Build & Update

The browzarr package ships with a pre-built copy of the Browzarr web frontend in web/dist. That build is static — to pick up new features or fixes from the upstream Browzarr project, rebuild or update it.

There are two ways to do this, each suited to a different situation.

update_browzarr() — quick prebuilt update (preferred)

Downloads a pre-built distribution from the upstream python-dist branch and swaps it into the package. This is fast (no compile step) and the recommended way to stay current.

from browzarr import update_browzarr

update_browzarr()

What it does:

1. Downloads the python-dist tarball from GitHub.
2. Extracts it to a temporary directory.
3. Replaces the package's web/dist folder with the new build.

Requires an internet connection and write access to the package's data directory.

build_browzarr() — rebuild from source

Compiles the frontend from the latest upstream main source. Use this when you want the very newest code or are contributing to the frontend itself.

from browzarr import build_browzarr

build_browzarr()

What it does:

1. Downloads the latest source from the upstream main branch.
2. Runs pnpm install and pnpm run build in a temporary directory.
3. Copies the built output into the package's web/dist folder.

Prerequisites

pnpm must be installed and available on your PATH. If it isn't, build_browzarr() prints an installation hint and stops:

pnpm not installed. Install it then run again
https://pnpm.io/installation

The build is slower than update_browzarr() because it compiles the frontend.

Troubleshooting

No frontend build found in 'web/dist'

The package was installed without the bundled assets (or they were removed). Run update_browzarr() (fast) or build_browzarr() (from source) to populate web/dist:

from browzarr import update_browzarr
update_browzarr()

Permission errors when writing web/dist

Both functions write into the installed package's data directory. Make sure you have write access to that location, or run in an environment where the package is writable (e.g. a user site-packages install).

Which should I use?