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Get started with Porffor in just a few minutes. This guide covers installation via npm and alternative methods for different development environments.

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Quick Install

The easiest way to install Porffor is via npm: 
npm install -g porffor@latest
This installs the porf command globally, making it available from anywhere on your system.
Make sure you have Node.js installed on your system before running this command. Porffor requires a modern version of Node.js to function properly.

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Verify Installation

After installation, verify that Porffor is working correctly: 
porf --version
You should see the version number displayed, such as 0.61.10.

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Development Setup

If you want to contribute to Porffor or use the latest development version, you can clone and build from source:
1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/CanadaHonk/porffor.git
cd porffor
2

Install dependencies

npm install
3

Run Porffor

Use the local wrapper scripts to run Porffor from source:Unix/Linux/macOS:
./porf path/to/script.js
Windows:
.\porf path/to/script.js

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Using Alternative Runtimes

You can run Porffor with different JavaScript runtimes: 
node runtime/index.js script.js
All three runtimes (Node.js, Deno, and Bun) are supported and should work seamlessly with Porffor.

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Native Binary Compilation Setup

To compile JavaScript to native binaries, you’ll need a C compiler installed:

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Supported Compilers

Porffor supports multiple C compilers:
  • Clang (default, recommended)
  • GCC
  • Zig

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Installing Compilers

# Clang (comes with Xcode Command Line Tools)
xcode-select --install

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Specifying Compiler

Choose your compiler when compiling to native binaries: 
porf native script.js output.exe --compiler=clang
porf native script.js output.exe --compiler=gcc
porf native script.js output.exe --compiler=zig
Clang is the default compiler and generally provides the best optimization and compatibility.

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Optional Parser Installation

Porffor uses Acorn as the default parser, but supports alternative parsers that are installed as optional dependencies: 
npm install -g porffor@latest --include=optional
This installs additional parsers:
  • @babel/parser - Required for TypeScript support
  • meriyah
  • hermes-parser
  • oxc-parser
Switch parsers using the --parser flag: 
porf script.js --parser=@babel/parser
porf script.js --parser=meriyah
porf script.js --parser=hermes-parser

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Troubleshooting

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Command Not Found

If you get a “command not found” error after installation:
  1. Make sure npm’s global bin directory is in your PATH
  2. Run npm config get prefix to find your global install location
  3. Add <prefix>/bin to your PATH environment variable

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Permission Errors on Linux/macOS

If you encounter permission errors during installation: 
# Option 1: Use sudo (not recommended)
sudo npm install -g porffor@latest

# Option 2: Configure npm to use a different directory (recommended)
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH
npm install -g porffor@latest

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Native Compilation Errors

If native binary compilation fails:
  1. Verify your C compiler is installed and in your PATH
  2. Try a different compiler using --compiler=gcc or --compiler=zig
  3. Check the compiler output for specific error messages
Native binary compilation uses 2c, Porffor’s experimental WebAssembly-to-C compiler. Some features may not work correctly in native binaries yet.

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Next Steps

Now that you have Porffor installed, learn how to use it:

Quick Start Guide

Learn how to compile and run your first JavaScript program with Porffor

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