npm-cache(1) npm-cache(1)
NAME
npm-cache - Manipulates packages cache
Synopsis
npm cache add <package-spec>
npm cache clean [<key>]
npm cache ls [<name>@<version>]
npm cache verify
npm cache npx ls
npm cache npx rm [<key>...]
npm cache npx info <key>...
Note: This command is unaware of workspaces.
Description
Used to add, list, or clean the npm cache folder. Also used to view
info about entries in the npm exec (aka npx) cache folder.
npm cache
o add: Add the specified packages to the local cache. This command is
primarily intended to be used internally by npm, but it can provide
a way to add data to the local installation cache explicitly.
o clean: Delete a single entry or all entries out of the cache
folder. Note that this is typically unnecessary, as npm's cache is
self-healing and resistant to data corruption issues.
o ls: List given entries or all entries in the local cache.
o verify: Verify the contents of the cache folder, garbage collecting
any unneeded data, and verifying the integrity of the cache index
and all cached data.
npm cache npx
o ls: List all entries in the npx cache.
o rm: Remove given entries or all entries from the npx cache.
o info: Get detailed information about given entries in the npx
cache.
Details
npm stores cache data in an opaque directory within the configured
cache, named _cacache. This directory is a cacache
<http://npm.im/cacache>-based content-addressable cache that stores all
http request data as well as other package-related data. This directory
is primarily accessed through pacote, the library responsible for all
package fetching as of npm@5.
All data that passes through the cache is fully verified for integrity
on both insertion and extraction. Cache corruption will either trigger
an error, or signal to pacote that the data must be refetched, which it
will do automatically. For this reason, it should never be necessary to
clear the cache for any reason other than reclaiming disk space, thus
why clean now requires --force to run.
There is currently no method exposed through npm to inspect or directly
manage the contents of this cache. In order to access it, cacache must
be used directly.
npm will not remove data by itself: the cache will grow as new packages
are installed.
A note about the cache's design
The npm cache is strictly a cache: it should not be relied upon as a
persistent and reliable data store for package data. npm makes no
guarantee that a previously-cached piece of data will be available
later, and will automatically delete corrupted contents. The primary
guarantee that the cache makes is that, if it does return data, that
data will be exactly the data that was inserted.
To run an offline verification of existing cache contents, use npm
cache verify.
Configuration
cache
o Default: Windows: %LocalAppData%\npm-cache, Posix: ~/.npm
o Type: Path
The location of npm's cache directory.
See Also
o npm help "package spec"
o npm help folders
o npm help config
o npm help npmrc
o npm help install
o npm help publish
o npm help pack
o npm help exec
o https://npm.im/cacache
o https://npm.im/pacote
o https://npm.im/@npmcli/arborist
o https://npm.im/make-fetch-happen
NPM@11.6.1 September 2025 npm-cache(1)
npm 11.6.1 - Generated Sun Sep 28 06:11:14 CDT 2025