BetterPack - A Universal Node.js Package Manager CLI

BetterPack (bpack) is a command-line interface (CLI) tool designed to simplify package management across different Node.js ecosystems. It automatically detects the package manager used in your project (npm, yarn, or pnpm) and translates universal commands into the appropriate commands for that manager.

Installation

You can install BetterPack globally using your favorite package manager:

npm

npm install -g betterpack

yarn

yarn global add betterpack

pnpm

pnpm add -g betterpack

bun

bun add -g betterpack

Supported Package Managers

• npm (Node.js Package Manager)
• yarn
• pnpm
• bun

Universal Commands

BetterPack provides a consistent set of commands:

• install: Install dependencies.
• add : Add a new package/dependency.
• remove : Remove an existing package/dependency.
• update: Update dependencies.
• run>: Run a script defined in the project's package.json.
• test: Run tests.
• build: Build the project.
• outdated: Check for outdated dependencies.
• list: List installed packages.
• doctor: Run a health check on the project.

Betterpack Commands

bpack gemini

Starts an interactive chat session with Google's Gemini AI.

bpack host

Starts a local web server in the current directory.

• Default Port: 4020
• Default Host: 0.0.0.0

bpack listversions

Lists the installed versions of all supported package managers.

bpack manage

A suite of commands for managing global packages and the tool itself.

• bpack manage [args]: Manage global packages for a specific package manager.
• bpack manage selfupdate: Automatically updates betterpack to the latest version.
• bpack manage about : Opens the project's GitHub repository or npm page in your browser.
• bpack manage support: Opens the "Buy Me a Coffee" page to support the project.
• bpack manage git autocommit : Enable or disable autocommit.

bpack node

Executes a JavaScript file using Node.js.

bpack watch

Watches a file for changes and automatically restarts the process.

bpack repair

Attempts to repair a broken betterpack installation by reinstalling it and clearing package manager caches.

bpack noinstall

Runs a command without installing the package globally, using pnpm dlx or yarn dlx.

bpack create-shortcut

Creates a shortcut for a bpack command. For example, bpack create-shortcut bl bpack list will allow you to run bpack list by simply typing bl.

bpack git

A wrapper for common git commands.

• bpack git init: Initialize a new git repository.
• bpack git clone : Clone a repository.
• bpack git pull: Pull changes from the remote repository.
• bpack git push: Push changes to the remote repository.
• bpack git commit: Commit changes. If autocommit is enabled, Gemini will generate a commit message.

Usage

Once installed, you can use `bpack` from any Node.js project directory. BetterPack will automatically detect the package manager from the lock file (`package-lock.json`, `yarn.lock`, `pnpm-lock.yaml`) and use it to run the commands.

Examples

Install dependencies:

bpack install

Add a new dependency:

bpack add express

Run a script from your `package.json`:

bpack run dev

Configuration

BetterPack works out of the box with no configuration required. However, you can customize its behavior using a .bpackrc file in your project's root directory. The configuration file should be in JSON format.

Example .bpackrc

{
  "defaultPackageManager": "pnpm",
  "autoCommit": true
}

Options

• defaultPackageManager: Set a default package manager to use if no lock file is found. Can be `npm`, `yarn`, or `pnpm`.
• autoCommit: Enable or disable autocommit for git commands. Can be `true` or `false`.

How it Works

1. Detection: BetterPack checks for the presence of package-lock.json (for npm), yarn.lock (for yarn), or pnpm-lock.yaml (for pnpm) in the current directory to identify the active package manager.
2. Translation: Based on the detected package manager, it translates the universal command (e.g., install) into the manager-specific command (e.g., npm install, yarn install, pnpm install).
3. Execution: The translated command is then executed using Node.js's child_process.spawn.

Support the Project