Introduction - Phantom Developer Documentation

Overview

Phantom is a developer-focused framework designed to simplify the creation, testing, and deployment of micro-services and background workers. This documentation provides a compact introduction that highlights design principles, common workflows, and resources to get you productive quickly. The goal is to present practical guidance, examples, and navigation so a developer can move from zero to a working prototype with minimal friction.

Getting started

Prerequisites

Before installing Phantom, ensure you have a supported runtime (Node.js 18+ or equivalent), a package manager such as npm or yarn, and basic familiarity with command-line tools. You'll also want an account for any third‑party services you plan to integrate (databases, queues, or cloud providers).

Quick install

Use the package manager of your choice. Example (npm):

$ npm install -g phantom-devkit $ phantom init my-project $ cd my-project $ phantom start

Architecture

Phantom adopts a modular architecture: lightweight core runtime, extension packages, and optional adapters. This separation keeps the core small while enabling advanced capabilities through well-defined interfaces. Typical components include the orchestrator, worker pool, event bus, and persistence adapters.

Core concepts

Orchestrator

The orchestrator manages job scheduling, dependency resolution, and lifecycle hooks for tasks.

Worker pool

Workers are isolated processes or threads that execute units of work. Pools allow dynamic scaling and health monitoring.

Event bus

Phantom's event bus supports pub/sub patterns, allowing decoupled communication between services and extensions.

API Guides

Phantom exposes a small, consistent API surface for defining tasks, registering hooks, and publishing events. The following snippets illustrate common patterns.

Define a task

// tasks/email.js module.exports = async function sendEmail(ctx) { const { to, subject, body } = ctx.payload; await ctx.services.mail.send({ to, subject, body }); };

Register task and schedule

const Phantom = require('phantom-core'); const app = new Phantom(); app.task('sendEmail', require('./tasks/email')); app.schedule('sendEmail', { cron: '0 * * * *' }); app.start();

CLI & Tools

The CLI provides commands for project scaffolding, local testing, and packaging. Use `phantom dev` for local development with hot-reload, and `phantom bundle` to create deployable artifacts.

Local testing

Phantom ships with a lightweight test harness that can emulate external services. Tests are defined using standard test frameworks and can mock services via the `phantom:test` helper.

Security

Security is integrated into the platform: secrets management, least-privilege service roles, and encrypted transport between components. Follow these practices:

Store credentials in an external secrets manager;
Enable TLS for all external connections;
Run workers with minimal OS-level privileges.

Contributing

Phantom is open-source and welcomes contributions. Fork the repo, create a feature branch, and open a pull request with a clear description and tests. The maintainers review PRs within a reasonable timeframe; follow the contributing guide and code style.

FAQ

Can Phantom run on serverless platforms?

Yes — Phantom supports function-as-a-service deployments via lightweight adapters. Some advanced orchestration features may be limited by the host platform's execution model.

What's the upgrade path?

Minor upgrades are usually compatible; major versions follow semantic versioning. Always read the migration notes in release changelogs.

Office Links (10 quick references)

Below are ten useful Office-style links to set up project documents, templates, and collaboration resources. Replace these URLs with your internal links as needed.

Office Link 1 — Office Home Office Link 2 — Word (Document Template) Office Link 3 — PowerPoint (Presentation Template) Office Link 4 — Excel (Budgets & Sheets) Office Link 5 — Teams (Collaboration) Office Link 6 — OneNote (Notes) Office Link 7 — SharePoint (Docs & Pages) Office Link 8 — Office Templates Office Link 9 — Microsoft Support Office Link 10 — Microsoft Learn

Contact & Next steps

For deeper technical information consult the full Phantom Developer Documentation repository. Create an issue on the tracker for bugs, or open a discussion for design conversations. If you're integrating Phantom into an enterprise environment, schedule a walkthrough with the core team and request the deployment checklist.