# sindresorhus/create-dmg

Create a good-looking DMG for your macOS app in seconds

Repository: https://github.com/sindresorhus/create-dmg
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/create-dmg
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: nodejs, dmg, macos, cli-app, cli, app, disk-image, javascript
Last push: 2026-03-21T08:30:51+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 71/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 73, release rhythm 51, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3446, "days_push": 165, "days_rel": 165, "gap_med": 96.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5361, forks 221 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:16.018098+00:00)

## What it is
A Node.js CLI tool that automatically creates good-looking, code-signed DMG disk images for macOS app distribution. It is intentionally opinionated and simple, handling icon styling, license agreements, and signing with minimal configuration.

## Use cases
- create a dmg installer for my mac app
- package a macos app for distribution outside the app store
- make a good-looking dmg without a gui tool
- code sign a dmg in ci
- add a license agreement to a dmg
- automate dmg creation in a release pipeline

## When to choose
- you want a polished DMG quickly with zero design effort
- you need scriptable DMG creation for CI/CD releases
- you prefer an opinionated tool over configurable GUI apps like DMG Canvas

## When to avoid
- you need fine-grained control over DMG layout, backgrounds, or many options
- you are not distributing a macOS app
- you need Windows or Linux disk image formats

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, developer-tools, file-system, compression
- domain: developer-tools, operating-systems, apple-ecosystem
- platform: cli
- tags: dmg, disk-image, app-packaging, code-signing, app-distribution, automation, macos, nodejs

## Member repositories
- sindresorhus/create-dmg (main) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:16.018098+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:58:45.745630+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sindresorhus/create-dmg (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:16.018098+00:00, sha c4870e041282)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/create-dmg (fetched 2026-08-29T08:53:15.474056+00:00, sha 81e4f3c9c578)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.