Installation

This guide covers installing Crane and its dependencies on your system.

System Requirements

Before installing, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Node.js: Version 22 or higher
• npm: Version 10 or higher (comes with Node.js 22+)

💡 Recommended

Use nvm or fnm to manage multiple Node.js versions.

Create a Project

Create a new directory for your application and install the required dependencies:

mkdir my-workspace && cd my-workspace
npm init -y

Install Dependencies

Install Crane and its required packages:

npm install vite vue @lightspeed/crane@latest @lightspeed/eslint-config-crane@latest

Verify Installation

Check that Crane is installed correctly:

npx @lightspeed/crane@latest --help

You should see a list of available commands including init, build, preview, and deploy.

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

If npx @lightspeed/crane@latest is not recognized, verify that Node.js and npm are installed and available in your PATH:

node --version   # Should print v22.x.x or higher
npm --version    # Should print 10.x.x or higher

Version Conflicts

If you have multiple Node.js versions installed, make sure the active version is 22 or higher:

nvm use 22
# or
fnm use 22

Release Channels

Crane publishes to two npm dist-tags:

dist-tag	What it points at	Install command
latest	Most recent stable release. The default when no tag is specified.	npm install @lightspeed/crane
next	Preview channel. Usually points to the most recent release candidate (RC), and after a stable release it may point to that stable version.	npm install @lightspeed/crane@next
You can also pin to a specific RC:

npm install @lightspeed/crane@3.5.5-rc.1

Semver ranges never match RC versions

Pre-release versions (e.g. 3.5.5-rc.0) are excluded from ^ and ~ ranges by design. To consume RCs you must either use the @next dist-tag or pin an exact RC version.

After a stable release ships, the next dist-tag is automatically advanced to that stable version too, so anyone tracking @next always receives at least the most recent stable.

Next Steps

• Quick Start — scaffold and preview your first application