Some tips on npm package installation and updation
In this blog post, I will explain some tips on npm usage. I will explain how to install a package globally, locally, how to install a specific version of a package, how to update a package, how to uninstall a package, etc.
What is npm?
Npm is a package manager for the JavaScript programming language. It is the default package manager for the JavaScript runtime environment Node.js. It consists of a command-line client, also called npm, and an online database of public and paid-for private packages, called the npm registry. The registry is accessed via the client, and the available packages can be browsed and searched via the npm website↗.
Install a package globally
To install a package globally, you can use the --global flag or -g flag with the npm install command.
This will install the package in a directory that is in your system’s PATH, so that it can be used from any directory. It will be helpful when you want to use the package as a command-line tool.
npm install --global <package-name>
# or
npm install -g <package-name>Install a package locally
You can install a package locally in two ways. One is to use the --save flag or -S flag with the npm install command. The other is to use the --save-dev flag or -D flag with the npm install command.
Difference between --save and --save-dev
The --save flag or -S flag is used to save the package in the dependencies section of the package.json file. The --save-dev flag or -D flag is used to save the package in the devDependencies section of the package.json file.
The main difference between dependencies and devDependencies is that dependencies are required to run the project, whereas devDependencies are only needed to develop the project or run tests.
npm install --save <package-name>
# or
npm install -S <package-name>npm install --save-dev <package-name>
# or
npm install -D <package-name>Install a specific version of a package
To install a specific version of a package, you can use the @ symbol with the package name and the version number.
npm install <package-name>@<version-number>Update a package
Update to the latest major version
To update a package to the latest major version, you can use the npm update command.
npm update <package-name>Update to the latest version
To update a package to the latest version, you can use the npm install <package-name>@latest command.
npm install <package-name>@latestUpdate to a specific major version
To update a package to a specific major version, you can use the npm install <package-name>@v<major-version> command.
npm install <package-name>@v<major-version>Update to a specific minor version
To update a package to a specific minor version, you can use the npm install <package-name>@<major-version>.<minor-version> command.
npm install <package-name>@<major-version>.<minor-version>Uninstall a package
In order to uninstall a package, you can use the uninstall command with the --global flag or -g flag to uninstall a package globally.
You can use the uninstall command without the --global flag or -g flag to uninstall a package locally. This would remove the package from the node_modules directory and also remove the package from the dependencies or devDependencies section of the package.json file.
npm uninstall --global <package-name> # to uninstall globally
# or
npm uninstall <package-name> # to uninstall locally