Getting Started

Installation

Install Rack CLI globally using npm.

npm install -g @rack/cli

Verify the installation.

rk version

Initialize a Project

Using a Preset Template

The simplest way is to initialize a project from a preset template.

rk init -t @presets/tutorial-project

Rack will prompt for the project name and then automatically:

• Download and parse all registries included in the template
• Detect dependencies and conflicts
• Generate project files and configuration
• Install npm dependencies
• Create the rack.json configuration file

Manually Select Registries

For a more flexible tech stack, start from a single registry and add more on demand.

# Bootstrap a minimal project with the Node runtime template
rk init -t runtimes/node -n my-project
cd my-project

Then add the required registries one by one.

# Add framework
rk add frameworks/vue

# Add build tool
rk add build/vite

rk init requires -t/--template. The template can be either a preset (@presets/...) or a single registry. rk add can run in any existing project directory; if rack.json is missing, a minimal one is generated from the directory name before continuing.

Configure a Private Registry Source

By default the CLI uses the official source @rack → https://registry.rackjs.com. To wire up an internal source:

rk config set @company --url https://registry.company.com --token your-token-here

For full rules see Namespace and Authentication.

Health Check

rk doctor runs Node version, git, rack.json, and /health probes for every configured registry in parallel. See the CLI reference for full details.