node-pre-gyp

What is node-pre-gyp?

The node-pre-gyp package is a tool that allows developers to publish and install Node.js native add-ons from binaries. This eliminates the need for developers to compile their native add-ons from source during installation, simplifying the deployment process and reducing setup time.

What are node-pre-gyp's main functionalities?

Publishing binaries

This command allows developers to publish pre-compiled binary files to a hosting service, making them available for installation. This is useful for distributing Node.js native add-ons without requiring users to compile the code themselves.

node-pre-gyp publish

Installing binaries

This command facilitates the installation of pre-compiled binaries from a remote source. It checks for compatible binaries and downloads them, which speeds up the installation process by avoiding the need for compilation.

node-pre-gyp install

Rebuilding binaries

This command is used to rebuild the native add-on binaries from source. It is useful when pre-compiled binaries are not available or when custom modifications to the binary are needed.

node-pre-gyp rebuild

Other packages similar to node-pre-gyp

node-gyp

node-gyp is a cross-platform command-line tool written in Node.js for compiling native addon modules for Node.js. It provides a similar functionality to node-pre-gyp but requires compilation from source, unlike node-pre-gyp which can download pre-compiled binaries.

prebuild

prebuild is a tool that helps in prebuilding native modules for Node.js. Similar to node-pre-gyp, it supports the installation of pre-compiled binaries. However, prebuild often works in conjunction with prebuild-install and offers a slightly different workflow for managing binary deployments.

prebuildify

prebuildify focuses on creating local prebuilds for native Node.js modules. Unlike node-pre-gyp, which can download binaries from a remote location, prebuildify is designed for bundling the binaries directly with the module, which can be useful for applications that need to work offline or have restricted network access.

README

node-pre-gyp

Node.js native add-on binary install tool.

• Stands in front of node-gyp
• Installs your module from a pre-compiled binary (which you are responsible for hosting)
• If successfull avoids needing node-gyp to be invoked.
• Falls back to calling node-gyp rebuild if binaries are not available

EXPERIMENTAL - not ready for widespread use.

Design

You add a binary property to your package.json which lists:

• module_name: The name of your native node module.
• module_path: The location your native module is placed after a build (commonly build/Release/)
• remote_uri: A url to the remote location where tarball binaries are available
• template: A versioning string which describes the tarball versioning scheme for your binaries

And example from node-osmium looks like:

    "binary": {
        "module_name": "osmium",
        "module_path": "./lib",
        "remote_uri": "http://node-osmium.s3.amazonaws.com",
        "template": "{module_name}-v{major}.{minor}.{patch}-{node_abi}-{platform}-{arch}.tar.gz"
    },

Then to package a binary you do:

mkdir stage
node-pre-gyp publish

Then post the resulting tarball (in the stage/ directory) to your remote location.

Finally you add a custom install script:

    "scripts": {
        "install": "node-pre-gyp rebuild",
    }

Then users installing your module will get your binary, if available, instead of a source compile.

Modules using node-pre-gyp:

• node-osmium
• node-sqlite3