pkgNode.js to single executable

Ship your Node.js project as one self-contained binary. No runtime install. No npm. Just run.

Get started

SEA vs Standard

View on GitHub

📦

Single file deploy

One binary per target. No Node.js install, no node_modules, no dependency churn on the deployment host.

🌍

Cross-compile

Build Linux, macOS, and Windows binaries for x64 and arm64 from a single host. Works out of the box on Node 20 and 24; Node 22 needs --sea or --public.

🔒

Source protection

V8 bytecode compilation keeps your source out of the final binary. Optional Brotli and GZip compression shrinks it further.

⚡

Native addons

.node files are detected, extracted, and loaded transparently at runtime. Works with the bindings package.

🧩

Virtual filesystem

Your project files live inside the binary under /snapshot/. require, fs, and path all Just Work.

🚀

SEA mode

Opt into Node.js Single Executable Applications for stock-binary packaging. No patched Node.js, faster builds.

Terminal recording: pkg index.js produces linux, macos, and windows binaries in one second — One command. Three binaries. Runs on machines without Node.js installed.

Quick install

npm install -g @yao-pkg/pkg

Requires Node.js >= 22 on the build host.

Your first binary

CLI, entry fileCLI, package.jsonNode.js API

pkg index.js

pkg .

const { exec } = require('@yao-pkg/pkg');
await exec(['index.js', '--target', 'host', '--output', 'app']);

pkg reads package.json, follows the bin entry, walks your dependencies, and produces executables for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Want to target a specific platform?

pkg -t node22-linux-arm64 index.js

Standard or SEA?

Two build modes: Standard (pkg .) gives you bytecode protection and compression; Enhanced SEA (pkg . --sea) runs on stock Node.js with no patches. Pick via SEA vs Standard.

Why pkg?

Commercial apps — ship without sources
CLI tools — distribute one binary, no npm install on user machines
Demos & trials — no runtime, no dependencies to break
Self-extracting installers — one file, portable
Edge & containers — smaller, faster deploys

See the full use cases →