Package Management

This document defines the package format, registry backends, and publishing workflow for Morphir packages.

Overview

Morphir packages are distributable archives containing compiled IR and metadata. The package management system supports multiple registry backends, allowing packages to be published to and retrieved from existing infrastructure.

Component	Description
Package Format	Standardized archive containing IR, metadata, and sources
Registry Backend	Pluggable storage/retrieval layer (npm, Maven, etc.)
Pack Command	Creates distributable package from project
Publish Command	Uploads package to configured registry

Package Format

A Morphir package is a gzipped tarball (.morphir.tgz) containing the compiled distribution and metadata. The package format supports both classic (single-file) and VFS (directory tree) distribution modes.

See Distribution Structure for the complete IR format specification.

Package Contents

my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz
├── morphir.toml              # Package metadata
├── .morphir-dist/            # Distribution (VFS mode, recommended)
│   ├── format.json           # Distribution manifest
│   ├── pkg/
│   │   └── my-org/
│   │       └── core/
│   │           ├── module.json
│   │           ├── types/
│   │           │   └── *.type.json
│   │           └── values/
│   │               └── *.value.json
│   └── deps/                 # Dependency specifications
│       └── ...
├── src/                      # Source files (optional, configurable)
│   └── ...
└── CHANGELOG.md              # Changelog (optional)

For simpler packages or backwards compatibility, classic mode is also supported:

my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz
├── morphir.toml              # Package metadata
├── morphir-ir.json           # Single-file distribution (classic mode)
├── src/                      # Source files (optional)
└── CHANGELOG.md              # Changelog (optional)

Distribution Types

Packages contain one of three distribution types:

Type	Description	Use Case
Library	Package with full definitions	Reusable domain packages
Specs	Specifications only (no implementations)	SDK bindings, FFI, native types
Application	Definitions with named entry points	Executables, services, CLIs

Package Metadata

The morphir.toml in a package contains distribution metadata:

[package]
name = "my-org/core"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "Core domain models for my-org"
license = "Apache-2.0"
repository = "https://github.com/my-org/morphir-packages"

[package.authors]
"Jane Doe" = "jane@my-org.com"

[package.keywords]
keywords = ["domain", "finance", "morphir"]

# Dependencies required by this package
[dependencies]
"morphir/sdk" = { git = "https://github.com/finos/morphir-sdk.git", tag = "v3.0.0" }

Distribution Manifest

The .morphir-dist/format.json identifies the distribution:

{
  "formatVersion": "4.0.0",
  "distribution": "Library",
  "package": "my-org/core",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "created": "2026-01-16T12:00:00Z"
}

Format Version: The formatVersion follows semantic versioning and corresponds to the Morphir IR specification version. Tools should check compatibility before processing.

Classic Mode (Single-File)

For backwards compatibility or simpler packages, a single morphir-ir.json can be used:

{
  "formatVersion": "4.0.0",
  "Library": {
    "package": {
      "name": "my-org/core",
      "version": "1.0.0"
    },
    "def": {
      "modules": { "...": "..." }
    },
    "dependencies": {
      "morphir/sdk": { "...": "..." }
    }
  }
}

Registry Backends

Morphir supports pluggable registry backends, allowing packages to be stored in existing package infrastructure.

Backend Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           Morphir CLI                                 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                        Registry Interface                             │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌──────────┐  │
│  │ npm Backend │  │GitHub Releases│  │Maven Backend│  │ (future) │  │
│  └──────┬──────┘  └───────┬───────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └──────────┘  │
└─────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
          │                 │                 │
          ▼                 ▼                 ▼
    ┌───────────┐    ┌───────────┐     ┌───────────┐
    │npm Registry│   │  GitHub   │     │Maven Repo │
    │ (npmjs.org)│   │ Releases  │     │ (Central) │
    └───────────┘    └───────────┘     └───────────┘

