π Introducing blaze-install: A Faster, Modern Alternative to npm for Node.js
Are you tired of waiting for npm install to finish? Frustrated by bloated lockfiles and cryptic errors? I was tooβso I built blaze-install, a new package manager for Node.js that's all about speed, clarity, and a better developer experience.
Why blaze-install?
- Blazing Fast: Parallel downloads, extraction, and a global cache make installs 2β10x faster than npm in real-world projects.
- Clean Lockfile: No more stale or unused dependenciesβyour lockfile is always pruned and up to date.
- Beautiful CLI: Progress bars, color, and clear, actionable error messages.
- Modern Features: Native monorepo/workspace support, automatic lockfile pruning, and a robust plugin system.
- Extensible: Add your own plugins to hook into every major lifecycle event (install, uninstall, update, audit, clean, and more).
Key Features
- π Speed: Parallelized everything, with a global cache for deduplication.
- ποΈ Workspaces: Native, fast monorepo support.
- π Audit: Built-in security checks using the npm audit API.
- 𧩠Plugins: Extend blaze-install with custom hooks for every command.
- οΏ½οΏ½ Lockfile Pruning: No more bloatβlockfile is always clean.
- π₯ Robust Error Handling: Clear, actionable feedback.
- οΏ½οΏ½ Beautiful Output: Progress bars and color for a modern DX.
Latest Release Highlights (v1.5.0)
- Plugin System: Easily extend blaze-install with before/after hooks for all major commands. Example plugins included!
-
Offline Mode: Install from local cache only with
--offlineflag -
Prefetch Command: Cache all dependencies for offline use with
blaze prefetch -
Self-Healing:
blaze doctor --fixauto-repairs common issues - Enhanced Peer Dependencies: Clear warnings and auto-install prompts
-
Visual Dependency Graphs:
blaze graphoutputs Mermaid.js diagrams - Interactive Upgrades: Guided updates for outdated dependencies
- Even Faster: Parallelized network requests and metadata caching
Quick Start
npm install -g blaze-install
Then, in your project:
blaze install # Install all dependencies
blaze install <package> # Add a package
blaze uninstall <package> # Remove a package
blaze update <package> # Update a package
blaze audit # Security audit
blaze clean # Remove node_modules and cache
blaze doctor --fix # Auto-repair common issues
blaze prefetch # Cache dependencies for offline use
blaze graph # Visualize dependency tree
Plugins: Make blaze-install Your Own
Want to automate, customize, or extend your workflow? Just drop a JS file in the plugins/ directory:
// plugins/examplePlugin.js
module.exports = {
onCommand({ command, args, context }) {
console.log(`[plugin] Command executed: ${command}`);
},
beforeInstall() { /* ... */ },
afterInstall() { /* ... */ },
beforeUninstall() { /* ... */ },
afterUninstall() { /* ... */ },
beforeUpdate() { /* ... */ },
afterUpdate() { /* ... */ },
beforeAudit() { /* ... */ },
afterAudit() { /* ... */ },
beforeClean() { /* ... */ },
afterClean() { /* ... */ },
};
Why Not Just Use npm?
npm is great, but it's built for every possible use caseβincluding a lot of legacy baggage. blaze-install is focused on the modern 90%:
- Faster installs
- Cleaner lockfiles
- Better developer experience
- Extensibility for power users
blaze-install vs npm: Feature Comparison
| Feature | blaze-install | npm install |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | π Blazing fast: parallel downloads, global cache, deduplication | Slower, sequential, no global cache |
| Lockfile | Always pruned, only what you need | Can become bloated, stale deps remain |
| UX | Beautiful CLI, progress bars, colored output | Basic CLI, minimal feedback |
| Workspaces | Native support, fast monorepo installs | Supported, but slower and more complex |
| Peer/Optional Deps | Clear warnings, robust handling | Sometimes cryptic or missing warnings |
| Audit | Built-in, fast, npm audit API | Built-in |
| Lifecycle Scripts | Full support (preinstall, install, postinstall) | Supported |
| Global Store | Yes, dedupes across projects | No |
| Error Handling | Clear, actionable, modern | Sometimes cryptic |
| Modern Focus | No legacy cruft, focused on 90% use case | Lots of legacy baggage |
| Extensibility | Plugin system with lifecycle hooks | No plugin system |
| Automatic Pruning | Yes, after uninstall/update | No |
| Interactive Mode | Yes, guided menu | No |
| Graph Visualization | Yes, Mermaid.js output | No |
| Doctor/Repair | Yes, built-in | No |
| Offline Mode | Yes, with prefetch | Limited |
| Self-Healing | Yes, auto-repair common issues | No |
Summary:
- blaze-install is faster, cleaner, and more extensible for modern Node.js projects.
- npm is still the default for legacy/edge-case support and ecosystem size.
Try It Out!
I'd love your feedback, bug reports, and feature requests!
Let's build a better Node.js workflow together.
#node #npm #javascript #webdev #showdev
Top comments (2)
π Release v1.10.10: Enhanced Plugin System & Performance Improvements
We're excited to announce the latest release of blaze-install! This version brings significant improvements to the plugin system, better performance, and enhanced developer experience.
What's New in v1.10.10
π Enhanced Plugin System
β‘ Performance Improvements
π οΈ Developer Experience
π§ Bug Fixes
Quick Update
What's Next?
We're working on even more exciting features for the next release. Stay tuned for:
Try it out: github.com/Nom-nom-hub/blaze-cli
#nodejs #javascript #npm #package-manager #blaze-install
Release v1.4.0: _
Highlights: