flash-install - Blazingly Fast Package Installation

What is flash-install?

flash-install is a fast, drop-in replacement for npm install, focused on drastically speeding up Node.js dependency installation through deterministic caching, parallel operations, and .flashpack archive snapshotting.

⚡ Blazing Fast

Installs dependencies from cache when available, avoiding network requests and reducing installation time by up to 30x

📦 Snapshot Support

Creates and restores .flashpack archives for instant dependency restoration, perfect for CI/CD environments

🔄 Parallel Operations

Installs packages in parallel using Node.js worker threads, maximizing your system's capabilities

🔒 Offline Mode

Install dependencies without internet connection using cache or snapshots, ideal for air-gapped environments

✅ Checksum Validation

Verifies package integrity against npm registry checksums, ensuring security and reliability

🔌 Plugin System

Extensible architecture with lifecycle hooks for custom workflows and integrations

Installation

npm install -g @flash-install/cli

Basic Usage

# Standard installation
flash-install

# Create a snapshot
flash-install snapshot

# Restore from a snapshot
flash-install restore

# Clean up
flash-install clean

# Clean only node_modules (preserves snapshot)
flash-install clean-modules

# Clean only snapshot (preserves node_modules)
flash-install clean-snapshot

Performance Comparison

Scenario	npm install	flash-install	Speedup
First install (small project)	30-60s	10-15s	3-4x
First install (large project)	3-5min	1-2min	2-3x
Subsequent install (from cache)	30-60s	5-10s	6-10x
Subsequent install (from snapshot)	30-60s	1-3s	20-30x
CI/CD environment	1-3min	5-15s	10-20x

Advanced Features

Intelligent Cleaning

Granular control over cleanup operations - selectively clean node_modules, snapshots, or both with smart detection of what needs cleaning.

Advanced Cache Management

Sophisticated caching system with automatic optimization, integrity verification, and pruning of unused packages.

Extensible Plugin Architecture

Powerful plugin system with lifecycle hooks for custom build steps, security scanning, and more.

True Offline Development

Continue working without internet using intelligent caching and snapshot restoration.

Flexible Snapshot System

Multiple compression formats optimized for different use cases - from maximum speed to minimum size.

Enterprise-Grade Security

Rigorous package validation against npm registry checksums and automatic vulnerability scanning.

Smart Dependency Tracking

Automatic snapshot invalidation when dependencies change, ensuring your builds stay deterministic.

⚡ flash-install