📦 kley

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A simple local package manager for npm (JS/TS)

Like npm link, but with a more convenient workflow. Like yalc, but without the dependency on Node.js.

kley is a command-line tool that simplifies local development of npm packages. It provides a robust alternative to npm link by managing a local package store. It saves packages to a central cache on your machine when you "publish" and lets you quickly install them into your local projects via direct file copying or symlinks, without needing to connect to a remote repository.

Key Features

• Fast and Efficient: All operations are local, with no network latency or unnecessary publishing of intermediate versions.
• Reliable and Independent: Avoids npm link issues and works even if your library and projects use different versions of Node.js.
• Safe: Avoids running npm scripts, only performing basic file copy and link operations.
• Simple API: Six core commands to get started: publish, unpublish, add, link, update, and remove.
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Installation

Quick Install (recommended)

You can install kley with a single command using the installer script:

# Linux / macOS
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/sumbad/kley/releases/latest/download/kley-installer.sh | sh

# Windows
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/sumbad/kley/releases/latest/download/kley-installer.ps1 | iex"

Manual Installation

Alternatively, you can install kley by downloading a pre-compiled binary from the Releases page.

1. Download the appropriate archive for your system (e.g., kley-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz).
2. Unpack the archive.
3. Move the kley binary to a directory in your system's PATH (e.g., /usr/local/bin on macOS/Linux).

Install via Cargo (crates.io)

If you have Rust and Cargo installed, you can install kley directly from crates.io:

cargo install kley

Install via npm (kley-cli)

You can install kley-cli globally. Use it only if you have the same Node.js versions for your library and host a project, otherwise you should install it to all Node.js versions:

npm install -g kley-cli

Usage

1. kley publish

Run this command in the directory of the package you want to share locally. Kley copies all necessary files to a central store at ~/.kley/packages/<your-package-name>.

• Use the --push flag to automatically update the package in all projects where it has been added or linked. This is the primary command for a fast, iterative workflow.

2. kley unpublish

Run this command in the directory of a published package to remove it from the kley store.

• By default, it performs a "soft" unpublish, removing the package from the store but leaving your projects intact until the next install.
• Use the --push flag to perform a "hard" unpublish, which also removes the package from all projects that use it.

3. kley add <package-name>

Run this command in the project where you want to use your local package. Kley copies the package into a local ./.kley/ directory, then automatically updates your package.json and kley.lock.

• Use the --dev flag to add the package to devDependencies.

Note: For the changes to appear in node_modules, you must run npm install (or yarn, pnpm) after kley add.

4. kley link <package-name>

This command provides a flexible workflow that avoids modifying package.json. It copies the package to a local .kley cache and then creates a symbolic link from that cache to your project's node_modules directory.

Warning: Because package.json is not modified, running npm install (or yarn, pnpm) will likely delete the symlink from node_modules. To restore it, simply run kley link <package-name> again. This is a fast operation because the local cache is preserved.

5. kley update [package-name]

This command updates installed packages to the latest version from the kley store.

• If you provide a package name, only that specific package will be updated.
• If you run it without arguments, kley will update all packages listed in kley.lock.

6. kley remove [package-name]

Run this command to cleanly remove a kley-managed dependency from your project. It will update package.json and kley.lock, and delete the package files from the ./.kley/ directory.

• Use the --all flag to remove all kley-managed packages from the project.

Contributing

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

About

This project is inspired by great tools like yalc. The main advantage of kley is that it is a single, self-contained binary with no dependency on Node.js. This means you can manage packages regardless of your current Node.js version or any issues with npm itself.

Note: This project is in active development and currently supports only the basic commands. More features are coming soon!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.