Installation

System Requirements

Node.js

Version 14.0.0 or higher

npm

Comes with Node.js

Operating System

Windows, macOS, or Linux

Disk Space

~50MB for installation

Installation Methods

npm (Global)
npx (No Install)
Project Dependency
Yarn

Install KafkaCode globally to use it anywhere on your system:

npm install -g kafkacode

Verify the installation:

kafkacode --version

Global installation is recommended if you plan to use KafkaCode across multiple projects.

Use KafkaCode without installing it globally:

npx kafkacode scan /path/to/project

npx downloads and runs the latest version each time. Great for trying it out or occasional use.

Add KafkaCode as a dev dependency to your project:

npm install --save-dev kafkacode

Then add a script to your package.json:

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "scan": "kafkacode scan ./src",
    "scan:verbose": "kafkacode scan ./src --verbose"
  }
}

Run with:

npm run scan

Install with Yarn package manager:

# Global installation
yarn global add kafkacode

# Or as a dev dependency
yarn add -D kafkacode

Verify installation:

kafkacode --version

Platform-Specific Instructions

macOS

Using Homebrew (Recommended)

First, ensure Node.js is installed:

brew install node

Then install KafkaCode:

npm install -g kafkacode

Permissions Issues?

If you encounter permission errors, use one of these solutions:Option 1: Use a version manager like nvm (recommended)

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Install Node.js
nvm install node

# Now install KafkaCode
npm install -g kafkacode

Option 2: Configure npm to use a different directory

mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
npm install -g kafkacode

Linux

Ubuntu/Debian

# Install Node.js and npm
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install KafkaCode
sudo npm install -g kafkacode

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

# Install Node.js and npm
curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo bash -
sudo yum install -y nodejs

# Install KafkaCode
sudo npm install -g kafkacode

Using nvm (Recommended for Linux)

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Restart your terminal or run:
source ~/.bashrc

# Install Node.js
nvm install node

# Install KafkaCode (no sudo needed)
npm install -g kafkacode

Windows

Using Node.js Installer (Recommended)

Download Node.js from nodejs.org
Run the installer (.msi file)
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell
Install KafkaCode:

npm install -g kafkacode

Using Windows Package Manager (winget)

# Install Node.js
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS

# Install KafkaCode
npm install -g kafkacode

Using Chocolatey

# Install Node.js
choco install nodejs

# Install KafkaCode
npm install -g kafkacode

On Windows, you may need to run your terminal as Administrator for global installations.

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify that KafkaCode is working correctly:

Check Version

kafkacode --version

Should output: 1.2.0 (or your installed version)

View Help

kafkacode --help

Should display the help menu with available commands

Run Test Scan

mkdir test-project
echo "const apiKey = 'AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE';" > test-project/test.js
kafkacode scan test-project

Should detect the AWS key and display a report

Updating KafkaCode

Keep KafkaCode up to date to get the latest features and security improvements:

npm update -g kafkacode

npm update kafkacode

yarn global upgrade kafkacode

yarn upgrade kafkacode

Uninstallation

If you need to remove KafkaCode:

npm uninstall -g kafkacode

npm uninstall kafkacode

yarn global remove kafkacode

yarn remove kafkacode

Troubleshooting

Command not found

If you get command not found: kafkacode after installation:

Check your PATH includes npm’s global bin directory:
npm config get prefix

Add npm’s bin directory to your PATH:

# For bash
echo 'export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# For zsh
echo 'export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Alternatively, use npx:
npx kafkacode scan ./

Permission Errors

If you encounter EACCES permission errors:

Never use sudo with npm - This can cause permission issues

Use nvm (Node Version Manager) instead:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
nvm install node
npm install -g kafkacode

Or configure npm to use a different directory (see platform-specific instructions)

Network/Proxy Issues

If installation fails due to network issues:

Configure npm proxy:

npm config set proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080

Or disable SSL verification (not recommended for production):
npm config set strict-ssl false

Clear npm cache:

npm cache clean --force
npm install -g kafkacode

Node.js Version Issues

If you’re running an old version of Node.js:

Check your current version:
node --version
KafkaCode requires Node.js 14.0.0 or higher
Update Node.js:
- Using nvm: nvm install node
- Using package manager: Reinstall from nodejs.org

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Run your first scan in 5 minutes

CLI Options

Learn about all available options

CI/CD Integration

Integrate into your pipeline

Troubleshooting

Solve common issues

Get Started

Core Concepts

Usage Guide

Advanced

System Requirements

Node.js

npm

Operating System

Disk Space

Installation Methods

Platform-Specific Instructions

Using Homebrew (Recommended)

Permissions Issues?

Ubuntu/Debian

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

Using nvm (Recommended for Linux)

Using Node.js Installer (Recommended)

Using Windows Package Manager (winget)

Using Chocolatey

Verifying Installation

Updating KafkaCode

Uninstallation

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

CLI Options

CI/CD Integration

Troubleshooting

​System Requirements

Node.js

npm

Operating System

Disk Space

​Installation Methods

​Platform-Specific Instructions

​Using Homebrew (Recommended)

​Permissions Issues?

​Ubuntu/Debian

​Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

​Using nvm (Recommended for Linux)

​Using Node.js Installer (Recommended)

​Using Windows Package Manager (winget)

​Using Chocolatey

​Verifying Installation

​Updating KafkaCode

​Uninstallation

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

CLI Options

CI/CD Integration

Troubleshooting

System Requirements

Installation Methods

Platform-Specific Instructions

Using Homebrew (Recommended)

Permissions Issues?

Ubuntu/Debian

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

Using nvm (Recommended for Linux)

Using Node.js Installer (Recommended)

Using Windows Package Manager (winget)

Using Chocolatey

Verifying Installation

Updating KafkaCode

Uninstallation

Troubleshooting

Next Steps