codekingpro/portable-devtools
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182npm command-line interface
183</div>
184</div>
185</div>
186
187<section id="content">
188<header class="title">
189<h1 id="----folders----11121">
190 <span>Folders</span>
191 <span class="version">@11.12.1</span>
192</h1>
193<span class="description">Folder structures used by npm</span>
194</header>
195
196<section id="table_of_contents">
197<h2 id="table-of-contents">Table of contents</h2>
198<div id="_table_of_contents"><ul><li><a href="#description">Description</a></li><ul><li><a href="#tldr">tl;dr</a></li><li><a href="#prefix-configuration">prefix Configuration</a></li><li><a href="#node-modules">Node Modules</a></li><li><a href="#executables">Executables</a></li><li><a href="#man-pages">Man Pages</a></li><li><a href="#cache">Cache</a></li></ul><li><a href="#more-information">More Information</a></li><ul><li><a href="#global-installation">Global Installation</a></li><li><a href="#cycles-conflicts-and-folder-parsimony">Cycles, Conflicts, and Folder Parsimony</a></li><li><a href="#example">Example</a></li><li><a href="#publishing">Publishing</a></li></ul><li><a href="#see-also">See also</a></li></ul></div>
199</section>
200
201<div id="_content"><h3 id="description">Description</h3>
202<p>npm puts various things on your computer.
203That's its job.</p>
204<p>This document will tell you what it puts where.</p>
205<h4 id="tldr">tl;dr</h4>
206<ul>
207<li>Local install (default): puts stuff in <code>./node_modules</code> of the current package root.</li>
208<li>Global install (with <code>-g</code>): puts stuff in /usr/local or wherever node is installed.</li>
209<li>Install it <strong>locally</strong> if you're going to <code>require()</code> it.</li>
210<li>Install it <strong>globally</strong> if you're going to run it on the command line.</li>
211<li>If you need both, then install it in both places, or use <code>npm link</code>.</li>
212</ul>
213<h4 id="prefix-configuration">prefix Configuration</h4>
214<p>The <a href="../using-npm/config#prefix.html"><code>prefix</code> config</a> defaults to the location where node is installed.
215On most systems, this is <code>/usr/local</code>.
216On Windows, it's <code>%AppData%\npm</code>.
217On Unix systems, it's one level up, since node is typically installed at <code>{prefix}/bin/node</code> rather than <code>{prefix}/node.exe</code>.</p>
218<p>When the <code>global</code> flag is set, npm installs things into this prefix.
219When it is not set, it uses the root of the current package, or the current working directory if not in a package already.</p>
220<h4 id="node-modules">Node Modules</h4>
221<p>Packages are dropped into the <code>node_modules</code> folder under the <code>prefix</code>.
222When installing locally, this means that you can <code>require("packagename")</code> to load its main module, or <code>require("packagename/lib/path/to/sub/module")</code> to load other modules.</p>
223<p>Global installs on Unix systems go to <code>{prefix}/lib/node_modules</code>.
224Global installs on Windows go to <code>{prefix}/node_modules</code> (that is, no <code>lib</code> folder.)</p>
225<p>Scoped packages are installed the same way, except they are grouped together in a sub-folder of the relevant <code>node_modules</code> folder with the name of that scope prefix by the @ symbol, e.g. <code>npm install @myorg/package</code> would place the package in <code>{prefix}/node_modules/@myorg/package</code>.
226See <a href="../using-npm/scope.html"><code>scope</code></a> for more details.</p>
227<p>If you wish to <code>require()</code> a package, then install it locally.</p>
228<h4 id="executables">Executables</h4>
229<p>When in global mode, executables are linked into <code>{prefix}/bin</code> on Unix, or directly into <code>{prefix}</code> on Windows.
230Ensure that path is in your terminal's <code>PATH</code> environment to run them.</p>
231<p>When in local mode, executables are linked into <code>./node_modules/.bin</code> so that they can be made available to scripts run through npm.
232(For example, so that a test runner will be in the path when you run <code>npm test</code>.)</p>
233<h4 id="man-pages">Man Pages</h4>
234<p>When in global mode, man pages are linked into <code>{prefix}/share/man</code>.</p>
235<p>When in local mode, man pages are not installed.</p>
236<p>Man pages are not installed on Windows systems.</p>
237<h4 id="cache">Cache</h4>
238<p>See <a href="../commands/npm-cache.html"><code>npm cache</code></a>.
239Cache files are stored in <code>~/.npm</code> on Posix, or <code>%LocalAppData%/npm-cache</code> on Windows.</p>
240<p>This is controlled by the <a href="../using-npm/config#cache.html"><code>cache</code> config</a> param.</p>
241<h3 id="more-information">More Information</h3>
242<p>When installing locally, npm first tries to find an appropriate <code>prefix</code> folder.
243This is so that <code>npm install foo@1.2.3</code> will install to the sensible root of your package, even if you happen to have <code>cd</code>ed into some other folder.</p>
244<p>Starting at the $PWD, npm will walk up the folder tree checking for a folder that contains either a <code>package.json</code> file, or a <code>node_modules</code> folder.
245If such a thing is found, then that is treated as the effective "current directory" for the purpose of running npm commands.
