๐ฏ Introduction#
As a developer or IT professional on Windows, you’ve probably experienced this frustration: installing a new tool requires administrator rights, pollutes the Windows registry, or worse, installs unwanted bloatware. Scoop changes the game by offering a revolutionary approach to package management on Windows.
Scoop isn’t just a package manager, it’s a philosophy: installing applications in a portable, clean manner without administrator privileges. Gone are invasive installations, welcome to a controlled ecosystem!
๐ Why Scoop Changes Everything#
The Traditional Windows Problem#
Windows has long suffered from a glaring lack of native package manager. Developers had to:
- Manually download each tool from its official website
- Manage updates individually
- Endure installations that modify the system registry
- Request administrator rights for each installation
- Manually clean up residues during uninstallations
The Scoop Revolution#
Scoop solves these problems by adopting a portable approach:
- No admin rights required: Installation in the user directory
- Clean installation: No Windows registry modifications
- Unified management: A single tool to install, update, and uninstall
- Portable applications: Easily movable or backupable
- Rich ecosystem: Thousands of applications available via “buckets”
โก Concrete Advantages for Developers#
๐ฏ Installation Speed#
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| # Install Git + Node.js + Maven + Python in a single command
scoop install git nodejs maven python
|
๐ง Multiple Version Management#
Scoop excels at managing multiple versions of the same tool:
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| # Install multiple Java versions
scoop install openjdk17 openjdk21
scoop reset openjdk21 # Switch to Java 21
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๐งน Clean Uninstallation#
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| scoop uninstall git # Complete removal, no residues
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๐ฆ Modular Ecosystem#
Scoop organizes applications into thematic “buckets”:
- main: Essential tools (git, curl, wget…)
- extras: Applications with graphical interface
- versions: Specific tool versions
- java: Java distributions (OpenJDK, Oracle…)
- nonportable: Applications requiring admin rights
๐ ๏ธ Ideal Use Cases#
๐จโ๐ป DevOps/Integrator Profile#
Perfect for quickly configuring a complete development environment:
- Command-line tools (git, curl, jq, yq)
- IDEs and editors (IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, Notepad++)
- Runtime environments (Java, Python, Node.js)
- Virtualization and container tools
- System and network utilities
๐ข Enterprise Environments#
- Tool deployment without IT intervention
- Standardization of development environments
- Centralized team tool updates
๐ Training and Learning#
- Quick development environment setup for training
- Environment reproducibility across different machines
๐ Installation and Configuration#
Automated Installation Script#
The script below installs Scoop and configures a complete environment for a DevOps/Integrator profile:
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| # =============================================================================
# SCOOP + DEVOPS ENVIRONMENT INSTALLATION SCRIPT
# =============================================================================
# This script installs Scoop and a set of tools for developers/integrators
# No administrator rights required!
Write-Host "๐ Installing Scoop and configuring DevOps environment" -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Host "================================================================" -ForegroundColor Green
# 1. Configure PowerShell execution policies
Write-Host "๐ Configuring PowerShell policies..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
# 2. Install Scoop
Write-Host "๐ฆ Installing Scoop..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://get.scoop.sh | Invoke-Expression
Write-Host "โ
Scoop installed successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
# 3. Add essential buckets
Write-Host "๐ Adding buckets (application repositories)..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
scoop bucket add extras
scoop bucket add versions
scoop bucket add java
# 4. Install essential tools
Write-Host "๐ ๏ธ Installing development tools..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
# Basic tools
$mainTools = @(
"7zip", # Archive manager
"curl", # Command-line HTTP client
"git", # Version control system
"jq", # JSON processor
"yq", # YAML processor
"maven", # Java build manager
"nodejs", # JavaScript runtime
"python", # Python language
"sqlite", # SQLite database
"dark", # WiX decompiler
"innounp", # InstallShield extractor
"quarkus-cli" # Quarkus CLI for Java
)
# IDEs and editors
$devTools = @(
"notepadplusplus", # Advanced text editor
"idea", # IntelliJ IDEA Community
"eclipse-java", # Eclipse IDE for Java
"spyder", # Scientific Python IDE
"theia-ide" # Modern web IDE
)
# Multiple JDKs
$javaTools = @(
"temurin17-jdk", # OpenJDK 17 LTS
"temurin21-jdk" # OpenJDK 21 LTS
)
# Network and system tools
$networkTools = @(
"putty", # SSH/Telnet client
"winscp", # SFTP/SCP client
"fiddler", # HTTP debugging proxy
"mremoteng", # Remote connection manager
"postman9", # REST API client
"sysinternals" # Microsoft system tools suite
)
# Install tools
Write-Host "โ๏ธ Installing main tools..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($tool in $mainTools) {
Write-Host " โ Installing $tool..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop install $tool
}
Write-Host "๐ป Installing IDEs and editors..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($tool in $devTools) {
Write-Host " โ Installing $tool..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop install $tool
}
Write-Host "โ Installing Java JDKs..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($tool in $javaTools) {
Write-Host " โ Installing $tool..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop install $tool
}
Write-Host "๐ Installing network tools..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
foreach ($tool in $networkTools) {
Write-Host " โ Installing $tool..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop install $tool
}
# 5. Final configuration
Write-Host "๐ง Final configuration..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
# Update all packages
Write-Host " โ Updating packages..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop update *
# Clean old versions
Write-Host " โ Cleaning old versions..." -ForegroundColor White
scoop cleanup *
# Display final status
Write-Host "๐ Installed applications:" -ForegroundColor Green
scoop list
Write-Host "๐ Installation completed successfully!" -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Host "================================================================" -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Host "๐ก Useful commands:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host " โ scoop list # List installed apps" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host " โ scoop update * # Update all apps" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host " โ scoop search <name> # Search for an application" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host " โ scoop info <name> # App information" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host " โ scoop cleanup * # Clean old versions" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host " โ scoop reset <name> # Reset app links" -ForegroundColor White
Write-Host "================================================================" -ForegroundColor Green
|
Essential Post-Installation Commands#
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| # Search for an application
scoop search docker
# Get information about an app
scoop info git
# List installed applications
scoop list
# Update all applications
scoop update *
# Clean old versions
scoop cleanup *
# Switch between versions (Java example)
scoop reset temurin21-jdk
|
๐ฏ Advantages Over Alternatives#
VS Chocolatey#
- No admin rights required (unlike Chocolatey)
- Portable applications by default
- Cleaner installation (no system modifications)
- Guaranteed complete uninstallation
VS Windows Package Manager (winget)#
- More mature ecosystem for development tools
- More flexible multiple version management
- Fewer system dependencies
VS Manual Installations#
- Complete installation automation
- Centralized update management
- Environment reproducibility
- Considerable time savings
๐ฎ The Scoop Ecosystem Today#
With over 4000 applications available and an active community, Scoop has become the reference tool for Windows developers concerned with maintaining a clean and controlled environment.
Community buckets cover virtually all needs:
- Development: All languages and frameworks
- DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible…
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis…
- Network tools: Wireshark, nmap, curl…
- Multimedia: FFmpeg, ImageMagick…
๐ Conclusion#
Scoop represents a silent revolution in the Windows ecosystem. By adopting a portable and non-invasive approach, it allows developers to regain control of their work environment.
Whether you’re a solo developer, technical lead, or trainer, Scoop drastically simplifies the management of tools and development environments on Windows.
Next time you configure a new Windows machine, think Scoop. Your future self will thank you!
๐ก Tip: Backup your application list with scoop export > my-apps.json to quickly reconfigure a new environment!