Package Management

One of the core features of Launchpad is its ability to manage packages through the install command, which leverages pkgx under the hood.

Installation Basics

Installing packages with Launchpad is straightforward:

# Install a single package
launchpad install node

# Install multiple packages at once
launchpad install python ruby go

How Package Installation Works

When you run an installation command, Launchpad:

1. Checks if pkgx is installed (and installs it if needed)
2. Queries pkgx for the package information
3. Creates the necessary installation directories
4. Installs the package using pkgx
5. Optionally creates shims for executables

Installation Location

By default, packages are installed to:

• /usr/local if it's writable by the current user
• ~/.local as a fallback location

You can specify a custom installation path:

launchpad install --path ~/my-packages node

Handling Permissions

When installing to system directories like /usr/local, you might need elevated permissions. Launchpad provides two options:

1. Auto-sudo mode (enabled by default):

   # Launchpad will automatically use sudo if needed
   launchpad install node

2. Manual sudo mode:

   # Explicitly use sudo
   sudo launchpad install node
   
   # Or disable auto-sudo and specify when needed
   launchpad install --sudo node

You can disable auto-sudo in the configuration:

{
  "autoSudo": false
}

Version Control

Launchpad can install specific versions of packages:

# Install a specific version
launchpad install node@16

Force Reinstallation

If a package is already installed, Launchpad will skip it by default. You can force reinstallation:

launchpad install --force node

Retries and Timeouts

Launchpad handles network issues with automatic retries:

• Default retries: 3 attempts
• Default timeout: 60 seconds (60000ms)

You can customize these in the configuration:

{
  "maxRetries": 5,
  "timeout": 120000
}

Verbose Mode

For debugging or to see detailed installation information:

launchpad install --verbose node

Bun Installation

Launchpad provides a dedicated command for installing Bun directly from official GitHub releases:

# Install latest version of Bun
launchpad bun

# Install a specific version
launchpad bun --version 1.2.3

# Customize installation path
launchpad bun --path ~/my-bin

# Force reinstallation
launchpad bun --force

This command:

1. Automatically detects your platform and architecture
2. Downloads the appropriate Bun binary from GitHub releases
3. Installs it to the specified path
4. Adds the installation directory to your PATH (if needed)

Unlike the general install command, launchpad bun doesn't require pkgx as it downloads directly from GitHub.

Listing Installed Packages

You can see all installed packages:

launchpad list
# or
launchpad ls

The output shows each package name and its version.