Install the SDK

Requires Node.js 22 or later. ESM, CommonJS, and TypeScript declarations are included.

Install from npm

The openship package includes Ship SDK and the CLI starting with 0.8.0:

npm install openship

If your project has an older CLI-only version, upgrade the local dependency:

npm install openship@latest
npm ls openship

Versions before 0.8.0 do not include the SDK entry points. Upgrading the package does not upgrade a remote OpenShip server; see server compatibility.

Test changes from source

Contributors can build and install a local package without publishing it:

1. Build the public package from the repository root:

   bun install --frozen-lockfile
   bun run build:sdk

2. Create a tarball. Use the filename printed by npm pack:

   cd packages/openship
   npm pack

3. Install that tarball in your Node project:

   npm install /absolute/path/to/openship-0.8.0.tgz

Use the actual tarball filename printed by npm pack; it follows the checkout's package version.

Choose an import

import { createShip, OpenshipClient } from "openship";
import type { ScopedShip, ProjectOperations } from "openship";

const { OpenshipClient } = require("openship/client");
const { createShip } = require("openship/native");

Imports are passive. An import does not start the CLI, open a database, or create a worker.

Use the CLI from the same installation

npx openship --help

Installing the dependency locally provides both application imports and the command through npx or npm scripts. A global CLI installation does not replace your application's local dependency.

Continue with remote setup, native setup, or the runnable example. See compatibility for server requirements.