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Lab13 CLI (l13)

The Lab13 CLI (l13) is a command-line tool designed specifically for JS13K game development. It provides a streamlined workflow for creating, building, and testing games that fit within the 13KB size constraint.

Installation​

npm install -g l13

Or use with npx:

npx l13 --help

Quick Start​

  1. Create a new game project:

    npx l13 create

  2. Start development server:

    npx l13 dev

  3. Build for production:

    npx l13 build

  4. Preview the built game:

    npx l13 preview

Features​

  • Project Scaffolding: Create new games from official examples
  • Development Server: Hot-reload development with automatic builds
  • Optimized Builds: Advanced compression and minification for JS13K
  • Multiple Compression Methods: Support for various compression algorithms
  • Asset Inlining: Automatic CSS and JS inlining
  • Size Optimization: Built-in tools to help stay under 13KB

Commands​

  • create - Scaffold a new project from examples
  • dev - Start development server with hot reload
  • build - Build optimized production bundle
  • preview - Serve built files locally

Environment Variables​

  • DEBUG - Enable debug logging
  • ROADROLLER - Enable Roadroller compression
  • EXPERIMENTAL - Enable experimental compression methods