ModuleFast is a high-performance, declarative PowerShell module installer. It resolves dependencies in parallel, supports SemVer and prerelease constraints, and can install requirements from scripts, module manifests, and lockfiles for reproducible CI/CD builds.

ModuleFast can be bootstrapped without PowerShellGet or another package manager:

iwr bit.ly/modulefast | iex
Install-ModuleFast ImportExcel

The module is also available through the imf alias. To inspect the complete command help after bootstrapping:

iwr bit.ly/modulefast | iex
Get-Help Install-ModuleFast -Full

For CI/CD or other one-shot environments, download and invoke the script directly:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr 'bit.ly/modulefast'))) -Specification ImportExcel

Pin the bootstrap script to a release when reproducibility is more important than automatically receiving the latest version:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr 'bit.ly/modulefast'))) -Release 'v0.6.1' -Specification ImportExcel

Clears the in-memory HTTP request cache used by ModuleFast.

Installs PowerShell modules and their dependencies from specifications or requirement files.

ModuleFast can be used as an AnyPackage provider:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr 'bit.ly/modulefast'))) -Specification AnyPackage.ModuleFast
Import-Module AnyPackage.ModuleFast
AnyPackage\Install-Package -Provider ModuleFast -Name 'ImportExcel<4', 'Pester<4'

Specifications generally have the form <ModuleName><Operator><Version>. Versions support SemVer 2 and prerelease labels.

The ! operator can be combined with a version operator, for example ImportExcel!>7.1.0. ModuleFast also accepts PowerShell ModuleSpecification objects, compatible hashtables, and ModuleFastInfo plans.

For complete NuGet range syntax, see NuGet version ranges. For the standard PowerShell object and hashtable format, see about_Requires.

Without -StrictSemVer, ModuleFast applies a user-friendly prerelease rule to exclusive upper bounds. For example, Module<2.0 does not select 2.0-alpha, even though that version is lower than 2.0 according to SemVer. Use -StrictSemVer when strict NuGet behavior is required.

ModuleFast builds a dependency tree and selects the newest versions that satisfy every requirement. An installed module is reused when it satisfies the specification, which avoids unnecessary downloads. Specify -Update to check the repository for newer versions.

Use -Plan to preview the pipeline-friendly installation plan, or -WhatIf to preview the plan using PowerShell's ShouldProcess output. Plans can be piped to a later Install-ModuleFast invocation or serialized for a separate installation stage.

The -Path parameter accepts the following requirement sources:

• PowerShell scripts (.ps1) with #Requires -Module statements
• PowerShell modules (.psm1) with #Requires -Module statements
• Module manifests (.psd1) with a RequiredModules property
• ModuleFast, PSResourceGet, and PSDepend .psd1 formats
• JSON files containing module/version pairs or an array of specification strings

When no specification or path is supplied, ModuleFast searches the current directory for .requires.psd1, .requires.json, .requires.jsonc, .requires.ps1, and .requires.psm1 files. A requirement file can use latest or :* to request the newest matching version.

Use -CI to write requires.lock.json with the exact versions resolved during installation:

Install-ModuleFast ImportExcel -CI

On a later run in the same directory, Install-ModuleFast -CI uses the lockfile so the build remains reproducible even when newer repository versions are released. Commit the lockfile with the project when this behavior is desired.

By default, ModuleFast installs to the current user's PowerShell module path. On Windows it uses the local application data module directory by default to avoid conflicts with document-sync software. -Destination selects an explicit path, and -Scope CurrentUser selects the legacy Documents module path on Windows.

ModuleFast adds its default destination to the current session's PSModulePath and may add it to the user's PowerShell profile. Use -NoPSModulePathUpdate or -NoProfileUpdate to disable those updates. Use -DestinationOnly when planning in an isolated CI destination.

Use -Verbose for a high-level account of module selection and installation. Use -Debug for detailed dependency and candidate-selection diagnostics. ModuleFast caches repository metadata for the lifetime of the PowerShell session; run Clear-ModuleFastCache to force subsequent requests to fetch fresh metadata.

ModuleFast requires PowerShell 7.2 or later and a NuGet v3-compatible HTTPS repository. The default repository is pwsh.gallery. Third-party repositories using HTTPS Basic authentication can be selected with -Source and -Credential.

ModuleFast is designed for fast, declarative installation and is not a drop-in replacement for PowerShellGet. It does not support NuGet v2 repositories, and it currently does not install modules from local file shares.

• ModuleFast GitHub repository
• ModuleFast GitHub Action
• Install-ModuleFast
• Clear-ModuleFastCache