NPM Commands Cheat Sheet
·5 min read
npm is the default package manager for Node.js. This cheat sheet covers the commands you use every day.
Project Setup
npm init # Create package.json npm init -y # Skip prompts, use defaults npm install # Install all dependencies npm ci # Clean install from lock file
Installing Packages
npm install lodash # Install (save to dependencies) npm install -D jest # Install as devDependency npm install lodash@4.17.21 # Specific version npm install lodash@^4.17.0 # Compatible version npm install -g typescript # Install globally
Updating Packages
npm update # Update all packages npm update lodash # Update specific package npm outdated # Check for outdated packages npm ls # List installed packages npm ls --depth=0 # Top-level only
Removing Packages
npm uninstall lodash npm uninstall -g typescript
Running Scripts
npm run build # Run "build" script
npm run dev # Run "dev" script
npm test # Run "test" script
npm start # Run "start" script
# In package.json:
# "scripts": {
# "dev": "next dev",
# "build": "next build",
# "test": "jest"
# }npx
npx create-next-app my-app # Run without installing npx jest # Run local package binary npx cowsay "hello" # Run one-off commands
Version Specifiers
^4.17.0 # Compatible (4.x.x, >= 4.17.0) ~4.17.0 # Patch (4.17.x, >= 4.17.0) 4.17.0 # Exact * # Latest >=4.0.0 # Range
Useful Commands
npm audit # Security vulnerabilities npm audit fix # Auto-fix vulnerabilities npm cache clean --force # Clear cache npm whoami # Check logged-in user npm publish # Publish package npm version patch # Bump version
package.json Fields
{
"name": "my-app",
"version": "1.0.0",
"main": "index.js",
"scripts": { ... },
"dependencies": { ... },
"devDependencies": { ... },
"engines": { "node": ">=18" }
}