Manage Node Projects with npm

Using npm to Manage Your
Projects for Fun and Profit
Jonathan Altman (@async_io, http://github.com/jonathana)
node.dc January meetup 1/23/2013

Is This How You Start a Project?

• mkdir my_cool_new_project

• cd my_cool_new_project

• npm init

• Alternatively: express my_cool_new_project

• Other frameworks probably lay down your npm package.json too

“But It’s Not a Redistributable
Package”

Use npm Anyway
• You Can Still Keep Your Package Private

• Project Package Dependency Management

• Automated Retrieval

• Automated Updates

• Dependency Version Management

• Environment-Specific Package Selection

• Node Runtime Version Requirement

Package Management Without
Node
npm install express
npm install mocha
npm rm express
npm install -g express
express init
npm install q
npm install ...
•And now we need to move to production...how exactly? Or a 2nd dev
•We just shipped the unit test library to production?!?

Read The Fine Manual
• There is plenty of documentation on the package.json file, what you
can put in it, and what it can do

• Check out https://npmjs.org/doc/json.html

• npm’s semver package documentation:
https://npmjs.org/doc/semver.html

• http://www.devthought.com/2012/02/17/npm-tricks/ had some useful
tips/tricks as well

vagrant@precise64:/vm_src$ express express_example

create : express_example
create : express_example/package.json
create : express_example/app.js
[bunch of stuff deleted]
create : express_example/public/images

install dependencies:
$ cd express_example && npm install

run the app:
$ node app

vagrant@precise64:/vm_src$

vagrant@precise64:/vm_src/raw_init_example$ npm init
This utility will walk you through creating a package.json file.
It only covers the most common items, and tries to guess sane defaults.

See `npm help json` for definitive documentation on these fields
and exactly what they do.

Use `npm install <pkg> --save` afterwards to install a package and
save it as a dependency in the package.json file.

Press ^C at any time to quit.
name: (raw_init_example)
version: (0.0.0) 0.0.1
description: Example raw npm init for node.dc meetup
entry point: (index.js) app.js
test command: mocha
git repository:
keywords:
author: Jonathan M. Altman
license: (BSD) Proprietary
About to write to /vm_src/raw_init_example/package.json:

[package.json contents removed: we’ll cover this in the next slide]

Is this ok? (yes)
npm WARN package.json raw_init_example@0.0.1 No README.md file found!
vagrant@precise64:/vm_src/raw_init_example$

vagrant@precise64:/vm_src/raw_init_example$ cat
package.json
{
"name": "raw_init_example",
"version": "0.0.1",
"description": "Example raw npm init for node.dc meetup",
"main": "app.js",
"scripts": {
"test": "mocha"
},
"repository": "",
"author": "Jonathan M. Altman",
"license": "Proprietary"
}

Keep Your Package Private
• Specify that your project is private in your package.json and it will
never get published anywhere

"private": true

Specifying Dependencies
• Add the following item to the JSON in your
package.json:
"dependencies": {
},

• Then, start adding dependencies

Specifying Global Dependencies
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"underscore": ">=1.3.3"
,"everyauth": "0.2.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"mongoose-auth": ">=0.0.12"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"request": ">= 2.x"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

vagrant@precise64:/vm_src/raw_init_example$ npm install
npm WARN package.json raw_init_example@0.0.1 No README.md file found!
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/q
[several tens of lines of download/build deleted]
q@0.8.12 node_modules/q

ejs@0.8.3 node_modules/ejs

underscore@1.4.3 node_modules/underscore

request@2.12.0 node_modules/request

winston@0.6.2 node_modules/winston
├── cycle@1.0.1
[bunch of dependency install lines deleted]
├── async@0.1.22
└── request@2.9.203

Dependency Version Management
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Dependency Version Management
• npm wants/uses Semantic Versioning--semver, http://http://semver.org/
-- to specify package versions

• (and you should too for your own package version numbering)

• Logical comparison operators, and some wildcarding, allow you to
control which version(s) of a package you want

• Review https://npmjs.org/doc/json.html#dependencies for fuller
explanations of how the various specifiers work

Cap the Version Allowed
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Specify Floor Version Required
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Specify Specific Major/Minor Ver.
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Specify Exact Version
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": "= 0.6.2"
},

Specify Version Ranges
"dependencies": {
"express": ">= 2.5.2 <3.x"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Specify Floor Within Minor
"dependencies": {
"express": "<3.x"
,"underscore": "~1.3.3"
,"mongoose": ">=2.4.8"
,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1"
,"q": ">= 0.8.8"
,"winston": ">= 0.6.2"
},

Environment Management
• If you want to pull packages in for e.g. BDD/TDD or other unit testing,
mocking, or anything else where you would not put the dependency in
production

"devDependencies": {
"nock": ">= 0.13.4"
,"mocha": "= 1.4.2"
,"chai": ">= 1.2.0"
,"chai-as-promised": ">= 3.2.2"
}

Node Engine Version Management
• The npm docs highly recommend against doing this, but you can specify the version(s) of the node engine that
you want your package to run against--again using semver specifications:

{ "engines" : { "node" : ">=0.8.08 <0.9.x" } }

• You can also force particular npm versions:

{ "engines" : { "node" : "~ 0.8.16", npm: "~1.1.65" } }

• Unless you put { "engineStrict" : true} in your package.json, this is all just advisory

• Isaac Schlueter says “don’t abuse it, or I’ll remove it”

package.json so far:
{ "dependencies": { "express": "< 3.x" ,"underscore":
"name": "raw_init_example", "~1.3.3" ,"everyauth": "0.2.x" ,"mongoose": "~
"version": "0.0.1", 2.4.8" ,"mongoose-auth": ">=0.0.12" ,"ejs": ">=
"description": "Example raw npm init for node.dc meetup", 0.0.1" ,"request": ">= 2.x" ,"q": ">= 0.8.8" ,"winston": ">=
"private": true, 0.6.2" }, "devDependencies": { "nock": ">= 0.13.4" ,"mocha":
"engines" : { "node" : "~ 0.8.16", npm: "~1.1.65" } }, "= 1.4.2" ,"chai": ">= 1.2.0" ,"chai-as-promised": ">= 3.2.2" }}
"main": "app.js", "express": "< 3.x" ,"underscore": "~1.3.3" ,"everyauth":
"scripts": { "0.2.x" ,"mongoose": "~ 2.4.8" ,"mongoose-auth":
"test": "mocha" ">=0.0.12" ,"ejs": ">= 0.0.1" ,"request": ">= 2.x" ,"q": ">=
}, 0.8.8" ,"winston": ">= 0.6.2" }, "devDependencies": { "nock":
"repository": "", ">= 0.13.4" ,"mocha": "= 1.4.2" ,"chai": ">= 1.2.0" ,"chai-as-
"author": "Jonathan M. Altman", promised": ">= 3.2.2" }}
"license": "Proprietary",

There’s Plenty More npm Can Do
For You

• npm is a powerful tool. This is just a quick taste of some of the easiest
ways to access its most useful features

• Some useful links for getting started were at the beginning of the deck

Manage Node Projects with npm

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