# vercel/pkg

Package your Node.js project into an executable

Repository: https://github.com/vercel/pkg
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pkg
Homepage: https://npmjs.com/pkg
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: nodejs, binaries, compiler, cli
Archived: true
Last push: 2024-01-03T01:38:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3677, "days_push": 974, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 24351, forks 1072 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:35.839636+00:00)

## What it is
A command-line tool that packages Node.js projects into standalone executables that run without Node.js installed, supporting cross-compilation for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It has been deprecated with 5.8.1 as the final release, and the repository is archived.

## Use cases
- package my node.js app into a single executable
- distribute a node app without requiring node.js installed
- cross-compile a node.js binary for linux, mac, and windows
- make a commercial demo of my app without shipping source code
- deploy a node app as one file instead of npm install
- bundle assets inside a node executable

## When to choose
- you need to ship a Node.js app as a standalone binary on Node 16-18 era runtimes
- you want cross-platform executables from one machine without installing Node on targets
- you want to distribute an app without exposing source code

## When to avoid
- starting a new project - the tool is deprecated and archived
- you are on Node.js 21+ and can use native single executable applications
- you need active maintenance, security fixes, or new Node version support - consider forks like @yao-pkg/pkg

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: abandoned
- function: compiler, cli, build-tool, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform, backend
- platform: cli, windows, cross-platform
- tags: nodejs-packaging, single-executable, deprecated, cross-compilation, binary-distribution, command-line, nodejs, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- vercel/pkg (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:35.839636+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 2026-08-29T16:56:15.312180+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/vercel/pkg (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:35.839636+00:00, sha b556dd19d509)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/pkg (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:52.400921+00:00, sha 891ab56a0dc9)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.