Question 1

How do I install Orbit on Linux without root access?

Accepted Answer

Extract the binary to a user directory like ~/.local/bin using tar, then add it to your PATH in ~/.bashrc or similar. The README provides tar commands, but you can avoid sudo by not moving to /usr/local/bin.

Question 2

Orbit vs Make: which is better for cross-platform tasks?

Accepted Answer

Orbit excels at cross-platform consistency and template-based file generation with flexible data sources, while Make is stronger for dependency tracking and incremental builds. Choose Orbit if you need uniform behavior across OSes without shell script complexities.

Question 3

How can I use environment variables in Orbit templates?

Accepted Answer

Include .env files as a data source via the -p flag, e.g., -p "env,.env", then access variables in templates with {{ .Orbit.env.VAR_NAME }}. Alternatively, use raw data or integrate with shell environment variables by passing them as payloads.

Question 4

Does Orbit support parallel task execution?

Accepted Answer

No, Orbit runs tasks sequentially as defined in the run attribute of the YAML configuration. For parallelism, you would need to use external tools or structure tasks to call separate processes, as there's no built-in concurrency support.

Question 5

Can I integrate Orbit into a CI/CD pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Orbit is suitable for CI/CD due to its cross-platform nature; download the binary in your pipeline script and run tasks from orbit.yml. Ensure the binary is in PATH, and use payload files for environment-specific configurations.

Question 6

How to debug Orbit tasks when they fail?

Accepted Answer

Use the -d or --debug flag to set logging to debug level for detailed output. Also, verify command sequences in orbit.yml, check that all binaries are in PATH, and use the verbose flag (-v) for info-level logs during execution.

Question 7

What are Orbit's performance overheads compared to shell scripts?

Accepted Answer

Orbit has minimal overhead as a compiled Go binary, but for very simple tasks, native shell commands might be faster due to reduced process spawning. The trade-off is acceptable for cross-platform benefits and template capabilities in most automation scenarios.

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