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tessl/npm-prebuild

A command line tool for easily making prebuilt binaries for multiple versions of Node.js, Electron or node-webkit on a specific platform

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Overview
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Prebuild

Prebuild is a command line tool and JavaScript library for easily making prebuilt binaries for multiple versions of Node.js, Node-API, Electron, and NW.js on a specific platform. It automates the complex process of cross-compilation by downloading appropriate headers, managing build environments, and uploading prebuilt binaries to GitHub releases for distribution.

Package Information

  • Package Name: prebuild
  • Package Type: npm
  • Language: JavaScript
  • Installation: npm install -g prebuild (CLI) or npm install prebuild (programmatic)

Core Imports

const { build } = require('prebuild');

For individual modules:

const build = require('prebuild/build');
const upload = require('prebuild/upload'); 
const util = require('prebuild/util');
const prebuild = require('prebuild/prebuild');

Basic Usage

CLI Usage

# Build for all supported ABI versions
prebuild --all

# Build for specific targets
prebuild -t 16.14.0 -t 18.0.0

# Build for Node-API
prebuild -t 3 -r napi

# Build for Electron
prebuild -t 22.0.0 -r electron

# Build and upload to GitHub
prebuild --all --upload <github-token>

# Strip debug symbols
prebuild --all --strip

Programmatic Usage

const { build } = require('prebuild');

// Build for current Node.js version
build({
  pkg: require('./package.json'),
  log: console
}, '16.14.0', (err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('Build completed');
});

Architecture

Prebuild is built around several key components:

  • CLI Interface: Command-line tool (bin.js) that orchestrates the build process
  • Build System: Core build logic (build.js, prebuild.js) that manages compilation
  • Backend Abstraction: Support for multiple build systems (node-gyp, cmake-js, nw-gyp, node-ninja)
  • Cross-Platform Support: Handles Node.js, Node-API, Electron, and NW.js runtimes
  • Artifact Management: Packaging (pack.js), stripping (strip.js), and upload (upload.js) functionality
  • Configuration System: Runtime configuration (rc.js) with command-line and config file support

Capabilities

Build System

Core build functionality for compiling native modules against different Node.js runtimes and versions.

/**
 * Build native module for specified target and runtime
 * @param opts - Build options including pkg, log, backend, debug flags
 * @param version - Target version to build for
 * @param cb - Callback function (err) => void
 */
function build(opts, version, cb);

interface BuildOptions {
  pkg: PackageJson;
  log?: Logger;
  preinstall?: string;
  gyp?: object;
  backend?: 'node-gyp' | 'node-ninja' | 'nw-gyp' | 'cmake-js';
  args?: string[];
  debug?: boolean;
}

Build System

Configuration Management

Runtime configuration system supporting command-line arguments, config files, and environment variables.

/**
 * Parsed configuration object with defaults and CLI arguments
 */
interface ConfigurationOptions {
  target: string | string[];
  runtime: 'node' | 'napi' | 'electron' | 'node-webkit';
  arch: string;
  platform: string;
  backend: string;
  debug: boolean;
  strip: boolean;
  upload?: string;
  all: boolean;
  force: boolean;
  verbose: boolean;
  'include-regex': RegExp;
  'tag-prefix': string;
  prerelease: boolean;
}

Configuration

Upload System

GitHub releases integration for uploading prebuilt binaries with automatic release creation.

/**
 * Upload prebuilt binaries to GitHub releases
 * @param opts - Upload options including files, token, and release settings
 * @param cb - Callback function (err, result) => void
 */
function upload(opts, cb);

interface UploadOptions {
  pkg: PackageJson;
  files: string[];
  upload: string; // GitHub token
  'tag-prefix'?: string;
  prerelease?: boolean;
  gh?: object;
}

interface UploadResult {
  new: string[];
  old: string[];
}

Upload System

Utilities

Common utility functions for file operations, process spawning, and path generation.

/**
 * Generate tar file path for prebuilt binary
 * @param opts - Options containing package info and build settings
 * @param abi - ABI version string
 * @returns Generated tar file path
 */
function getTarPath(opts, abi): string;

/**
 * Spawn child process with error handling
 * @param cmd - Command to execute
 * @param args - Command arguments
 * @param cb - Callback function (err) => void
 */
function spawn(cmd, args, cb): void;

/**
 * Execute shell command or JavaScript file
 * @param item - Shell command or .js file path
 * @param cb - Callback function (err) => void
 */
function run(item, cb): void;

Utilities

Types

interface PackageJson {
  name: string;
  version: string;
  binary?: {
    module_name?: string; 
    module_path?: string;
    napi_versions?: number[];
  };
}

interface Logger {
  info: (...args: any[]) => void;
  verbose: (...args: any[]) => void;
  error: (...args: any[]) => void;
}

type Runtime = 'node' | 'napi' | 'electron' | 'node-webkit';
type Backend = 'node-gyp' | 'node-ninja' | 'nw-gyp' | 'cmake-js';
Workspace
tessl
Visibility
Public
Created
Last updated
Describes
npmpkg:npm/prebuild@13.0.x
Publish Source
CLI
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