NeonPack

A fast global JavaScript package manager and runtime engine built in Rust.
Install NPM packages globally, rewrite imports smartly, and run your JavaScript project with zero node_modules required.

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Key Features

• Global package installation to ~/.neonpack/lib
• Auto-import rewriting for bare modules (e.g., import lodash from "lodash")
• Fully integrates with your project’s package.json
• No node_modules/, no symlinks, no hard links
• Designed for speed and portability

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Installation

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/neonpack
cd neonpack
./build.sh

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CLI Commands

neonpack install <package>

Install an NPM package globally and update your project’s package.json.

neonpack install lodash

Outcome:

• Downloads and extracts to: ~/.neonpack/lib/lodash/<version>/
• Updates your local package.json dependencies

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neonpack install -g <package>

Install a package globally without modifying the current project.

neonpack install -g lodash

Outcome:

• Downloads and extracts to: ~/.neonpack/lib/lodash/<version>/
• Does not touch package.json

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neonpack use <package>

Activate a globally installed package by adding it to your current project's package.json.

neonpack use lodash

Outcome:

• Looks for the package in global storage
• Adds it to your project’s package.json with the correct version

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neonpack run <script>

Run a script from your package.json with automatic import rewriting.

neonpack run dev

If your package.json contains:

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "node src/index.js"
  }
}

Then neonpack run dev will:

• Rewrite ESModule imports like import x from "lodash" into full file:// paths
• Run the transformed file using Node.js

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neonpack remove <package>

Remove a package from your project’s package.json.

neonpack remove lodash

Outcome:

• Deletes entry from dependencies or devDependencies in package.json

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neonpack remove -g <package>

Remove a package from global storage.

neonpack remove -g lodash

Outcome:

• Deletes ~/.neonpack/lib/lodash/

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How It Works

• install fetches the package tarball from the npm registry
• extract_tarball unpacks it to ~/.neonpack/lib/<pkg>/<version>
• run rewrites ESM imports to absolute file:// URLs
• Packages are never copied into project folders
• No node_modules, no symbolic links, no hard links

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Example Structure

~/.neonpack/lib/
├── lodash/
│   └── 4.17.21/
│       ├── package.json
│       ├── lodash.js
│       └── ...

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