Introduction

A lightweight package manager built on top of pkgx to simplify package installation and management.

What is Launchpad?

Launchpad serves as an alternative to package managers like Homebrew, focusing on:

• A consistent and simple CLI interface
• Automatic PATH management
• Easy installation of development tools
• Cross-platform support

At its core, Launchpad leverages pkgx, a next-generation package runner that allows you to use packages without installing them. Launchpad extends this functionality with convenient commands, better management of executables, and improved integration with your development workflow.

Key Features

• 📦 Package Management — Install and manage packages directly using pkgx
• 🔄 Executable Shims — Create executable shims for packages automatically
• 🛠️ pkgx Installation — Install and manage the pkgx utility itself
• 💻 Dev Environment — Dedicated command for the dev package for development environments
• 🚀 Bun Installation — Install Bun runtime directly from GitHub releases
• 🔧 Auto-updates — Configure automatic updates for pkgx
• 🔌 PATH Integration — Automatically add installation directories to your PATH
• 🪟 Cross-platform — Support for macOS, Linux, and Windows systems

How It Works

Launchpad works by managing the installation of pkgx and creating shims (executable scripts) that automatically run the correct versions of your tools. It can:

• Install pkgx itself without requiring another package manager
• Create shims for packages so they're available system-wide
• Configure automatic updates and PATH modifications
• Simplify the installation of the dev package for project-specific development environments

Whether you're setting up a new development machine, working on multiple projects with different tooling requirements, or just want a cleaner way to manage your packages, Launchpad offers a streamlined experience for modern developers.

Quick Example

Here's a simple example of how to use Launchpad:

# Install Launchpad
bun add -g @stacksjs/launchpad

# Install Node.js
launchpad install node

# Create shims for Node.js
launchpad shim node

# Now 'node' is available in your PATH
node --version

With just a few commands, you've installed Node.js and made it available in your PATH. Launchpad handles all the complexity for you.

Why Choose Launchpad?

Launchpad offers several advantages over traditional package managers:

• Speed: Installing packages is significantly faster
• Isolation: Changes to one package don't affect others
• Simplicity: Clean, consistent interface across platforms
• Integration: Automatic PATH management and environment configuration
• Flexibility: Works with project-specific development environments

Next Steps

Ready to get started with Launchpad? Check out these guides:

• Installation Guide — Install Launchpad on your system
• Basic Usage — Learn the basic commands
• Configuration — Customize Launchpad to your needs
• Why Launchpad? — More details on the advantages of Launchpad

Community

For help, discussion about best practices, or any other conversation that would benefit from being searchable:

Discussions on GitHub

For casual chit-chat with others using this package:

Join the Stacks Discord Server

Postcardware

Two things are true: Stacks OSS will always stay open-source, and we do love to receive postcards from wherever Stacks is used! 🌍 We also publish them on our website. And thank you, Spatie

Our address: Stacks.js, 12665 Village Ln #2306, Playa Vista, CA 90094

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
• The Solana Foundation

Credits

• Max Howell - for creating pkgx and Homebrew
• pkgm - for the initial inspiration
• Chris Breuer
• All Contributors

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see LICENSE for more information.

Made with 💙