Install

Para is a parse-time syntax extension over TypeScript. The .pts parser lives in the ParaBun fork of Bun — mainline Bun does not recognize the syntax. To use Para on a host that isn’t ParaBun itself, you need three things:

1. The ParaBun transpiler to compile .pts → .js. The output is plain JavaScript and runs anywhere; ParaBun is only needed at build time.
2. A bundler alias that maps para:* import specifiers to the @para/* npm packages. One regex line of bundler config.
3. The runtime packages — install only the ones you actually use.

A standalone @para/transpile npm package (no ParaBun required) is on the roadmap. Until it ships, the build host needs ParaBun installed; runtime hosts (browser, Lambda, Workers, Node, Bun, Deno) do not.

1. Install ParaBun on the build host

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/airgap/parabun/main/install.sh | bash

This installs the parabun binary (with pb as a short alias) into ~/.parabun/bin/.

2. Install the runtime packages

Install only the modules your code uses. Each module is its own npm package:

npm install @para/signals     # reactive primitives
npm install @para/parallel    # Worker-pool pmap / preduce
npm install @para/arena       # Pool helper + no-op scope()
npm install @para/simd        # Wasm v128 kernels
npm install @para/csv         # RFC 4180 streaming parser
npm install @para/arrow       # in-memory tables + IPC + Parquet
npm install @para/rtp         # RFC 3550 packet framing
npm install @para/mcp         # Model Context Protocol client

@para/pipeline is the runtime backing the Para Lang |> operator. It’s pulled in transitively by @para/transpile when you use .pts files; you don’t need to install or import from it directly.

All @para/* packages are pure JS / Wasm with no native dependencies and target ES2022.

3. Configure your bundler

A single regex rule maps every para:* specifier to the matching @para/* package:

Vite

vite.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from "vite";

export default defineConfig({
  resolve: {
    alias: [{ find: /^para:(.*)$/, replacement: "@para/$1" }],
  },
});

esbuild

import { build } from "esbuild";

await build({
  entryPoints: ["src/main.js"],
  bundle: true,
  outfile: "dist/main.js",
  plugins: [{
    name: "para-alias",
    setup(b) {
      b.onResolve({ filter: /^para:/ }, args => ({
        path: require.resolve(`@para/${args.path.slice(5)}`),
      }));
    },
  }],
});

webpack

webpack.config.js

module.exports = {
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      "para:signals":  "@para/signals",
      "para:arena":    "@para/arena",
      "para:parallel": "@para/parallel",
      "para:pipeline": "@para/pipeline",
      "para:simd":     "@para/simd",
      "para:arrow":    "@para/arrow",
      "para:csv":      "@para/csv",
      "para:rtp":      "@para/rtp",
      "para:mcp":      "@para/mcp",
    },
  },
};

4. Build

parabun build src/main.pts --outdir dist/

The output is standard JavaScript. Bundle it with your normal toolchain (vite build, webpack, etc.); the alias takes care of the para:* imports.

Editor extension

A VS Code-family extension provides the .pts / .ptsx / .pjs / .pjsx TextMate grammar and an LSP with hover, go-to-definition, semantic highlighting, purity diagnostics, and operator documentation.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/airgap/parabun/main/install-extension.sh | bash

The script installs into any of code, cursor, or kiro it finds on $PATH.

Platform notes

The build step (Bun + bundler) runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The output is standard JavaScript; runtime targets are anywhere a JavaScript engine runs. All @para/* packages target ES2022.