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# bun add (/pm/cli/add)

<!-- agent-signals: reading_time_min: 4 · est_tokens: 2240 · updated: 2026-08-02 -->
Related: [bun install](/pm/cli/install.md), [bun link](/pm/cli/link.md), [bun patch](/pm/cli/patch.md), [bun pm](/pm/cli/pm.md), [bun remove](/pm/cli/remove.md), [bun update](/pm/cli/update.md)

> Add packages to your project with Bun's fast package manager

To add a particular package:

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add preact
```

To specify a version, version range, or tag:

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add zod@3.20.0
bun add zod@^3.0.0
bun add zod@latest
```

## `--dev`

<Note>**Alias** — `--development`, `-d`, `-D`</Note>

To add a package as a dev dependency (`"devDependencies"`):

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add --dev @types/react
bun add -d @types/react
```

## `--optional`

To add a package as an optional dependency (`"optionalDependencies"`):

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add --optional lodash
```

## `--peer`

To add a package as a peer dependency (`"peerDependencies"`):

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add --peer @types/bun
```

## `--exact`

<Note>**Alias** — `-E`</Note>

To pin a package to the resolved version, use `--exact`. Bun writes the exact version number to your `package.json` instead of a version range.

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add react --exact
bun add react -E
```

The difference in `package.json`:

```json icon="file-json" title="package.json"
{
  "dependencies": {
    // without --exact
    "react": "^18.2.0", // this matches >= 18.2.0 < 19.0.0

    // with --exact
    "react": "18.2.0" // this matches only 18.2.0 exactly
  }
}
```

To view a complete list of options for this command:

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add --help
```

## `--global`

<Note>**Alias** — `bun add --global`, `bun add -g`, `bun install --global` and `bun install -g`</Note>

To install a package globally, use the `-g`/`--global` flag. This does not modify the `package.json` of your current project. Use it to install command-line tools.

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add --global cowsay # or `bun add -g cowsay`
cowsay "Bun!"
```

```txt
 ______
< Bun! >
 ------
        \   ^__^
         \  (oo)\_______
            (__)\       )\/\
                ||----w |
                ||     ||
```

<Accordion title="Configuring global installation behavior">
  ```toml icon="settings" title="bunfig.toml"
  [install]
  # where `bun add --global` installs packages
  globalDir = "~/.bun/install/global"

  # where globally-installed package bins are linked
  globalBinDir = "~/.bun/bin"
  ```
</Accordion>

## Trusted dependencies

Unlike other npm clients, Bun does not execute arbitrary lifecycle scripts for installed dependencies, such as `postinstall`. These scripts represent a potential security risk, as they can execute arbitrary code on your machine.

To tell Bun to allow lifecycle scripts for a particular package, add the package to `trustedDependencies` in your package.json.

```json icon="file-json" title="package.json"
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "trustedDependencies": ["my-trusted-package"] // [!code ++]
}
```

Bun reads this field and runs lifecycle scripts for `my-trusted-package`.

## Git dependencies

To add a dependency from a public or private git repository:

```bash icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add git@github.com:moment/moment.git
```

<Note>To install private repositories, your system needs the appropriate SSH credentials to access the repository.</Note>

Bun supports a variety of protocols, including [`github`](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v9/configuring-npm/package-json#github-urls), [`git`](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v9/configuring-npm/package-json#git-urls-as-dependencies), `git+ssh`, and `git+https`.

```json icon="file-json" title="package.json"
{
  "dependencies": {
    "dayjs": "git+https://github.com/iamkun/dayjs.git",
    "lodash": "git+ssh://github.com/lodash/lodash.git#4.17.21",
    "moment": "git@github.com:moment/moment.git",
    "zod": "github:colinhacks/zod"
  }
}
```

## Tarball dependencies

A package name can correspond to a publicly hosted `.tgz` file. Bun downloads and installs the package from that tarball URL rather than from the package registry.

```sh icon="terminal" title="terminal" terminal
bun add zod@https://registry.npmjs.org/zod/-/zod-3.21.4.tgz
```

