This is the most galaxy brained solution to windows package distribution I've seen yet, I'm impressed and horrified @Amyayash

What is YoWASP?

YoWASP (Yosys WebAssembly Synthesis & PnR) is a project that aims to distribute up-to-date FOSS FPGA tools compiled to WebAssembly via language package managers like Python’s PyPI.

Why use WebAssembly?

A batch compiler, such as an FPGA toolchain, transforms input files to output files without using any OS services beyond basic bookkeeping. Is it really necessary to build something so fundamentally simple for a large matrix of every OS × every CPU? With WebAssembly and WASI, it is now possible to build a single universal binary that runs on many OSes and CPUs.

Do I need a browser?

Despite the name, WebAssembly is not tied to browsers; it is a kind of machine code that can be easily translated into x86, ARM, or other machine code that your CPU runs directly. The YoWASP project currently does not provide tools that can run in a browser.

Why use language package managers?

Many new hardware definition languages are embedded in another host language, which comes with its own package manager and repository. For example, Amaranth HDL is embedded in Python, which uses pip and PyPI. There are several benefits in distributing FPGA tools via language package managers:

• Designers working in such HDLs are already familiar with the package manager of the host language, making it is a convenient distribution mechanism;
• Synthesis and PnR tools can be added as ordinary dependencies to the project, and their versions can be frozen for reproducibility;
• “Turnkey” toolchain installation enables new applications that generate FPGA bitstreams just-in-time, or use synthesis tools to transform netlists.

Which tools are provided?

This project provides packages for:

• Yosys:
  • upstream repository;
  • package repository;
  • PyPI packages: .
• nextpnr:
  • nextpnr upstream repository;
  • Project IceStorm upstream repository;
  • Project Trellis upstream repository;
  • Project Oxide upstream repository;
  • Project Apicula upstream repository;
  • package repository;
  • PyPI packages: , , , , .

Which platforms are supported?

YoWASP relies on a WebAssembly engine to run the WASM code, and inherits both its advantages and its limitations.

YoWASP is an early technology preview. At the moment, it uses the Wasmtime engine, which supports the following platforms:

• Linux (x86_64 and AArch64),
• macOS (x86_64 and AArch64),
• Windows (x86_64).

Are there other packages?

YoWASP isn’t the only project that packages the open-source FPGA toolchain, and it has some limitations. One of the following projects may suit your workflow better:

• YosysHQ OSS CAD suite is a native build that includes GHDL and programming tools (iceprog, ecpprog, dfu-util, etc).

How do I use the tools…

… with Python?

To use Yosys, install the yowasp-yosys package using pip or add it as a dependency. It provides the yowasp-yosys, yowasp-sby, and yowasp-yosys-smtbmc executables.

To use nextpnr-ice40, install the yowasp-nextpnr-ice40 package using pip or add it as a dependency. This package contains support for every device, and provides the yowasp-nextpnr-ice40, yowasp-icepack, yowasp-iceunpack, yowasp-icebram, yowasp-icemulti, and yowasp-icepll executables.

To use nextpnr-ecp5, install the yowasp-nextpnr-ecp5 package using pip or add it as a dependency. This package contains support for every device, and provides the yowasp-nextpnr-ecp5, yowasp-ecppack, yowasp-ecpunpack, yowasp-ecpbram, yowasp-ecpmulti, and yowasp-ecppll executables.

To use nextpnr-machxo2, install the yowasp-nextpnr-machxo2 package using pip or add it as a dependency. This package contains support for every device, and provides the yowasp-nextpnr-machxo2, yowasp-xo2pack, yowasp-xo2unpack, yowasp-xo2bram, yowasp-xo2multi, and yowasp-xo2pll executables. The yowasp-xo2* executables are bit-for-bit identical to the yowasp-ecp* executables above, but are renamed to avoid a conflict during installation.

To use nextpnr-nexus, install the yowasp-nextpnr-nexus package using pip or add it as a dependency. This package contains support for every device, and provides the yowasp-nextpnr-nexus and yowasp-prjoxide executables.

To use nextpnr-gowin, install the yowasp-nextpnr-gowin package using pip or add it as a dependency. This package contains support for every device, and provides the yowasp-nextpnr-gowin executable. It also depends on a compatible version of the Apicula package, which provides the gowin_pack and gowin_unpack executables.

Try running e.g. yowasp-yosys --version to see if everything works! When the tools are run for the first time, it will take a few seconds for them to be compiled to machine code.

If the packages are installed in a virtualenv, they will only be available in that virtual environment. Otherwise, they will be available system-wide or user-wide, similar to any other Python scripts installed via pip.

Consider also using PDM, which conveniently provides a way to set the required environment variables automatically in the pyproject.toml file…

[project]
...
dependencies = [
    "yowasp-yosys",
    "yowasp-nextpnr-ice40",
]

[tool.pdm.scripts]
_.env_file = ".env.toolchain"
...

… together with a .env.toolchain file…

YOSYS=yowasp-yosys
NEXTPNR_ICE40=yowasp-nextpnr-ice40
ICEPACK=yowasp-icepack

… such that they are set for any command run with pdm run <command>.

… with other languages?

At the moment, only PyPI packages are provided. Open an issue if you’d like YoWASP packages to be built for another ecosystem.

Are the tools slower?

Yosys built for WebAssembly is about half the speed of a native build. Nextpnr built for WebAssembly runs about as fast as a native build.

How are the packages released?

Routine YoWASP maintenance is fully automated. Upstream changes and releases are tracked daily without manual intervention.