Flash-install – DEV Community

Blazingly fast package installation for Node.js

A fast, drop-in replacement for npm install, focused on drastically speeding up Node.js dependency installation through deterministic caching, parallel operations, and .flashpack archive snapshotting.

Features

• Blazing Fast: Installs dependencies from cache when available, avoiding network requests
• Deterministic Caching: Uses hash-based paths for deduplication and hardlinks to minimize disk usage
• Parallel Operations: Installs packages in parallel using Node.js worker threads
• Snapshot Support: Creates and restores .flashpack archives for instant dependency restoration
• Package Manager Compatibility: Works with npm, yarn, and pnpm projects
• Offline Mode: Install dependencies without internet connection using cache or snapshots
• Checksum Validation: Verifies package integrity against npm registry checksums
• Snapshot Fingerprinting: Auto-invalidates snapshots when lockfiles change
• Sync Command: Efficiently updates dependencies without full reinstallation
• Plugin System: Extensible architecture with lifecycle hooks

Installation

npm install -g @flash-install/cli

Usage

Basic Installation

Replace your regular npm install command with flash-install:

# Standard installation
flash-install

# Or use direct mode for better progress reporting
flash-direct

Creating a Snapshot

Create a .flashpack snapshot of your node_modules directory:

flash-install snapshot

# Skip adding to global cache
flash-install snapshot --no-cache

# Set a custom timeout for the cache operation (in seconds)
flash-install snapshot --cache-timeout 10

Restoring from a Snapshot

Restore your node_modules from a .flashpack snapshot:

flash-install restore

Cleaning

Clean Everything

Remove both node_modules and local .flashpack file:

flash-install clean

Note: The clean command removes both the node_modules directory and the snapshot file. You’ll need to create a new snapshot after cleaning if you want to use the restore command later.

Clean Only Node Modules

Remove only the node_modules directory (preserves snapshot):

flash-install clean-modules

This is useful when you want to free up disk space but keep the snapshot for quick restoration later.

Clean Only Snapshot

Remove only the snapshot file (preserves node_modules):

flash-install clean-snapshot

This is useful when you want to create a fresh snapshot without removing your installed dependencies.

Clean the global cache:

flash-install clean --global

Sync Dependencies

Efficiently update dependencies without a full reinstall:

flash-install sync

Cache Information

View information about the global cache:

flash-install cache

Verify cache integrity:

flash-install cache --verify

Optimize cache storage:

flash-install cache --optimize

Plugin Management

List installed plugins:

flash-install plugin list

Add a plugin:

flash-install plugin add 

Remove a plugin:

flash-install plugin remove 

Options

Installation Options

• -o, --offline: Use offline mode (requires cache or snapshot)
• --no-cache: Disable cache usage
• -c, --concurrency : Number of concurrent installations
• -p, --package-manager : Package manager to use (npm, yarn, pnpm)
• --no-dev: Skip dev dependencies
• --skip-postinstall: Skip postinstall scripts
• -v, --verbose: Enable verbose logging
• -q, --quiet: Suppress all output except errors

Snapshot Options

• -f, --format : Snapshot format (zip, tar, tar.gz)
• -c, --compression : Compression level (0-9)
• -o, --output : Custom output path for snapshot

Restore Options

• -s, --snapshot : Path to snapshot file

Clean Options

• -g, --global: Clean global cache instead of project
• -a, --all: Clean both project and global cache
• --cache-max-age : Maximum age for cache entries in days

Sync Options

• -f, --force: Force sync even if dependencies are up to date
• --skip-snapshot: Skip creating snapshot after sync
• --skip-cache: Skip using cache during sync

Cache Options

• --verify: Verify cache integrity
• --optimize: Optimize cache storage

Plugin Options

• add : Add a plugin from a path
• remove : Remove a plugin by name
• list: List all installed plugins

How It Works

1. Dependency Resolution: Parses lockfiles to determine exact dependencies
2. Cache Check: Checks if dependencies are in the global cache
3. Snapshot Check: Checks if a valid .flashpack snapshot exists
4. Installation: If no cache or snapshot is available, installs dependencies using the package manager
5. Caching: Adds newly installed packages to the cache
6. Integrity Verification: Validates package checksums against npm registry
7. Snapshotting: Creates a .flashpack snapshot with fingerprinting for future use
8. Plugin Execution: Runs plugins at various lifecycle hooks

Plugin System

flash-install includes a powerful plugin system that allows extending functionality through lifecycle hooks:

• preInstall: Before installation begins
• postInstall: After installation completes
• preSnapshot: Before creating a snapshot
• postSnapshot: After creating a snapshot
• preRestore: Before restoring from a snapshot
• postRestore: After restoring from a snapshot
• preSync: Before syncing dependencies
• postSync: After syncing dependencies
• preClean: Before cleaning
• postClean: After cleaning

Plugins can be used for tasks like:

• TypeScript declaration generation
• Security scanning
• License compliance checking
• Dependency visualization
• Custom build steps

Performance Comparison

Benefits

• Time Savings: Dramatically reduces installation time for repeated builds
• Bandwidth Savings: Minimizes network usage by using cached packages
• Disk Space Efficiency: Uses hardlinks to avoid duplicating files
• CI/CD Optimization: Perfect for continuous integration environments
• Developer Experience: Instant dependency restoration when switching branches
• Offline Development: Work without internet connection using cache or snapshots

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository at https://github.com/Nom-nom-hub/flash-install
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request at https://github.com/Nom-nom-hub/flash-install/pulls

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

• Inspired by the speed of Bun, the reliability of Yarn, and the efficiency of PNPM
• Thanks to all the open-source projects that made this possible