`bun add` writes the URL to your `package.json`:

```json icon="file-json" title="package.json"
{
  "dependencies": {
    "zod": "https://registry.npmjs.org/zod/-/zod-3.21.4.tgz"
  }
}
```

***

## CLI Usage

```bash
bun add <package> <@version>
```

### Dependency Management

<ParamField path="--production" type="boolean">Don't install devDependencies. Alias: <code>-p</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--omit" type="string">Exclude <code>dev</code>, <code>optional</code>, or <code>peer</code> dependencies from install</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--global" type="boolean">Install globally. Alias: <code>-g</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--dev" type="boolean">Add dependency to <code>devDependencies</code>. Alias: <code>-d</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--optional" type="boolean">Add dependency to <code>optionalDependencies</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--peer" type="boolean">Add dependency to <code>peerDependencies</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--exact" type="boolean">Add the exact version instead of the <code>^</code> range. Alias: <code>-E</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--only-missing" type="boolean">Only add dependencies to <code>package.json</code> if they are not already present</ParamField>

### Project Files & Lockfiles

<ParamField path="--yarn" type="boolean">Write a <code>yarn.lock</code> file (yarn v1). Alias: <code>-y</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-save" type="boolean">Don't update <code>package.json</code> or save a lockfile</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--save" type="boolean" default="true">Save to <code>package.json</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--frozen-lockfile" type="boolean">Disallow changes to lockfile</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--trust" type="boolean">Add to <code>trustedDependencies</code> in the project's <code>package.json</code> and install the package(s)</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--save-text-lockfile" type="boolean">Save a text-based lockfile</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--lockfile-only" type="boolean">Generate a lockfile without installing dependencies</ParamField>

### Installation Control

<ParamField path="--dry-run" type="boolean">Don't install anything</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean">Always request the latest versions from the registry & reinstall all dependencies. Alias: <code>-f</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-verify" type="boolean">Skip verifying integrity of newly downloaded packages</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--ignore-scripts" type="boolean">Skip lifecycle scripts in the project's <code>package.json</code> (dependency scripts are never run)</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--analyze" type="boolean">Recursively analyze & install dependencies of files passed as arguments (using Bun's bundler). Alias:{" "}
<code>-a</code></ParamField>

### Network & Registry

<ParamField path="--ca" type="string">Provide a Certificate Authority signing certificate</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--cafile" type="string">Same as <code>--ca</code>, but as a file path to the certificate</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--registry" type="string">Use a specific registry by default, overriding <code>.npmrc</code>, <code>bunfig.toml</code>, and environment
variables</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--network-concurrency" type="number" default="48">Maximum number of concurrent network requests</ParamField>

### Performance & Resource

<ParamField path="--backend" type="string" default="clonefile">Platform-specific optimizations for installing dependencies. One of <code>clonefile</code>, <code>hardlink</code>,{" "}
<code>symlink</code>, or <code>copyfile</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--concurrent-scripts" type="number">Maximum number of concurrent jobs for lifecycle scripts (default: 2x CPU cores)</ParamField>

### Caching

<ParamField path="--cache-dir" type="string">Store & load cached data from a specific directory path</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-cache" type="boolean">Ignore manifest cache entirely</ParamField>

### Output & Logging

<ParamField path="--silent" type="boolean">Don't log anything</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--verbose" type="boolean">Excessively verbose logging</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-progress" type="boolean">Disable the progress bar</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--no-summary" type="boolean">Don't print a summary</ParamField>

### Global Configuration & Context

<ParamField path="--config" type="string">Specify path to config file (<code>bunfig.toml</code>). Alias: <code>-c</code></ParamField>

<ParamField path="--cwd" type="string">Set a specific current working directory</ParamField>

### Help

<ParamField path="--help" type="boolean">Print this help menu. Alias: <code>-h</code></ParamField>