246(This behavior is inspired by and similar to git's .git-folder seeking logic when running git commands in a working dir.)</p>
247<p>If no package root is found, then the current folder is used.</p>
248<p>When you run <code>npm install foo@1.2.3</code>, then the package is loaded into the cache, and then unpacked into <code>./node_modules/foo</code>.
249Then, any of foo's dependencies are similarly unpacked into <code>./node_modules/foo/node_modules/...</code>.</p>
250<p>Any bin files are symlinked to <code>./node_modules/.bin/</code>, so that they may be found by npm scripts when necessary.</p>
251<h4 id="global-installation">Global Installation</h4>
252<p>If the <a href="../using-npm/config#global.html"><code>global</code> config</a> is set to true, then npm will install packages "globally".</p>
253<p>For global installation, packages are installed roughly the same way, but using the folders described above.</p>
254<h4 id="cycles-conflicts-and-folder-parsimony">Cycles, Conflicts, and Folder Parsimony</h4>
255<p>Cycles are handled using the property of node's module system that it walks up the directories looking for <code>node_modules</code> folders.
256So, at every stage, if a package is already installed in an ancestor <code>node_modules</code> folder, then it is not installed at the current location.</p>
257<p>Consider the case above, where <code>foo -> bar -> baz</code>.
258Imagine if, in addition to that, baz depended on bar, so you'd have:
259<code>foo -> bar -> baz -> bar -> baz ...</code>.
260However, since the folder structure is: <code>foo/node_modules/bar/node_modules/baz</code>, there's no need to put another copy of bar into <code>.../baz/node_modules</code>, since when baz calls <code>require("bar")</code>, it will get the copy that is installed in <code>foo/node_modules/bar</code>.</p>
261<p>This shortcut is only used if the exact same version would be installed in multiple nested <code>node_modules</code> folders.
262It is still possible to have <code>a/node_modules/b/node_modules/a</code> if the two "a" packages are different versions.
263However, without repeating the exact same package multiple times, an infinite regress will always be prevented.</p>
264<p>Another optimization can be made by installing dependencies at the highest level possible, below the localized "target" folder (hoisting).
265Since version 3, npm hoists dependencies by default.</p>
266<h4 id="example">Example</h4>
267<p>Consider this dependency graph:</p>
268<pre><code class="language-bash">foo
269+-- blerg@1.2.5
270+-- bar@1.2.3
271| +-- blerg@1.x (latest=1.3.7)
272| +-- baz@2.x
273| | `-- quux@3.x
274| | `-- bar@1.2.3 (cycle)
275| `-- asdf@*
276`-- baz@1.2.3
277 `-- quux@3.x
278 `-- bar
279</code></pre>
280<p>In this case, we might expect a folder structure like this (with all dependencies hoisted to the highest level possible):</p>
281<pre><code class="language-bash">foo
282+-- node_modules
283 +-- blerg (1.2.5) <---[A]
284 +-- bar (1.2.3) <---[B]
285 | +-- node_modules
286 | +-- baz (2.0.2) <---[C]
287 +-- asdf (2.3.4)
288 +-- baz (1.2.3) <---[D]
289 +-- quux (3.2.0) <---[E]
290</code></pre>
291<p>Since foo depends directly on <code>bar@1.2.3</code> and <code>baz@1.2.3</code>, those are installed in foo's <code>node_modules</code> folder.</p>
292<p>Even though the latest copy of blerg is 1.3.7, foo has a specific dependency on version 1.2.5.
293So, that gets installed at [A].
294Since the parent installation of blerg satisfies bar's dependency on <code>blerg@1.x</code>, it does not install another copy under [B].</p>
295<p>Bar [B] also has dependencies on baz and asdf.
296Because it depends on <code>baz@2.x</code>, it cannot re-use the <code>baz@1.2.3</code> installed in the parent <code>node_modules</code> folder [D], and must install its own copy [C].
297In order to minimize duplication, npm hoists dependencies to the top level by default, so asdf is installed under [A].</p>
298<p>Underneath bar, the <code>baz -> quux -> bar</code> dependency creates a cycle.
299However, because bar is already in quux's ancestry [B], it does not unpack another copy of bar into that folder.
300Likewise, quux's [E] folder tree is empty, because its dependency on bar is satisfied by the parent folder copy installed at [B].</p>
301<p>For a graphical breakdown of what is installed where, use <code>npm ls</code>.</p>
302<h4 id="publishing">Publishing</h4>
303<p>Upon publishing, npm will look in the <code>node_modules</code> folder.
304If any of the items there are not in the <code>bundleDependencies</code> array, then they will not be included in the package tarball.</p>
305<p>This allows a package maintainer to install all of their dependencies (and dev dependencies) locally, but only re-publish those items that cannot be found elsewhere.
306See <a href="../configuring-npm/package-json.html"><code>package.json</code></a> for more information.</p>
307<h3 id="see-also">See also</h3>
308<ul>
309<li><a href="../configuring-npm/package-json.html">package.json</a></li>
310<li><a href="../commands/npm-install.html">npm install</a></li>
311<li><a href="../commands/npm-pack.html">npm pack</a></li>
312<li><a href="../commands/npm-cache.html">npm cache</a></li>
313<li><a href="../commands/npm-config.html">npm config</a></li>
314<li><a href="../configuring-npm/npmrc.html">npmrc</a></li>
315<li><a href="../using-npm/config.html">config</a></li>
316<li><a href="../commands/npm-publish.html">npm publish</a></li>
317</ul></div>
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