Show HN: Static builds of popular open source libraries on npmjs.org

1 month ago 6

Pre-compiled static builds of popular open source libraries for Node.js and Bun

ffilibs provides pre-compiled static versions of popular open source libraries, packaged for easy distribution via npm. This eliminates the need to compile native dependencies from source, making it faster and easier to use powerful libraries like libgit2, libssh2, and others in your JavaScript/TypeScript projects.

⚡ Fast Installation: No more waiting for native compilation
🔧 Zero Dependencies: Static builds with no external library requirements
🌍 Cross-Platform: Support for macOS, Windows, and Linux on both x64 and ARM architectures
📦 npm Ready: Simple npm install - no build tools required
🦀 Bun Optimized: Works seamlessly with Bun's FFI capabilities

npm install @ffilibs/libgit2-beta

Bun makes it incredibly easy to call into these native libraries:

import { dlopen, ptr, CString } from 'bun:ffi'; import path from 'path'; // Load the library const lib = dlopen(path.join(process.cwd(), 'node_modules/@ffilibs/libgit2-beta/prebuilds/linux/arm/lib/libgit2.a'), { git_libgit2_init: { args: [], returns: 'int', }, git_libgit2_shutdown: { args: [], returns: 'int', }, // Add more functions as needed }); // Initialize libgit2 lib.symbols.git_libgit2_init(); // Your code here... // Cleanup lib.symbols.git_libgit2_shutdown();

Library Version Description Package

libgit2	1.9.1	Git implementation library	@ffilibs/libgit2-beta
libssh2	1.9.0	SSH2 lib	@ffilibs/libssh2-beta
yogalayout.dev	3.2.1	Cross-platform layout engine	@ffilibs/yogalayout.dev-beta

Platform x64 ARM64

macOS	✅	✅
Linux	✅	✅
Windows	✅	❌

Each library is built with optimized settings:

Static linking: No external dependencies
Release mode: Optimized for performance
Cross-platform: Built on GitHub Actions for all supported platforms
Consistent configuration: SSH support enabled where applicable

To build a library locally:

cd packages/libgit2 ./build.sh

The build script will:

Download the source code
Configure with appropriate flags
Compile with all CPU cores
Package into release.tar.gz

This project is inspired by a tweet from @thdxr:

"there needs to be a project that provides static builds of common libraries (libgit2, treesitter, yoga, etc) for x64 + ARM + mac/windows/linux and publishes them to npm

bun makes it stupid easy to call into these, it's just the packaging that is annoying"

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help: