This is just enough info to get you up and running.
Much more info available via npm help once it's installed.
You need node v0.6 or higher to run this program.
To install an old and unsupported version of npm that works on node 0.3 and prior, clone the git repo and dig through the old tags and branches.
npm comes with node now.
Get the MSI. npm is in it.
Get the pkg. npm is in it.
Run make install. npm will be installed with node.
If you want a more fancy pants install (a different version, customized paths, etc.) then read on.
To install npm with one command, do this:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
To skip the npm 0.x cleanup, do this:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | clean=no sh
To say "yes" to the 0.x cleanup, but skip the prompt:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | clean=yes sh
If you get permission errors, you'll need to run the script as root.
(Note, just putting sudo in front of the curl will fetch the script
as root.)
You can set any npm configuration params with that script:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | npm_config_prefix=/some/path sh
Or, you can run it in uber-debuggery mode:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | npm_debug=1 sh
Get the code with git. Use make to build the docs and do other stuff.
If you plan on hacking on npm, make link is your friend.
If you've got the npm source code, you can also semi-permanently set
arbitrary config keys using the ./configure --key=val ..., and then
run npm commands by doing node cli.js <cmd> <args>. (This is helpful
for testing, or running stuff without actually installing npm itself.)
You can download a zip file from http://npmjs.org/dist/, and unpack it in the same folder where node.exe lives.
If that's not fancy enough for you, then you can fetch the code with git, and mess with it directly.
No.
To install the latest unstable development version from git:
git clone https://github.com/isaacs/npm.git
cd npm
sudo make install # (or: `node cli.js install -gf`)
If you're sitting in the code folder reading this document in your terminal, then you've already got the code. Just do:
sudo make install
and npm will install itself.
tl;dr
- Use
sudofor greater safety. Or don't, if you prefer not to. - npm will downgrade permissions if it's root before running any build scripts that package authors specified.
As of version 0.3, it is recommended to run npm as root.
This allows npm to change the user identifier to the nobody user prior
to running any package build or test commands.
If you are not the root user, or if you are on a platform that does not support uid switching, then npm will not attempt to change the userid.
If you would like to ensure that npm always runs scripts as the "nobody" user, and have it fail if it cannot downgrade permissions, then set the following configuration param:
npm config set unsafe-perm false
This will prevent running in unsafe mode, even as non-root users.
So sad to see you go.
sudo npm uninstall npm -g
Or, if that fails,
sudo make uninstall
Usually, the above instructions are sufficient. That will remove npm, but leave behind anything you've installed.
If you would like to remove all the packages that you have installed,
then you can use the npm ls command to find them, and then npm rm to
remove them.
To remove cruft left behind by npm 0.x, you can use the included
clean-old.sh script file. You can run it conveniently like this:
npm explore npm -g -- sh scripts/clean-old.sh
npm uses two configuration files, one for per-user configs, and another for global (every-user) configs. You can view them by doing:
npm config get userconfig # defaults to ~/.npmrc
npm config get globalconfig # defaults to /usr/local/etc/npmrc
Uninstalling npm does not remove configuration files by default. You must remove them yourself manually if you want them gone. Note that this means that future npm installs will not remember the settings that you have chosen.
If you would like to use npm programmatically, you can do that. It's not very well documented, but it is rather simple.
var npm = require("npm")
npm.load(myConfigObject, function (er) {
if (er) return handlError(er)
npm.commands.install(["some", "args"], function (er, data) {
if (er) return commandFailed(er)
// command succeeded, and data might have some info
})
npm.on("log", function (message) { .... })
})
The load function takes an object hash of the command-line configs.
The various npm.commands.<cmd> functions take an array of
positional argument strings. The last argument to any
npm.commands.<cmd> function is a callback. Some commands take other
optional arguments. Read the source.
You cannot set configs individually for any single npm function at this
time. Since npm is a singleton, any call to npm.config.set will
change the value for all npm commands in that process.
See ./bin/npm-cli.js for an example of pulling config values off of the
command line arguments using nopt. You may also want to check out npm help config to learn about all the options you can set there.
Check out the docs, especially the faq.
You can use the npm help command to read any of them.
If you're a developer, and you want to use npm to publish your program, you should read this
"npm" and "the npm registry" are owned by Isaac Z. Schlueter. All rights not explicitly granted in the MIT license are reserved. See the included LICENSE file for more details.
"Node.js" and "node" are trademarks owned by Joyent, Inc. npm is not officially part of the Node.js project, and is neither owned by nor officially affiliated with Joyent, Inc.
The packages in the npm registry are not part of npm itself, and are the sole property of their respective maintainers. While every effort is made to ensure accountability, there is absolutely no guarantee, warrantee, or assertion made as to the quality, fitness for a specific purpose, or lack of malice in any given npm package. Modules published on the npm registry are not affiliated with or endorsed by Joyent, Inc., Isaac Z. Schlueter, Ryan Dahl, or the Node.js project.
If you have a complaint about a package in the npm registry, and cannot resolve it with the package owner, please express your concerns to Isaac Z. Schlueter at [email protected].
This is mine; not my employer's, not Node's, not Joyent's, not Ryan Dahl's.
If you publish something, it's yours, and you are solely accountable for it. Not me, not Node, not Joyent, not Ryan Dahl.
If other people publish something, it's theirs. Not mine, not Node's, not Joyent's, not Ryan Dahl's.
Yes, you can publish something evil. It will be removed promptly if reported, and we'll lose respect for you. But there is no vetting process for published modules.
If this concerns you, inspect the source before using packages.
When you find issues, please report them:
- web: http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues
- email: [email protected]
Be sure to include all of the output from the npm command that didn't work
as expected. The npm-debug.log file is also helpful to provide.
You can also look for isaacs in #node.js on irc://irc.freenode.net. He will no doubt tell you to put the output in a gist or email.
- npm(1)
- npm-faq(1)
- npm-help(1)
- npm-index(1)