the commonplace notebook for eliana

how i organize my local files

3 min read

Organizing a local development environment is a bit of an art form. Most developers gravitate toward a structure that separates active projects from system-wide tools and persistent configurations.

Here is a common “industry standard” tree for a Mac/Linux user (like yourself) who balances web development (Astro), custom scripting, and containerized workflows.

The “Pro” Local Directory Tree

Plaintext

/Users/eliana/
├── .config/                 # Hidden: Global config files (zsh, git, etc.)
├── .ssh/                    # Hidden: Your GitHub/Server keys
├── bin/                     # YOUR CUSTOM EXECUTABLES
│   ├── scrub-html.sh        # A standalone script you wrote
│   └── setup-project.py     # Automation scripts
├── dev/                     # THE KITCHEN (Where the work happens)
│   ├── archive/             # Old projects you aren't touching
│   ├── docker/              # Docker-specific setups
│   │   ├── databases/       # Persistent local DB containers
│   │   └── sandbox/         # Testing containerized apps
│   ├── personal/            # Side projects
│   │   └── dictionary/      # Your personal dictionary project
│   └── repos/               # CLONED REPOSITORIES (The "Source of Truth")
│       ├── tools/           # Your tools.eliana.lol repo (Astro/Static)
│       ├── vore/            # Other cloned tools
│       └── web-garden/      # Your main digital garden
├── downloads/               # THE LANDING STRIP (Keep this empty!)
├── library/                 # System/App support (Mac specific)
└── opt/                     # THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE
    └── homebrew/            # Where 'brew' installs your packages

Breakdown of Key Folders

1. ~/bin/ (The Power User move)

This is where you put your “one-off” scripts. If you add this folder to your $PATH in your .zshrc file, you can run your custom scripts from anywhere in the terminal just by typing their name.

  • Best for: The Python scrapers or OCR shortcuts you’ve built.

2. ~/dev/repos/

Keep all your GitHub-synced projects here.

  • Why: It separates things you are “version controlling” (Git) from random folders of junk.

  • Organization Tip: Many people sub-divide this by platform (e.g., ~/dev/repos/github.com/jubilancy/tools).

3. ~/dev/docker/

Docker files can get messy with docker-compose.yml files and volume data.

  • Best for: Keeping your Docker images and configuration files in one spot so they don’t clutter up your actual website source code.

4. ~/.config/

As you get deeper into coding, you’ll start having “Dotfiles” (files that start with a period).

  • Best for: Storing your zsh aliases, your VS Code settings, and your Git global config.

How to transition your current setup

Since you just pushed your tools site to Cloudflare and GitHub, your local folder is currently your Local Repo.

The Move: 1. Create a folder called repos inside your home directory.

  1. Move your tools folder into ~/repos/tools.

  2. Inside ~/repos/tools, create a folder called _old or archive.

  3. Move MainLayout.html, layout.js, and header.html into that archive folder.

  4. Add archive/ to your .gitignore file so they don’t get pushed back up to the web.

This keeps your “Work Area” clean while keeping your “History” safe.

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