Backend Comparison

Backend	Package Format	Infrastructure	Best For
npm	tar.gz	Central registry	JavaScript ecosystem, public packages
GitHub Releases	.morphir.tgz	Per-repository	Open source, no extra infrastructure
Maven	JAR	Central repository	JVM ecosystem, enterprise

Registry Interface

/// Registry backend interface
pub type RegistryBackend {
  /// Publish a package to the registry
  publish: fn(package: PackageArchive, config: RegistryConfig) -> Result(PublishResult, RegistryError)

  /// Fetch a package from the registry
  fetch: fn(name: PackagePath, version: SemVer, config: RegistryConfig) -> Result(PackageArchive, RegistryError)

  /// List available versions of a package
  versions: fn(name: PackagePath, config: RegistryConfig) -> Result(List(SemVer), RegistryError)

  /// Search for packages
  search: fn(query: String, config: RegistryConfig) -> Result(List(PackageInfo), RegistryError)
}

npm Backend

The npm backend stores Morphir packages as npm packages, leveraging existing npm infrastructure and tooling.

Package Mapping

Morphir	npm
`my-org/core`	`@morphir/my-org--core`
`1.0.0`	`1.0.0`
`.morphir.tgz`	`.tgz` (standard npm tarball)

npm Package Structure

package/
├── package.json           # npm metadata
├── morphir.toml          # Morphir metadata
├── morphir-ir.json       # Compiled IR
└── src/                  # Sources (if included)

Generated package.json:

{
  "name": "@morphir/my-org--core",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Core domain models for my-org",
  "morphir": {
    "name": "my-org/core",
    "formatVersion": 4
  },
  "files": ["morphir.toml", "morphir-ir.json", "src/"],
  "keywords": ["morphir", "domain", "finance"],
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "https://github.com/my-org/morphir-packages"
  }
}

Configuration

# morphir.toml
[registry]
backend = "npm"

[registry.npm]
# npm registry URL (default: https://registry.npmjs.org)
registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org"

# Scope for published packages (default: @morphir)
scope = "@morphir"

# Package name separator (default: --)
separator = "--"

# Access level for scoped packages
access = "public"  # or "restricted"

Authentication

npm authentication uses standard npm configuration:

# Login to npm registry
npm login --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org

# Or use token-based auth
npm config set //registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${NPM_TOKEN}

The Morphir CLI respects .npmrc for authentication.

GitHub Releases Backend

The GitHub Releases backend fetches Morphir packages from GitHub release assets. This is ideal for open source projects and organizations that want to distribute packages directly from their repositories without additional infrastructure.

Unlike npm or Maven backends which use a central registry, GitHub Releases packages are fetched directly from individual repositories. Each package specifies its source repository.

Package Discovery

Packages are discovered from release assets matching the Morphir package naming convention:

Release Asset	Morphir Package
`morphir-sdk-3.0.0.morphir.tgz`	`morphir/sdk@3.0.0`
`my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz`	`my-org/core@1.0.0`

Dependency Declaration

Each GitHub dependency specifies its source repository:

[dependencies]
# Package from finos/morphir repository
"morphir/sdk" = { github = "finos/morphir", tag = "sdk-v3.0.0" }

# Package from a different organization's repository
"acme/domain" = { github = "acme-corp/morphir-domain", tag = "v1.0.0" }

# Package from a monorepo with package-specific tags
"my-org/core" = { github = "my-org/morphir-packages", tag = "core-v1.0.0" }
"my-org/utils" = { github = "my-org/morphir-packages", tag = "utils-v2.0.0" }

# Private repository (requires authentication)
"internal/models" = { github = "my-org/internal-models", tag = "v1.5.0" }

Workspace-Level Configuration

Common settings can be configured at the workspace level:

# morphir.toml
[registry.github]
# GitHub API URL (for GitHub Enterprise)
api_url = "https://api.github.com"  # default, or https://github.mycompany.com/api/v3

