npm

Npm is a package manager for the JavaScript programming language, primarily used with the Node.js runtime. It provides a command-line interface (CLI) for installing, publishing, and managing packages from the npm registry, which hosts public and private modules used in web and server-side development.

Npm was created by Isaac Z. Schlueter in 2010 to streamline sharing of Node.js packages. It quickly became the standard tool for Node development. The npm Registry at npmjs.org serves as the central repository, and the npm CLI interacts with it to install dependencies, publish packages, and manage versions. In 2020 npm, Inc. was acquired by GitHub (a subsidiary of Microsoft), and npm continues as the official package manager under GitHub.

Key concepts include package.json, which lists a project's dependencies and metadata; package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json for reproducible installs; and semantic versioning to manage compatibility. Common commands include npm install, npm publish, npm init, and npm update. The CLI also supports npm run for script execution and npx for running packages without a local install.

Security and governance: npm provides access control for private packages, supports scoped packages and registries, and offers npm audit to identify and fix vulnerabilities, along with advisories and patches.

Related ecosystem: npm is part of a broader JavaScript packaging landscape that includes alternatives such as Yarn and pnpm; it integrates with continuous integration, bundlers, and module resolution strategies used in modern web development.