NPM CheatSheet

NPM Installation

Node.js includes NPM automatically when installed

Check version To verify if it is installed and see the version

npm --version

List commands

To list all available npm commands

npm help

Project Creation

Initialize a project

To start a new project, use npm init which creates a package.json file to manage the project’s dependencies and settings.

npm init

Install all dependencies

This will install all dependencies listed in the package.json file. This is useful when you clone a repository or share your project with others.

npm install

Dependency Management

Install dependencies

To install a dependency in a project

npm install package-name

Install dev dependencies

Dev dependencies are those needed only for the development and testing of the project.

npm install --save-dev package-name

Update dependencies

To update a dependency to the latest version

npm update package-name

Uninstall dependencies

To uninstall a dependency

npm uninstall package-name

List dependencies

To view the installed dependencies

npm list

Global installation

To install a package globally (accessible from any project)

npm install -g package-name

Package.json

Contains metadata about the project, such as the name, version, description, and project dependencies

Example:

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Description of my project",
  "main": "index.js",
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.17.1",
    "lodash": "^4.17.21"
  }
}

Scripts

In the package.json file, custom scripts can be defined to execute specific commands.

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "test": "jest"
  }
}

To run a script

npm run script-name

Installation and Execution of Tools

Global package installation

The package will be available in all your projects and can be executed from any directory in your system

npm install -g <package_name>

List installed global packages

npm list -g --depth=0

Uninstall global package

To uninstall a package that you have installed globally, you can use the following command

npm uninstall -g <package_name>

NPX

Run a package without installing it globally

npx <package_command>

Verification and Search

Check package details

npm view <package_name>

View package dependencies

npm view <package_name> dependencies

Search packages in the NPM registry

npm search <keyword>

Verify the list of project dependencies

npm ls

Package Publishing

Create an account on NPM (if not already)

Creating an account on NPM allows you to publish your own packages and manage them from your profile.

npm adduser

Login to NPM

Logging in to NPM is necessary to perform actions such as publishing packages or accessing your profile from the command line.

npm login

Publish a package on NPM

Publishing a package on NPM allows you to share your code with the community and make it easier for other developers to use.

npm publish

Update a published package

To update a package already published on NPM, you must first increment the version and then republish it.

npm version <type>
npm publish

Configurations

Global configuration

To view the global npm configuration

npm config list -g

Change registry

The npm registry can be changed, for example, to a private server

npm config set registry https://my-private-registry.com

Version Management

Semver (Semantic Versioning)

NPM uses Semver to manage package versions

• x.y.z
  • x: Major version (breaks compatibility with previous versions).
  • y: Minor version (adds backwards-compatible functionality).
  • z: Patch version (bug fixes, backwards-compatible).

Version Updates

To update the version of a package in package.json

npm version major|minor|patch

This will automatically update the version and create a commit and tag in Git.

NPM Configuration

View the current NPM configuration

npm config list

Set up a proxy

npm config set proxy http://my.proxy.com:8080

Set up a registry

npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/