getInstallInstructions

Get platform-specific installation instructions without installing WireGuard.

Overview

The getInstallInstructions function detects the current platform and available package managers, then returns the appropriate installation command and platform information. This is useful for displaying installation instructions to users or checking platform support.

Signature

getInstallInstructions(): Promise<{
  platform: string
  packageManager?: string
  command?: string
  name?: string
  supported: boolean
}>

Return Value

• Promise<object>: Resolves to an object containing:
  • platform (string): The detected platform (linux, darwin, win32)
  • packageManager (string, optional): The detected package manager
  • command (string, optional): The installation command to run
  • name (string, optional): Human-readable platform name
  • supported (boolean): Whether the platform is supported

Behavior

1. Platform Detection: Uses os.platform() to identify the current platform
2. Package Manager Detection: Checks for available package managers on the platform
3. Command Generation: Returns the appropriate installation command
4. Support Status: Indicates whether automatic installation is supported

Example Usage

import { getInstallInstructions } from "@kriper0nind/wg-utils"
 
// Get installation instructions
async function showInstallInstructions() {
  const instructions = await getInstallInstructions()
  
  if (instructions.supported) {
    console.log(`Platform: ${instructions.name}`)
    console.log(`Package Manager: ${instructions.packageManager}`)
    console.log(`Command: ${instructions.command}`)
  } else {
    console.log(`Platform ${instructions.platform} is not supported`)
    console.log("Please install WireGuard manually:")
    console.log("  Linux: https://www.wireguard.com/install/")
    console.log("  macOS: brew install wireguard-tools")
    console.log("  Windows: https://www.wireguard.com/install/")
  }
}
 
// Check platform support
async function checkSupport() {
  const instructions = await getInstallInstructions()
  
  if (instructions.supported) {
    console.log("✅ Automatic installation supported")
  } else {
    console.log("❌ Manual installation required")
  }
}

Platform Detection

Linux

• Ubuntu/Debian: Detects apt package manager
• CentOS/RHEL: Detects yum package manager
• Fedora: Detects dnf package manager
• Arch Linux: Detects pacman package manager
• Alpine Linux: Detects apk package manager

macOS

• Homebrew: Detects brew package manager

Windows

• Chocolatey: Detects choco package manager
• Winget: Detects winget package manager

Use Cases

• Pre-installation checks: Verify platform support before attempting installation
• User guidance: Display installation instructions in CLI tools or web interfaces
• Platform validation: Check if the current environment supports automatic installation
• Documentation generation: Generate platform-specific installation guides

Example Output

// On Ubuntu
{
  platform: "linux",
  packageManager: "ubuntu",
  command: "sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y wireguard",
  name: "Ubuntu/Debian",
  supported: true
}
 
// On macOS with Homebrew
{
  platform: "darwin",
  packageManager: "homebrew",
  command: "brew install wireguard-tools",
  name: "macOS (Homebrew)",
  supported: true
}
 
// On unsupported platform
{
  platform: "freebsd",
  supported: false
}

Dependencies

• Node.js: os module for platform detection
• Package managers: Requires appropriate package manager to be installed for detection

Notes

• Detection only: This function only detects and provides instructions, it doesn't install anything
• No side effects: Safe to call multiple times without any system changes
• Platform specific: Results vary based on the current platform and available tools