# Asset naming pattern (default shown)
asset_pattern = "{name}-{version}.morphir.tgz"

# Default organization for unqualified references
default_owner = "my-org"

Workspace Dependencies with GitHub

# workspace/morphir.toml
[workspace]
members = ["packages/*"]

[workspace.dependencies]
# Shared GitHub dependencies
"morphir/sdk" = { github = "finos/morphir", tag = "sdk-v3.0.0" }
"finos/morphir-json" = { github = "finos/morphir-json", tag = "v1.0.0" }

# workspace/packages/domain/morphir.toml
[dependencies]
"morphir/sdk" = { workspace = true }  # Inherits github source from workspace

Authentication

For private repositories, GitHub authentication uses standard methods:

# Via environment variable
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx

# Or via gh CLI authentication
gh auth login

# For GitHub Enterprise
export GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx

Checksums and Bill of Materials

For security and reproducibility, GitHub releases should include checksums and optionally a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM).

Checksum file (CHECKSUMS.txt):

sha256:abc123def456...  my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz
sha256:789xyz012...     my-org-utils-1.0.0.morphir.tgz

Morphir manifest (morphir-manifest.json):

{
  "formatVersion": "4.0.0",
  "repository": "my-org/morphir-packages",
  "tag": "v1.0.0",
  "created": "2026-01-16T12:00:00Z",
  "packages": [
    {
      "name": "my-org/core",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "asset": "my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz",
      "checksum": "sha256:abc123def456...",
      "dependencies": [{ "name": "morphir/sdk", "version": "3.0.0" }]
    }
  ]
}

The CLI verifies checksums when fetching packages:

[registry.github]
# Require checksum verification (default: true)
verify_checksums = true

# Checksum file name pattern
checksum_file = "CHECKSUMS.txt"

# Optional manifest file
manifest_file = "morphir-manifest.json"

Publishing to GitHub Releases

# Pack the package (generates checksum)
morphir pack

# Generate checksums file for all packages
morphir pack --checksums dist/CHECKSUMS.txt

# Generate manifest
morphir pack --manifest dist/morphir-manifest.json

# Create a GitHub release with package and checksums
gh release create v1.0.0 \
  dist/my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz \
  dist/CHECKSUMS.txt \
  dist/morphir-manifest.json \
  --repo my-org/morphir-packages \
  --title "my-org/core v1.0.0" \
  --notes "Release notes"

# Or use morphir publish (generates and uploads checksums automatically)
morphir publish --backend github --repository my-org/morphir-packages --tag v1.0.0

Comparison with Git Repository Dependencies

Aspect	Git Repository	GitHub Releases
Source	Full repository clone	Release asset only
Size	Entire repo history	Single package archive
Speed	Slower (clone)	Faster (direct download)
Versioning	Any git ref	Release tags only
Use case	Development, pre-release	Published releases

For development and pre-release packages, use git repository dependencies. For published, stable releases, GitHub Releases provides a more efficient distribution mechanism.

Maven Backend

The Maven backend stores Morphir packages as JAR files in Maven repositories.

Package Mapping

Morphir	Maven
`my-org/core`	`dev.morphir:my-org-core`
`1.0.0`	`1.0.0`
`.morphir.tgz`	`.jar` containing Morphir files

JAR Structure

my-org-core-1.0.0.jar
├── META-INF/
│   ├── MANIFEST.MF
│   └── maven/
│       └── dev.morphir/
│           └── my-org-core/
│               ├── pom.xml
│               └── pom.properties
├── morphir.toml
├── morphir-ir.json
└── src/

Generated pom.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project>
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>dev.morphir</groupId>
  <artifactId>my-org-core</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <packaging>jar</packaging>

  <name>my-org/core</name>
  <description>Core domain models for my-org</description>

  <properties>
    <morphir.name>my-org/core</morphir.name>
    <morphir.formatVersion>4</morphir.formatVersion>
  </properties>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>dev.morphir</groupId>
      <artifactId>morphir-sdk</artifactId>
      <version>3.0.0</version>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

