Install Crane to your system

To start working with the Crane tool, you need to install Crane and its dependencies on your system.

Check 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+)

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, so anyone tracking @next always receives at least the most recent stable.

Next Steps

• Start with Crane app — scaffold and preview your first application