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# @swc/core-darwin-arm64
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@swc/core-darwin-arm64 is a platform-specific native binary package that provides the macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon) native Node.js addon for SWC (Speedy Web Compiler). This package contains only the compiled native binary (`swc.darwin-arm64.node`) and does not provide any direct JavaScript API. It is automatically loaded by the main `@swc/core` package when running on compatible systems.
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## Package Information
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- **Package Name**: @swc/core-darwin-arm64
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- **Package Type**: npm
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- **Language**: Rust (native binary)
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- **Installation**: Automatically installed as an optional dependency of `@swc/core`
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- **Platform**: macOS (darwin), ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
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- **Node.js**: Version 10 or higher
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- **Binary File**: `swc.darwin-arm64.node`
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## Core Imports
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This package does not provide any direct JavaScript imports or API. The native binary is automatically loaded by the main `@swc/core` package:
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```javascript
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// @swc/core automatically loads the platform-specific binary
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const swc = require("@swc/core");
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```
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For TypeScript:
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```typescript
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import * as swc from "@swc/core";
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```
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## Basic Usage
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Since this is a platform-specific binary package with no API surface, you interact with SWC functionality through the main `@swc/core` package:
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```typescript
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import { transform } from "@swc/core";
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// The darwin-arm64 binary is automatically used for the transformation
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const result = await transform("const x: number = 1;", {
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  jsc: {
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    parser: {
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      syntax: "typescript",
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    },
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    target: "es2018",
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  },
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  module: {
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    type: "commonjs",
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  },
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});
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console.log(result.code); // Transformed JavaScript
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```
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## Architecture
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@swc/core-darwin-arm64 is part of SWC's multi-platform distribution strategy:
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- **Native Binary**: Contains only `swc.darwin-arm64.node`, a compiled Rust binary providing optimal performance
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- **Platform Detection**: The main @swc/core package automatically detects the platform and loads the appropriate binary
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- **Fallback Support**: If the native binary fails to load, @swc/core falls back to a WebAssembly version
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- **NAPI Integration**: Uses Node.js N-API for stable binary interface across Node.js versions
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- **Optional Dependency**: Installed as an optional dependency by @swc/core based on the target platform
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## Capabilities
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### Native Binary Provision
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The sole capability of this package is to provide the underlying native implementation that powers all SWC transformation operations on macOS ARM64 systems.
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```typescript { .api }
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// This package provides no JavaScript API
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// Binary file: swc.darwin-arm64.node
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// Automatically loaded by @swc/core when available
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```
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The package contains only the native binary file and does not export any JavaScript functions or interfaces. All SWC functionality is accessed through the main `@swc/core` package, which dynamically loads this binary when running on compatible systems.
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## Platform Requirements
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- **Operating System**: macOS (darwin)
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- **Architecture**: ARM64 (Apple Silicon: M1, M2, M3, M4 processors)
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- **Node.js**: Version 10 or higher
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- **Dependencies**: None (this package contains only the binary file)
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## Installation Notes
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This package is automatically installed as an optional dependency by @swc/core and should not be installed manually:
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```bash
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# Correct installation - this automatically installs the platform-specific binary
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npm install @swc/core
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```
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Manual installation is unnecessary and not recommended:
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```bash
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# Not recommended - the binary is automatically managed
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npm install @swc/core-darwin-arm64
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```
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## Troubleshooting
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### Binary Loading Issues
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If the native binary fails to load, @swc/core automatically falls back to the WebAssembly version (@swc/wasm) with reduced performance. Common issues include:
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- **Architecture mismatch**: Using x64 Node.js on ARM64 system or vice versa
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- **Node.js version**: Unsupported Node.js version (< 10)
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- **Binary corruption**: Re-installing @swc/core typically resolves this
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- **Missing native binary**: Package may not have been installed correctly
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### Platform Detection
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You can verify which binary is being used:
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```typescript
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import { getBinaryMetadata } from "@swc/core";
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console.log(getBinaryMetadata());
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// Expected output on ARM64 macOS: { target: "aarch64-apple-darwin" }
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```
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## Performance Characteristics
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The native binary provides significant performance advantages over JavaScript alternatives when successfully loaded:
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- **Parsing**: 20x faster than TypeScript compiler
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- **Transformation**: 20x faster than Babel
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- **Minification**: Comparable to Terser with better performance
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- **Memory Usage**: Lower memory footprint due to Rust implementation
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- **Multi-threading**: Utilizes multiple CPU cores for large codebases
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## Related Packages
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- **@swc/core**: Main package providing the JavaScript API
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- **@swc/wasm**: WebAssembly fallback when native binary is unavailable
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- **Other platform binaries**: @swc/core-darwin-x64, @swc/core-linux-x64-gnu, @swc/core-win32-x64-msvc, etc.