Swift Package Manager

Swift Package Manager is a tool that organizes your project's code and downloads any outside libraries it needs to work.

In this page:

swift package init creates a new package skeleton, including a Package.swift manifest and a starter source file.

Example: Initializing a New Package

bash

swift package init --type executable

⚠️ Run this command in your terminal.

swift build compiles all of a package's targets, and swift run builds (if needed) and then executes its main executable target.

Example: Building and Running a Package

bash

swift build
swift run

⚠️ Run this command in your terminal.

swift test compiles and runs all test targets declared in the package's manifest, reporting pass/fail results.

Example: Running Tests

bash

swift test

⚠️ Run this command in your terminal.

Common Mistakes

Trying to run swift build or swift run in a folder without a Package.swift manifest file; SPM requires this file to know how to build the project.
Confusing a package's products (what other packages can import) with its targets (the actual source modules being compiled).
Forgetting swift test looks specifically for a target ending in Tests by convention, matching the package's testing setup.

Chapter Summary

swift package init scaffolds a new package, generating a Package.swift manifest.
Package.swift declares the package's name, dependencies, targets, and products.
swift build compiles the package, and swift run builds and executes an executable target.
swift test runs the package's test targets.

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