Configuration

# morphir.toml
[registry]
backend = "maven"

[registry.maven]
# Maven repository URL
repository = "https://repo1.maven.org/maven2"

# For publishing (e.g., Sonatype OSSRH)
snapshot_repository = "https://oss.sonatype.org/content/repositories/snapshots"
release_repository = "https://oss.sonatype.org/service/local/staging/deploy/maven2"

# Group ID prefix (default: dev.morphir)
group_id = "dev.morphir"

Authentication

Maven authentication uses standard Maven settings:

<!-- ~/.m2/settings.xml -->
<settings>
  <servers>
    <server>
      <id>ossrh</id>
      <username>${env.MAVEN_USERNAME}</username>
      <password>${env.MAVEN_PASSWORD}</password>
    </server>
  </servers>
</settings>

CLI Commands

Pack

Creates a distributable package from a project.

# Pack current project
morphir pack

# Pack specific project in workspace
morphir pack --project my-org/core

# Pack with specific output location
morphir pack --output dist/

# Pack without sources
morphir pack --no-sources

# Pack for specific backend (affects format)
morphir pack --backend npm
morphir pack --backend maven

Behavior

Verify project builds successfully
Validate package metadata (name, version, license)
Compile IR to distribution format
Create archive based on backend format
Write to output directory

Output

$ morphir pack
Building my-org/core...
Validating package metadata...
Creating package archive...

Created: dist/my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz
  Size: 45.2 KB
  IR Format: v4
  Includes sources: yes

Publish

Uploads a package to the configured registry.

# Publish current project
morphir publish

# Publish specific package file
morphir publish dist/my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz

# Publish to specific registry
morphir publish --registry https://npm.my-org.com

# Dry run (validate without uploading)
morphir publish --dry-run

# Publish with specific tag (npm)
morphir publish --tag beta

Behavior

Verify package archive exists (or run pack)
Validate credentials for registry
Check if version already exists
Transform package for backend (if needed)
Upload to registry
Verify upload success

Output

$ morphir publish
Publishing my-org/core@1.0.0 to npm...
Authenticating with registry.npmjs.org...
Uploading @morphir/my-org--core@1.0.0...

Published: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@morphir/my-org--core

Other Commands

# List published versions
morphir registry versions my-org/core

# Search for packages
morphir registry search "domain model"

# Show package info
morphir registry info my-org/core@1.0.0

# Unpublish (if supported by registry)
morphir registry unpublish my-org/core@1.0.0 --force

WIT Interface

/// Package archive
record package-archive {
    /// Package name
    name: package-path,
    /// Package version
    version: semver,
    /// Archive contents (tar.gz bytes)
    data: list<u8>,
    /// Checksum
    checksum: string,
}

/// Registry configuration
record registry-config {
    /// Backend type
    backend: registry-backend-type,
    /// Registry URL
    url: string,
    /// Additional backend-specific options
    options: list<tuple<string, string>>,
}

/// Backend types
enum registry-backend-type {
    npm,
    github,
    maven,
}

/// Pack a project into a distributable package
pack: func(
    project: package-path,
    options: pack-options,
) -> result<package-archive, package-error>;

/// Publish a package to a registry
publish: func(
    archive: package-archive,
    config: registry-config,
) -> result<publish-result, registry-error>;

/// Fetch a package from a registry
fetch-package: func(
    name: package-path,
    version: semver,
    config: registry-config,
) -> result<package-archive, registry-error>;

JSON-RPC

Pack

Request:

{
  "method": "package/pack",
  "params": {
    "project": "my-org/core",
    "options": {
      "includeSources": true,
      "outputDir": "dist/"
    }
  }
}

Response:

{
  "result": {
    "path": "dist/my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz",
    "name": "my-org/core",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "size": 46284,
    "checksum": "sha256:abc123..."
  }
}

