Tooling Integration

For users looking to integrate Mutagen with their development workflows, several higher-level options exist to automate the management of synchronization and forwarding sessions.

Docker Desktop Extension

For Docker Desktop users looking to enhance the performance of bind-mounted files, the Mutagen extension for Docker Desktop is likely the easiest option. This extension allows users to create synchronized caches of host filesystem locations inside the Docker Desktop VM and then automatically replace bind mounts with those caches.

Mutagen Compose

For Docker users with a Compose-based containerized development workflow, another way to use Mutagen is by integrating it with your Docker Compose workflow. Mutagen Compose is a full Compose implementation (built on Docker Compose) that uses x-mutagen attributes in your Compose YAML files to automatically start and stop synchronization and forwarding sessions that target your Compose volumes and networks. This allows you to replace bind mounts and exposed ports and enables you to run your project on a cloud-based Docker engine while still editing code and accessing your application locally.

Projects

If you’re not using Docker Desktop or Compose, or if you have more specific requirements, Mutagen also offers a more generic project mechanism that allows you to automate the creation and termination of synchronization and forwarding sessions.