npm

npm (Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for JavaScript and Node.js, maintained by npm Inc., which is now part of GitHub/Microsoft. It's the #2 most-used dev tool in the world, reported in roughly 56.8% of developer surveys, and it's bundled automatically with every Node.js install. Developers use it because it's the standard way to install, version, and share code from npm's registry — the largest package registry on Earth, with millions of published packages.

Example

Every npm project has a package.json file that declares its dependencies and scripts. Installing a package updates it automatically.

// package.json
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.19.2"
  }
}

# create a new package.json interactively
npm init -y

# install a package and save it as a dependency
npm install express

# run the "start" script defined above
npm run start

Getting started

npm ships automatically with Node.js — install Node and npm comes along for free.

# after installing Node.js from nodejs.org, verify both
node --version
npm --version

# install a package globally (CLI tools)
npm install -g typescript