Publish

Request:

{
  "method": "package/publish",
  "params": {
    "archive": "dist/my-org-core-1.0.0.morphir.tgz",
    "registry": {
      "backend": "npm",
      "url": "https://registry.npmjs.org"
    }
  }
}

Response:

{
  "result": {
    "name": "my-org/core",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "url": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/@morphir/my-org--core",
    "backend": "npm"
  }
}

Configuration Reference

Project-Level

# morphir.toml

[project]
name = "my-org/core"
version = "1.0.0"

[package]
# Package metadata
description = "Core domain models"
license = "Apache-2.0"
repository = "https://github.com/my-org/core"
readme = "README.md"
changelog = "CHANGELOG.md"

# What to include in package
[package.include]
sources = true           # Include src/ directory
readme = true            # Include README
changelog = true         # Include CHANGELOG

# Files to exclude from package
[package.exclude]
patterns = ["*.test.morphir", "internal/*"]

[registry]
# Default backend
backend = "npm"

[registry.npm]
scope = "@my-org-morphir"
access = "public"

Workspace-Level

# morphir.toml (workspace root)

[workspace]
members = ["packages/*"]

# Default registry settings for all members
[registry]
backend = "npm"

[registry.npm]
scope = "@my-org-morphir"
registry = "https://npm.pkg.github.com"

Dependency Resolution with Registries

When registry dependencies become available, the dependency system will integrate with registry backends:

[dependencies]
# Future: registry dependency
"morphir/sdk" = "3.0.0"

# Current: explicit registry
"morphir/sdk" = { version = "3.0.0", registry = "npm" }

# With specific registry URL
"internal/utils" = { version = "1.0.0", registry = { backend = "npm", url = "https://npm.internal.com" } }

Resolution will:

Query configured registry backend for available versions
Download package archive
Extract to dependency cache
Verify checksum

Best Practices

Semantic Versioning: Follow semver for version numbers
Meaningful Descriptions: Include clear package descriptions
License Compliance: Always specify license
Minimal Packages: Exclude test files and internal modules
Changelog: Maintain a changelog for each version
CI/CD Publishing: Automate publishing from CI pipelines

Future Backends

Additional backends may be supported in the future:

Backend	Format	Use Case
OCI Registry	Container image layers	Cloud-native deployments, artifact registries
S3/GCS	Object storage	Private infrastructure, air-gapped environments
Artifactory	Universal	Enterprise artifact management
Morphir Registry	Native format	Dedicated Morphir ecosystem (planned)

Morphir Rust Design Documents

Morphir Daemon - Daemon overview and architecture
Dependencies - Dependency resolution and caching
Build - Build orchestration

Main Morphir Documentation

Morphir Documentation - Main Morphir documentation site
Morphir LLMs.txt - Machine-readable documentation index
Morphir IR v4 Design - IR v4 design documents
Morphir IR Specification - Complete IR specification

Package Management

Overview

Package Format

Package Contents

Distribution Types

Package Metadata

Distribution Manifest

Classic Mode (Single-File)

Registry Backends

Backend Architecture

Backend Comparison

Registry Interface

npm Backend

Package Mapping

npm Package Structure

Configuration

Authentication

GitHub Releases Backend

Package Discovery

Dependency Declaration

Workspace-Level Configuration

Workspace Dependencies with GitHub

Authentication

Checksums and Bill of Materials

Publishing to GitHub Releases

Comparison with Git Repository Dependencies

Maven Backend

Package Mapping

JAR Structure

Configuration

Authentication

CLI Commands

Pack

Behavior

Output

Publish

Behavior

Output

Other Commands

WIT Interface

JSON-RPC

Pack

Publish

Configuration Reference

Project-Level

Workspace-Level

Dependency Resolution with Registries

Best Practices

Future Backends

Related

Morphir Rust Design Documents

Main Morphir Documentation