[![npm version][npm-version-src]][npm-version-href] [![GitHub Actions][github-actions-src]][github-actions-href] [](http://commitizen.github.io/cz-cli/) # launchpad > A lightweight package manager built on top of pkgx to simplify package installation and management. _Similar to Homebrew, but faster._ ## Features Launchpad offers a streamlined approach to package management with these key features: - 📦 **[Package Management](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/features/package-management.md)** — Install and manage packages efficiently - 🔄 **Package Updates** — Keep packages up-to-date with intelligent version management - 🔧 **Auto-updates** — Configure automatic updates - 🔌 **[PATH Integration](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/features/path-management.md)** — Automatically ensures installation directories are maintained in your PATH - 🔄 **[Executable Shims](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/features/shim-creation.md)** — Create executable shims for packages automatically - 💻 **CLI & Library** — Programmatically or manually manage your dependencies using the CLI or library - 🪟 **Cross-platform** — Full support for macOS, Linux, and Windows systems ## Why Launchpad? Traditional package managers like Homebrew have limitations: - **Slow installations** — Installing or updating can take minutes - **Dependency chains** — Updating one package triggers unwanted updates - **Environment conflicts** — Different projects need different versions - **PATH management** — Manual PATH configuration is error-prone - **Platform inconsistency** — Different systems need different approaches Launchpad solves these by providing: - **Fast installations** — Leverage pkgx for efficient package management - **Isolated packages** — Install only what you need without conflicts - **Automatic PATH management** — Tools are available immediately - **Consistent interface** — Same commands work everywhere - **Dev environments** — Project-specific development environment support [Read more about why we created Launchpad](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/why.md) ## Installation Launchpad is available through multiple package managers: ```bash # Install with Bun (recommended) bun add -g @stacksjs/launchpad # Or with npm npm install -g @stacksjs/launchpad # Or with yarn yarn global add @stacksjs/launchpad # Or with pnpm pnpm add -g @stacksjs/launchpad ``` See [Installation Guide](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/install.md) for more options. ## Quick Start ### Install packages ```bash # Install packages launchpad install node python # Use the shorthand launchpad i node@22 ``` ### Create shims ```bash # Create shims for executables launchpad shim node@22 typescript@5.7 # Specify custom path launchpad shim --path ~/bin node@22 ``` ### Install pkgx ```bash # Install pkgx itself launchpad pkgx # Force reinstall launchpad pkgx --force ``` ### Install dev package ```bash # Install the dev package launchpad dev # With customization launchpad dev --path ~/bin ``` ### Install Bun ```bash # Install Bun directly launchpad bun # Install specific version launchpad bun --version 1.2.14 ``` ### Configure auto-updates ```bash # Check current auto-update status launchpad autoupdate # Enable auto-updates launchpad autoupdate:enable # Disable auto-updates launchpad autoupdate:disable ``` ### Update packages ```bash # Update all packages launchpad update # Update specific packages launchpad update node python # Update with latest versions (ignore constraints) launchpad upgrade bun --latest # Preview what would be updated launchpad up --dry-run ``` ### List installed packages ```bash # List all installed packages launchpad list # or launchpad ls ``` ## Configuration Launchpad can be configured via a config file (`launchpad.config.ts`, `.launchpadrc`, etc.) or through command-line options. Example configuration: ```ts import type { LaunchpadConfig } from '@stacksjs/launchpad' const config: LaunchpadConfig = { // Enable verbose logging verbose: true, // Installation path for binaries installationPath: '/usr/local', // Auto-elevate with sudo when needed autoSudo: true, // Retry settings maxRetries: 3, timeout: 60000, // Version handling symlinkVersions: true, forceReinstall: false, // PATH management shimPath: '~/.local/bin', autoAddToPath: true, } export default config ``` See [Configuration Guide](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/config.md) for all options. ## GitHub Action Launchpad provides a GitHub Action for CI/CD workflows: ```yaml - name: Install Dependencies uses: stacksjs/launchpad-installer@v1 with: packages: node@22 typescript@5.7 bun@1.2.14 ``` See [GitHub Action Documentation](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/packages/action/README.md) for details. ## Advanced Usage Explore advanced topics in our documentation: - [Custom Shims](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/advanced/custom-shims.md) - [Cross-platform Compatibility](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/advanced/cross-platform.md) - [Performance Optimization](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/advanced/performance.md) - [API Reference](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/tree/main/docs/api/reference.md) ## Comparing to Alternatives ### vs Homebrew - **Speed**: Significantly faster installations - **Isolation**: Changes to one package don't affect others - **Less disk space**: Only install what you need ### vs Manual Installation - **Simplicity**: Single command to install complex tools - **PATH management**: No need to manually edit shell config files - **Version control**: Easily install specific versions - **Consistency**: Same experience across all platforms ## Changelog Please see our [releases](https://github.com/stackjs/launchpad/releases) page for information on changes. ## Contributing Please see [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/stacksjs/contributing) for details. ## Community For help or discussion: - [Discussions on GitHub](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/discussions) - [Join the Stacks Discord Server](https://discord.gg/stacksjs) ## Postcardware “Software that is free, but hopes for a postcard.” We love receiving postcards from around the world showing where Stacks is being used! We showcase them on our website too. Our address: Stacks.js, 12665 Village Ln #2306, Playa Vista, CA 90094, United States 🌎 ## Credits - [Max Howell](https://github.com/mxcl) - for creating [pkgx](https://github.com/pkgxdev/pkgx) and [Homebrew](https://github.com/Homebrew/brew) - [pkgm](https://github.com/pkgxdev/pkgm) & [dev](https://github.com/pkgxdev/dev) - thanks for the inspiration - [Chris Breuer](https://github.com/chrisbbreuer) - [All Contributors](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/graphs/contributors) ## Sponsors We would like to extend our thanks to the following sponsors for funding Stacks development. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to us. - [JetBrains](https://www.jetbrains.com/) - [The Solana Foundation](https://solana.com/) ## License The MIT License (MIT). Please see [LICENSE](https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/blob/main/LICENSE.md) for more information. Made with 💙 [npm-version-src]: https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@stacksjs/launchpad?style=flat-square [npm-version-href]: https://npmjs.com/package/@stacksjs/launchpad [github-actions-src]: https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/stacksjs/launchpad/ci.yml?style=flat-square&branch=main [github-actions-href]: https://github.com/stacksjs/launchpad/actions?query=workflow%3Aci