Installation

Install the CLI

Install Lanterna globally using your preferred package manager:

# Bun (recommended)
bun add -g @lanternajs/cli

# npm
npm install -g @lanternajs/cli

Prerequisites

For iOS

macOS — iOS profiling requires macOS (any version that supports Xcode).
Xcode Command Line Tools — Lanterna uses xcrun xctrace under the hood. Install the tools if you haven’t already:
Terminal window
```
xcode-select --install
```
Simulator or physical device — Either an iOS Simulator or a connected physical device. Verify with:
Terminal window
```
xcrun simctl list devices booted
```

For Android

Android SDK — The Android SDK must be installed. Android Studio is not required, but the SDK platform tools must be available.
ADB in PATH — Lanterna communicates with Android devices via adb. Verify it is accessible:
Terminal window
```
adb devices
```
You should see at least one device or emulator listed.
Emulator or physical device — Either a running Android emulator or a connected physical device with USB debugging enabled.

Runtime

Bun v1.0+ — Lanterna is built on Bun. Install it from bun.sh if you don’t have it yet:
Terminal window
```
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
```

Verify the Installation

Run the following command to confirm Lanterna is installed correctly:

lanterna --help

You should see the full help output listing available commands and options.

Optional: In-App Module

For deeper performance insights beyond what platform CLIs can provide (Tier 2 and Tier 3 metrics), you can add the @lanternajs/react-native package to your app. This enables real-time FPS tracking, Hermes profiling, React Profiler integration, and more.

bun add @lanternajs/react-native

See the In-App Module overview for setup instructions and available features.