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 two 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. The runtime packages from npm — install only the ones you actually use.

The transpiler emits standard imports of @para/* npm packages, so your bundler resolves them through normal node_modules — no aliases or bundler config needed.

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
npm install @para/decimal     # exact-decimal arithmetic (backs `0.1d` literals)

@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. Build

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

The output is standard JavaScript with normal import "@para/signals" (etc.) statements. Bundle it with your normal toolchain (vite build, webpack, etc.) — every bundler resolves @para/* through node_modules with no additional config.

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.