bun link

Link local packages for development

Use bun link in a local directory to register the current package as a “linkable” package.

terminal

cd /path/to/cool-pkg
cat package.json
bun link

bun link v1.x (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. This will create a symlink in the node_modules directory of the target project, pointing to the local directory.

terminal

cd /path/to/my-app
bun link cool-pkg

In addition, the --save flag can be used to add cool-pkg to the dependencies field of your app’s package.json with a special version specifier that tells Bun to load from the registered local directory instead of installing from npm:

package.json

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "cool-pkg": "link:cool-pkg"
  }
}

---

CLI Usage

bun link <packages>

Installation Scope

--global · boolean

Install globally. Alias: -g

Dependency Management

--production · boolean

Don’t install devDependencies. Alias: -p

--omit · string

Exclude dev, optional, or peer dependencies from install

Project Files & Lockfiles

--yarn · boolean

Write a yarn.lock file (yarn v1). Alias: -y

--frozen-lockfile · boolean

Disallow changes to lockfile

--save-text-lockfile · boolean

Save a text-based lockfile

--lockfile-only · boolean

Generate a lockfile without installing dependencies

--no-save · boolean

Don’t update package.json or save a lockfile

--save · boolean · default: "true"

Save to package.json (true by default)

--trust · boolean

Add to trustedDependencies in the project’s package.json and install the package(s)

Installation Control

--force · boolean

Always request the latest versions from the registry & reinstall all dependencies. Alias: -f

--no-verify · boolean

Skip verifying integrity of newly downloaded packages

--backend · string · default: "clonefile"

Platform-specific optimizations for installing dependencies. Possible values: clonefile (default), hardlink, symlink, copyfile

--linker · string

Linker strategy (one of isolated or hoisted)

--dry-run · boolean

Don’t install anything

--ignore-scripts · boolean

Skip lifecycle scripts in the project’s package.json (dependency scripts are never run)

Network & Registry

--ca · string

Provide a Certificate Authority signing certificate

--cafile · string

Same as —ca, but as a file path to the certificate

--registry · string

Use a specific registry by default, overriding .npmrc, bunfig.toml, and environment variables

--network-concurrency · number · default: "48"

Maximum number of concurrent network requests (default 48)

Performance & Resource

--concurrent-scripts · number · default: "5"

Maximum number of concurrent jobs for lifecycle scripts (default 5)

Caching

--cache-dir · string

Store & load cached data from a specific directory path

--no-cache · boolean

Ignore manifest cache entirely

Output & Logging

--silent · boolean

Don’t log anything

--quiet · boolean

Only show tarball name when packing

--verbose · boolean

Excessively verbose logging

--no-progress · boolean

Disable the progress bar

--no-summary · boolean

Don’t print a summary

Platform Targeting

--cpu · string

Override CPU architecture for optional dependencies (e.g., x64, arm64, * for all)

--os · string

Override operating system for optional dependencies (e.g., linux, darwin, * for all)

Global Configuration & Context

--config · string

Specify path to config file (bunfig.toml). Alias: -c

--cwd · string

Set a specific current working directory

Help

--help · boolean

Print this help menu. Alias: -h