Package Management Guide (doc) #502
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@nektro since I believe you are well informed about zig’s package management, I would love your feedback—all good either way. |
linusg
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Given the consistent use of Zig version 0.11.0 (latest is 0.14.1), APIs/manifest format that no longer exist, and lengthy generic "best practices" at the end I suspect this was AI generated.
| .dependencies = .{ | ||
| .lodash = .{ | ||
| .url = "https://example.com/lodash-4.17.21.tar.gz", | ||
| .hash = "12203f48c6cf5de9a2d4558209f72b18e2c9f3f8e6c6f71450628dffbfce00b40", // Always gets EXACTLY this code |
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| ### What Makes Zig’s Package Manager Different? | ||
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| Most package managers rely on central registries and version numbers to manage dependencies. Zig takes a fundamentally different approach: it’s **decentralized** and **content-addressed**. |
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Pretty much all modern package managers have lock files so the comparison below doesn't make much sense. The version / resolved / integrity fields in an npm package-lock.json basically match what build.zig.zon does.
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| ### The Package Manifest | ||
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| Every Zig project with dependencies has a `build.zig.zon` file that serves as the package manifest. This file defines: |
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Zig projects that use git submodules or third-party package managers like zigmod (unfortunately) still exist in the wild. I don't think those should be covered in official docs but as worded this isn't true.
| const exe = b.addExecutable(.{ | ||
| .name = "my-app", | ||
| .root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"), |
| .name = "my-project", | ||
| .version = "0.1.0", | ||
| .minimum_zig_version = "0.11.0", |
| **For Teams:** | ||
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| 1. **Version Control**: Always commit `build.zig.zon` to your repository | ||
| 1. **Never Commit Cache**: Add `zig-cache/` to `.gitignore` |
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@linusg thanks for the review. I did use Claude/Gemini to review it, which I think is helpful. I'm new to zig so some of the technical specifics are beyond my knowledge. I will hand polish the overly-verbose bits. |
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This PR adds a package management guide.
it’s currently in .md format and will be converted to .smd once technical and structural aspects are finalized.