• boltpm on crates.io
• plugin_api on crates.io

BoltPM

BoltPM is a fast, modern, cross-platform NPM alternative written in Rust. It features a CLI, real-time GUI, private registry, and dynamic plugin system.

Installation

From crates.io (Recommended)

cargo install boltpm

From source

git clone https://github.com/nom-nom-hub/boltpm.git
cd boltpm
cargo build --workspace

Features

• CLI: install, remove, update, run, link, etc.
• GUI: Tauri desktop app with live logs, dependency tree, search, config, and dark mode
• Registry: self-hosted, token-auth, CORS, JSON index
• Plugins: dynamic hooks for install lifecycle

Quick Start

Using the installed binary

# Initialize a new project
boltpm init

# Install a package
boltpm install lodash

# Remove a package
boltpm remove lodash

# Update all packages
boltpm update

# Run a script
boltpm run build

Building from source

1. Build All Components

cargo build --workspace

2. Run the Registry

cd registry
cargo run
# Registry runs at http://localhost:4000

3. Use the CLI

cd cli
cargo run -- init
cargo run -- install dep1
cargo run -- remove dep1

4. Run the GUI

cd gui
cargo tauri dev

GUI Dark Mode

• Click the 🌙/☀️ button in the header to toggle dark mode.
• Your theme preference is remembered.
• 

Usage Examples

Basic Commands

# Initialize a new project
boltpm init

# Install a package
boltpm install lodash

# Remove a package
boltpm remove lodash

# Update all packages
boltpm update

# Run a script
boltpm run build

# List installed packages
boltpm list

# Search for packages
boltpm search react

Advanced Usage

# Install with specific version
boltpm install lodash@4.17.21

# Install as dev dependency
boltpm install --dev jest

# Install globally
boltpm install -g typescript

# Publish a package to your registry
curl -X PUT -F "version=1.0.0" -F "description=My lib" -F "tarball=@package.tgz" http://localhost:4000/v1/mylib/

# Use plugins (place compiled .so/.dylib/.dll in .boltpm/plugins/)
# Plugins are called automatically on install/remove/update

Troubleshooting & FAQ

• Q: The GUI is blank or buttons don't work?
  • A: Make sure you run cargo tauri dev in the gui directory and that the backend is built.
• Q: Install fails with a network error?
  • A: Ensure the registry is running at http://localhost:4000.
• Q: Plugin not executing?
  • A: Check that your plugin is in .boltpm/plugins/ and built for your OS/arch.
• Q: How do I clear the cache?
  • A: Delete the .boltpm/cache/ directory.

Accessibility & UX Tips

• All navigation is keyboard accessible.
• Error messages are shown at the top of the GUI.
• Tooltips are available for all major actions.
• For best experience, keep your plugins stateless and your package.json valid.
• Dark mode is available for comfortable coding at night!

Plugin System

• Plugins are dynamic libraries in .boltpm/plugins/.
• Hooks: preinstall, postinstall, onError.
• Example plugin logs the hook and package info.
• To develop a plugin:
  1. Implement the run(ctx: PluginContext) function.
  2. Build as cdylib.
  3. Place in .boltpm/plugins/.

Error Handling & UX

• All errors print clear messages to the console and GUI.
• If a plugin fails, the onError hook is called.
• GUI shows logs, dependency tree, and config for troubleshooting.
• For best UX, keep plugins simple and stateless.

Contributing

• PRs welcome! Run cargo test --workspace before submitting.
• See dev.md for architecture and roadmap.

License

MIT