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creating-and-working-with-codeql-packs.md

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title intro product versions topics redirect_from
Creating and working with CodeQL packs
You can use {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs to create, share, depend on, and run {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} queries and libraries.
{% data reusables.gated-features.codeql %}
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Code Security
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/code-security/codeql-cli/creating-and-working-with-codeql-packs
/code-security/codeql-cli/using-the-codeql-cli/creating-and-working-with-codeql-packs

About {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs and the {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql_cli %}

{% data reusables.code-scanning.codeql-cli-version-ghes %}

{% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs are used to create, share, depend on, and run {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} queries and libraries. {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs contain queries, library files, query suites, and metadata. With {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs and the package management commands in the {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql_cli %}, you can publish your custom queries and integrate them into your codebase analysis.

There are three types of {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs: query packs, library packs, and model packs.

  • Query packs are designed to be run. When a query pack is published, the bundle includes all the transitive dependencies and pre-compiled representations of each query, in addition to the query sources. This ensures consistent and efficient execution of the queries in the pack.

  • Library packs are designed to be used by query packs (or other library packs) and do not contain queries themselves. The libraries are not compiled separately.

  • Model packs can be used to expand {% data variables.product.prodname_code_scanning %} analysis to include dependencies that are not supported by default. Model packs are currently in {% data variables.release-phases.public_preview %} and subject to change. During the {% data variables.release-phases.public_preview %}, model packs are available for {% data variables.code-scanning.codeql_model_packs_support %} analysis. For more information about creating your own model packs, see Creating a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} model pack.

You can use the pack command in the {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql_cli %} to create {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs, add dependencies to packs, and install or update dependencies. You can also publish and download {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs using the pack command. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

For more information about compatibility between published query packs and different {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} releases, see AUTOTITLE.

The standard {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packages for all supported languages are published in the {% data variables.product.prodname_container_registry %}. The {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} repository contains source files for the standard {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs for all supported languages. The core query packs, which are included in the {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} CLI bundle, but you can otherwise download, are:

  • codeql/cpp-queries
  • codeql/csharp-queries
  • codeql/go-queries
  • codeql/java-queries
  • codeql/javascript-queries
  • codeql/python-queries
  • codeql/ruby-queries

{% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack structure

A {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack must contain a file called qlpack.yml in its root directory. In the qlpack.yml file, the name: field must have a value that follows the format of <scope>/<pack>, where <scope> is the {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} organization or user account that the pack will be published to and <pack> is the name of the pack. Additionally, query packs and library packs with {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} tests contain a codeql-pack.lock.yml file that contains the resolved dependencies of the pack. This file is generated during a call to the codeql pack install command, is not meant to be edited by hand, and should be added to your version control system.

The other files and directories within the pack should be logically organized. For example, typically:

  • Queries are organized into directories for specific categories.

  • Queries for specific products, libraries, and frameworks are organized into their own top-level directories.

Creating a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack

You can create a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack by running the following command from the checkout root of your project:

codeql pack init <scope>/<pack>

You must specify:

  • <scope>: the name of the {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} organization or user account that you will publish to.

  • <pack>: the name for the pack that you are creating.

The codeql pack init command creates the directory structure and configuration files for a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack. By default, the command creates a query pack. If you want to create a library pack, you must edit the qlpack.yml file to explicitly declare the file as a library pack by including the library:true property.

Creating a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} model pack

{% data reusables.code-scanning.beta-model-packs %}

Model packs can be used to expand {% data variables.product.prodname_code_scanning %} analysis to recognize libraries and frameworks that are not supported by default. Model packs use data extensions, which are implemented as YAML and describe how to add data for new dependencies. When a model pack is specified, the data extensions in that pack will be added to the {% data variables.product.prodname_code_scanning %} analysis automatically. For more information about {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} model packs and data extensions, see AUTOTITLE.

A model pack is a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack with the following characteristics in the qlpack.yml file:

  • It defines library: true.
  • It has no dependencies.
  • It has one or more extensionTargets.
  • It has a dataExtensions property that points to one or more data extension files.

A model pack will inject its specified data extensions into each query pack that is named in extensionTargets, if it falls within the specified version range. For example:

name: my-repo/my-java-model-pack
version: 1.2.3
extensionTargets:
  codeql/java-all: ~1.2.3
  codeql/util: ~4.5.6
dataExtensions:
  - models/**/*.yml

In this example, the model pack will inject all the data extensions in models/**/ into a codeql/java-all query pack that is at a version from 1.2.3 up to and including 1.3.0, and a codeql/util query pack that is at a version from 4.5.6 up to and including 4.6.0. For more information, see Using semantic versioning in the npm documentation and the Semantic versioning specification.

Once you've created a model pack, you can publish it in the same way as other {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs. For more information, see AUTOTITLE. You can then use published model packs in a {% data variables.product.prodname_code_scanning %} analysis with the --model-packs option. For more information, see AUTOTITLE.

Adding and installing dependencies on a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack

Note

This is only supported for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} query and library packs.

You can add dependencies on {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs using the command codeql pack add. You must specify the scope, name, and (optionally) a compatible version range.

codeql pack add <scope>/<name>@x.x.x <scope>/<other-name>

If you don’t specify a version range, the latest version will be added. Otherwise, the latest version that satisfies the requested range will be added.

This command updates the qlpack.yml file with the requested dependencies and downloads them into the package cache. Please note that this command will reformat the file and remove all comments.

You can also manually edit the qlpack.yml file to include dependencies and install the dependencies with the command:

codeql pack install

This command downloads all dependencies to the shared cache on the local disk.

Note

  • Running the codeql pack add and codeql pack install commands will generate or update the codeql-pack.lock.yml file. This file should be checked-in to version control. The codeql-pack.lock.yml file contains the precise version numbers used by the pack. For more information, see About codeql-pack.lock.yml files.
  • By default codeql pack install will install dependencies from the {% data variables.product.prodname_container_registry %} on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. You can install dependencies from a {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} {% data variables.product.prodname_container_registry %} by creating a qlconfig.yml file. For more information, see AUTOTITLE in the {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} documentation.

Customizing a downloaded {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} pack

The recommended way to experiment with changes to a pack is to clone the repository containing its source code.

If no source repository is available and you need to base modifications on a pack downloaded from the {% data variables.product.prodname_container_registry %}, be aware that these packs are not intended to be modified or customized after downloading, and their format may change in the future without much notice. We recommend taking the following steps after downloading a pack if you need to modify the content:

  • Change the pack name in qlpack.yml so you avoid confusion with results from the unmodified pack.

  • Remove all files named *.qlx anywhere in the unpacked directory structure. These files contain precompiled versions of the queries, and in some situations {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} will use them in preference to the QL source you have modified.