Option to deliver Datastar Pro via plugin for easier updates

[handplant]

Feature Request

Hi,
I’m wondering if there are any future plans to offer Datastar Pro via the Craft plugin system.

It would be a huge improvement to have a seamless way to receive updates instead of having to manually update the JS every time. This would also help ensure users stay on the latest and most secure version of the library.

Thanks for considering it!

Plugin Version

No response

[bencroker]

That’s a great idea, but it’s tricky due to the fact that Craft plugins must be hosted on a public GitHub repo. What I could consider is adding is the ability to insert a GitHub token in the plugin settings, which the plugin would be able to use to download the latest JavaScript file for you. Is this a feature you think people would be willing to pay for, in addition to the price of Datastar Pro?

[handplant]

No, I don't think so. It would definitely be nice to have, but I suspect most people would rather just add it manually. Especially since many projects don’t see a lot of changes after the initial release. So paying extra for auto-updates might not be worth it for most use cases.

[bencroker]

I might consider it anyway, but it would have to be as part of a paid edition of the plugin.

[kevinmu17]

I have a case migrating from a sprig pagination component where I replace the URL with a page index using sprig.pushUrl, I think the data-replace-url is a datastar pro feature that should replace this sprig variant right?

So, we have a lot of projects (and future projects) we want to handle this way, so the pro feature is definitely a must! :)

I think your proposed approach (GitHub token integration) is a direction.

From a PRO user’s perspective, the main goal is to keep Datastar PRO fully in sync with the Craft plugin update cycle, so we only have to hit “Update Plugin” inside Craft and everything stays current, no manual file replacements or forks.

Here’s how I imagine this could work technically:

Plugin setting for PRO mode

return [
  'githubAccessToken' => env('DATASTAR_GITHUB_TOKEN'),
  'datastarCustomAlias' => ''
];

During plugin install/update, the plugin uses the provided token to:

1. Query the private Datastar Pro repo via the GitHub API,
2. Download the latest datastar.pro.js release asset,
3. Store it locally (e.g. in /web/assets/datastar-pro.js or a plugin-managed folder).

The plugin auto-registers that local Pro build in templates instead of the public CDN file.

• That way, Craft remains the single update flow, the plugin and Datastar Pro JS update together.
• It respects the PRO licensing model (since each install uses its own GitHub token).
• No need to make the plugin itself private or ship the Pro file in the repo.

As for the question about pricing:
I personally think yes! This is worth paying a small premium for, because it saves maintenance time, keeps updates centralised, and ensures license compliance.

In short: the token-based auto-update model would solve everything elegantly, keeping both Craft’s update UX and Datastar’s license model intact.

The only thing to solve for the real power users is the bundler...

Happy to test this feature if you decide to prototype it!

[bencroker]

Yeah, that’s what I had in mind, except for the datastarCustomAlias which would require integration with the bundler.

[kevinmu17]

Do you have an ETA? :)

[bencroker]

No, I haven’t yet decided whether I’ll implement it. So far only you said you “think” you would pay for it.

[kevinmu17]

Allright, i'm getting internal pushback for paying extra for something that already has been payed for (sort of how they see it)

The main thing i struggle with is really the data-replace-url functionality. Without this, filtered pagination is a UX disaster for visitors in my opinion... But than i came across this article https://data-star.dev/essays/greedy_developer haha.

I want to go all in with datastar, not inventing the wheel again. You convinced me at the dot all after all that datastar will replace sprig because it will take you the full 100% :)

So, to fix my problem here, is there a way to get the datastar js Pro edition with NPM after buying? Or what is the best practice to include this right now? 'registerScript' => false,?

[bencroker]

Without a Pro version of the Datastar plugin for Craft, it will always be a manual process. Or just write your own automation script to import it.

what is the best practice to include this right now? 'registerScript' => false,?

Yes, that’s right.

[remcoov]

@bencroker I'm struggling to find the logic where entering an already obtained Datastar PRO license key, should automatically mean the Craft version should be a PRO (paid) variant.

[bencroker]

@remcoov no such logic exists, which is the point of this issue.

[remcoov]

@remcoov no such logic exists, which is the point of this issue.

Fair enough. Just trying to understand: are you suggesting that implementing the pro 'license' inside the Craft version, would bring considerable amount of extra work? I'm not 100% familiar with the pro-licensing on datastar's end.

[bencroker]

It’s already possible to use Datastar Pro in the Craft Datastar plugin. I’m saying that automating the process of receiving updates to Datastar Pro, which is in a private GitHub repository, would require a Pro edition of the Craft plugin.