# peer-npm

**Repository Path**: mirrors_regular/peer-npm

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: peer-npm
- **Description**: :honeybee: Publish and install node packages from the swarm.
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Not specified
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-09-25
- **Last Updated**: 2026-05-24

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# peer-npm

> an npm-compatible registry backed by peer-to-peer networks

**NOTE**: Very unstable and mad science-y. Use at your own discretion.

## WHY would someone want something like this?

- I want an easy way to use/publish/install packages when I'm offline
- I want to be able to install/share packages /w my friends over LAN
- I want my packages to be available & resistant to censorship & network failure
- I want a fail-safe in case npm Inc ever goes away or is seized by the
  government
- I want a package manager whose backend is 100% permissively open source

## Usage

To be used just like vanilla `npm`, but with a subset of commands: `install`,
`remove`, and `publish`.

```
USAGE:

  peer-npm i, install [-S] [-D]

    Works like `npm install`. Accepts a peer-npm package name to install from
    the swarm.

  peer-npm publish

    Works like `npm publish`. Publish the current package to the swarm.
    Generates a new keypair if one is not already present.

```

## Getting started

### Install

With [npm](https://npmjs.org/) installed, run

```
$ npm install --global peer-npm
```

### Join the swarm

In another window run

```
$ peer-npm daemon
```

so that you can download packages from others and share the ones you publish.

### Publish a module to the swarm

Let's grab a package from github and try to publish it:

```
$ cd /tmp

$ git clone https://github.com/noffle/resync-srt

$ cd resync-srt

$ npm install

$ peer-npm publish
+ resync-srt_hyperdrive_c5abee5fd496620499c3d203f15c95d24a51d16ec05dea4a8ab2c88368c296b9
Published 3.1.0
```

`resync-srt` is now in the swarm! The name of the package is made of three
parts, concatenated by underscores: the package name, the peer network its
shared on, and the public key of the publisher.

### Install a swarm dependency

Let's make a new package that depends on `resync-srt`:

```
$ cd /tmp
$ mkdir foobar
$ cd foobar

$ npm init

# you'll want to use the package name generated from the last step
$ peer-npm install --save resync-srt_hyperdrive_c5abee5fd496620499c3d203f15c95d24a51d16ec05dea4a8ab2c88368c296b9
```

If you look in your `package.json` you'll see a new section called
`swarmDependencies`. This lets `peer-npm` know what packages you depend on in
the swarm, but in a way that keeps vanilla `npm` working.

In fact, you can have a package in both `swarmDependencies` *and* regular
`dependencies`. Using `peer-npm` won't break your package for non-`peer-npm`
users.


## How does it work?

`peer-npm` pretends to be an npm registry, but running on your local machine.
When you run `peer-npm daemon` it runs this registry (and also does the peering
logic).

`peer-npm install` is mostly a wrapper for something like `npm install
--registry=http://localhost:9000`.

When you publish or try to install a package, `peer-npm` looks at its name to
decide whether it is a package from the central npm registry, or from the swarm.

npm packages have a name like `field-trip`, whereas swarm packages have a name
like `field-trip_hyperdrive_79cf7ecc9baf627642099542b3714bbef`. The part after
the name is the public key of the author. This makes packages resiliant against
impersonation or malicious peers.

`peer-npm` can work with different peer networks; right now there is only a
[hyperdrive](https://github.com/mafintosh/hyperdrive) driver, which is the
default.

When you run `peer-npm install` it will find other peers with the packages you
want and download them, recursively down the dependency tree. Similarly, when
you run `peer-npm publish`, the new package's key is shared amongst other
`peer-npm` peers for future discovery.

## IRC

Come hang out in `#peer-npm` on Freenode to help test and develop!

## License

ISC