macOS

Platform Support

• ✅ Linux
• ✅ macOS
• ⚠️ Windows (via Git Bash or WSL)

Configuration

rbam stores aliases in ~/.bash_aliases. No additional configuration needed.

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rbam
cd rbam

# Run tests
cargo test

# Build release
cargo build --release

# Binary will be at
./target/release/rbam

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone your fork: git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rbam
3. Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
4. Make changes and add tests
5. Run tests: cargo test
6. Format code: cargo fmt
7. Check with clippy: cargo clippy
8. Commit: git commit -m "Add my feature"
9. Push: git push origin feature/my-feature
10. Open a Pull Request

Roadmap

• Remove alias command
• Search/filter aliases
• Import/export aliases
• Shell completion (bash, zsh, fish)
• Edit alias interactively
• Backup and restore
• Windows PowerShell support

FAQ

Q: Where are my aliases stored? A: In ~/.bash_aliases in your home directory.

Q: How do I remove an alias? A: Currently, manually edit ~/.bash_aliases. Remove command coming soon!

Q: Do I need to restart my terminal? A: No, just run source ~/.bash_aliases to reload.

Q: Can I use this with zsh? A: Yes! Add source ~/.bash_aliases to your ~/.zshrc.

Q: What if I already have a .bash_aliases file? A: rbam appends to it, preserving existing aliases.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Author

Your Name - @yourhandle

Acknowledgments

• Built with Rust
• Inspired by the need for simpler SSH alias management

Star ⭐ this repo if you find it useful!