SwiftPM Registry FAQ
Practical, technical answers for engineers used to the Git URL workflow.
What is a Swift package registry?
A standard (SE-0292) that lets SwiftPM download packages over an HTTP API instead of Git repositories. Swift Registry is a hosted implementation serving release lists, manifests and source archives directly.
How do builds work without GitHub access?
The registry itself serves the manifests and source archives needed for resolution, so build machines never need to reach GitHub. Mirroring of public packages is on the roadmap.
Are private packages supported?
Yes. Packages are managed per organization and scope, and only tokens with granted permissions can read or publish. Every publish and every org/token change is audit-logged.
How do I migrate from Git dependencies?
Register the registry with swift package-registry set. The bundled swiftregistry CLI helps with setup, doctor and analyze commands for project configuration and conflict diagnosis.
How is security handled?
Tokens are stored only as hashes — never in plaintext. Published archives are immutable, all input is validated, and publish paths plus org/token changes are audit-logged. Read-access auditing is on the roadmap.