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2025 Report: Destructive Malware in Open Source Packages
Destructive malware is rising across open source registries, using delays and kill switches to wipe code, break builds, and disrupt CI/CD.
Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.
npm install --global open-cli
$ open-cli --help
Usage
$ open-cli <file|url> [--wait] [--background] [-- <app> [args]]
$ cat <file> | open-cli [--extension] [--wait] [--background] [-- <app> [args]]
Options
--wait Wait for the app to exit
--background Do not bring the app to the foreground (macOS only)
--extension File extension for when stdin file type cannot be detected
Examples
$ open-cli https://sindresorhus.com
$ open-cli https://sindresorhus.com -- firefox
$ open-cli https://sindresorhus.com -- 'google chrome' --incognito
$ open-cli unicorn.png
$ cat unicorn.png | open-cli
$ echo '<h1>Unicorns!</h1>' | open-cli --extension=html
The following file types are automagically detected when using stdin mode.
The opn package is similar to open-cli in that it allows you to open files, URLs, or applications from the command line. However, opn is more focused on being a programmatic API for opening things, whereas open-cli is more command-line oriented.
The open package is another alternative that provides similar functionality. It is a more modern and actively maintained package compared to opn. It also offers more options and flexibility for opening files, URLs, or applications.
FAQs
Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.
The npm package open-cli receives a total of 81,128 weekly downloads. As such, open-cli popularity was classified as popular.
We found that open-cli demonstrated a not healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
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