bun link
Link local packages for development
Use bun link in a local directory to register the current package as a “linkable” package.
cd /path/to/cool-pkg
cat package.json
bun linkbun link v1.3.3 (7416672e)
Success! Registered "cool-pkg"
To use cool-pkg in a project, run:
bun link cool-pkg
Or add it in dependencies in your package.json file:
"cool-pkg": "link:cool-pkg"This package can now be “linked” into other projects using bun link cool-pkg, which creates a symlink in the target project’s node_modules directory pointing to the local directory.
cd /path/to/my-app
bun link cool-pkgThe --save flag also adds cool-pkg to the dependencies field of your app’s package.json, with a version specifier that tells Bun to load from the registered local directory instead of installing from npm:
{
"name": "my-app",
"version": "1.0.0",
"dependencies": {
"cool-pkg": "link:cool-pkg"
}
}Unlinking
Use bun unlink in the root directory to unregister a local package.
cd /path/to/cool-pkg
bun unlinkbun unlink v1.3.3 (7416672e)
success: unlinked package "cool-pkg"CLI Usage
bun link <packages>Installation Scope
--globalbooleanInstall globally. Alias: -g
Dependency Management
--productionbooleanDon’t install devDependencies. Alias: -p
--omitstringExclude dev, optional, or peer dependencies from install
Project Files & Lockfiles
--yarnbooleanWrite a yarn.lock file (yarn v1). Alias: -y
--frozen-lockfilebooleanDisallow changes to lockfile
--save-text-lockfilebooleanSave a text-based lockfile
--lockfile-onlybooleanGenerate a lockfile without installing dependencies
--no-savebooleanDon’t update package.json or save a lockfile
--savebooleandefault: trueSave to package.json
--trustbooleanAdd to trustedDependencies in the project’s package.json and install the package(s)
Installation Control
--forcebooleanAlways request the latest versions from the registry & reinstall all dependencies. Alias: -f
--no-verifybooleanSkip verifying integrity of newly downloaded packages
--backendstringdefault: clonefilePlatform-specific optimizations for installing dependencies. One of clonefile, hardlink,
symlink, or copyfile
--linkerstringLinker strategy (one of isolated or hoisted)
--dry-runbooleanDon’t install anything
--ignore-scriptsbooleanSkip lifecycle scripts in the project’s package.json (dependency scripts are never run)
Network & Registry
--castringProvide a Certificate Authority signing certificate
--cafilestringSame as --ca, but as a file path to the certificate
--registrystringUse a specific registry by default, overriding .npmrc, bunfig.toml, and environment
variables
--network-concurrencynumberdefault: 48Maximum number of concurrent network requests
Performance & Resource
--concurrent-scriptsnumberMaximum number of concurrent jobs for lifecycle scripts (default: 2x CPU cores)
Caching
--cache-dirstringStore & load cached data from a specific directory path
--no-cachebooleanIgnore manifest cache entirely
Output & Logging
--silentbooleanDon’t log anything
--quietbooleanOnly show tarball name when packing
--verbosebooleanExcessively verbose logging
--no-progressbooleanDisable the progress bar
--no-summarybooleanDon’t print a summary
Platform Targeting
--cpustringOverride CPU architecture for optional dependencies (e.g., x64, arm64, * for
all)
--osstringOverride operating system for optional dependencies (e.g., linux, darwin, * for
all)
Global Configuration & Context
--configstringSpecify path to config file (bunfig.toml). Alias: -c
--cwdstringSet a specific current working directory
Help
--helpbooleanPrint this help menu. Alias: -h