| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npm init |
Launch an interactive prompt to create a package.json file |
npm init -y |
Generate a package.json with default settings |
node -v |
Display the installed Node.js version |
npm -v |
Display the installed npm version |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npm install <package> |
Install a package and add it to dependencies |
npm install -g <package> |
Install a package globally (system-wide) |
npm install <package> --save-dev or npm install <package> -D |
Install a package and add it to devDependencies |
npm ci |
Clean install based on package-lock.json—deletes node_modules, installs exact locked versions; ideal for CI/CD pipelines |
npm install |
Install all dependencies listed in package.json |
npm uninstall <package> |
Remove a package and update package.json |
npm update <package> |
Update an installed package to the latest version within the version range specified in package.json |
npm update |
Update all installed packages to the latest versions satisfying the version ranges specified in package.json |
npm outdated |
List all installed packages that have newer versions available than those currently installed |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npm run <script> |
Execute a script defined in package.json |
npm start |
Run the start script (shorthand for npm run start) |
npm test |
Run the test script (shorthand for npm run test) |
npx <package> [args] |
Run a binary from a package, downloading it temporarily if not installed |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
node <file.js> |
Run a Node.js script in the terminal |
node --help |
Show all available Node.js command-line options |
node --watch server.js |
Run server.js and automatically restart the process when changes are detected in the file itself or in any of its dependencies (imported modules). |
node --env-file=.env app.js |
Load environment variables from .env, then execute app.js |