npm-install(1) npm-install(1)
NAME
npm-install - Install a package
Synopsis
npm install [<package-spec> ...]
aliases: add, i, in, ins, inst, insta, instal, isnt, isnta, isntal, isntall
Description
This command installs a package and any packages that it depends on. If
the package has a package-lock, or an npm shrinkwrap file, or a yarn
lock file, the installation of dependencies will be driven by that,
respecting the following order of precedence:
o npm-shrinkwrap.json
o package-lock.json
o yarn.lock
See package-lock.json </configuring-npm/package-lock-json> and npm help
shrinkwrap.
How npm install uses package-lock.json
When you run npm install without arguments, npm compares package.json
and package-lock.json:
o If the lockfile's resolved versions satisfy the package.json
ranges: npm uses the exact versions from package-lock.json to
ensure reproducible builds across environments.
o If the ranges don't match: npm resolves new versions that satisfy
the package.json ranges and updates package-lock.json accordingly.
This happens when you modify version ranges in package.json (e.g.,
changing ^7.0.0 to ^8.0.0). Note that changing a range within the
same major version (e.g., ^7.0.0 to ^7.1.0) will only update the
metadata in the lockfile if the currently installed version still
satisfies the new range.
In essence, package-lock.json locks your dependencies to specific
versions, but package.json is the source of truth for acceptable
version ranges. When the lockfile's versions satisfy the package.json
ranges, the lockfile wins. When they conflict, package.json wins and
the lockfile is updated.
If you want to install packages while ensuring that package.json is not
modified and that both files are strictly in sync, use npm help ci
instead.
A package is:
o a) a folder containing a program described by a \fBpackage.json\fR
</configuring-npm/package-json> file
o b) a gzipped tarball containing (a)
o c) a url that resolves to (b)
o d) a <name>@<version> that is published on the registry (see npm
help registry) with (c)
o e) a <name>@<tag> (see npm help dist-tag) that points to (d)
o f) a <name> that has a "latest" tag satisfying (e)
o g) a <git remote url> that resolves to (a)
Even if you never publish your package, you can still get a lot of
benefits of using npm if you just want to write a node program (a), and
perhaps if you also want to be able to easily install it elsewhere
after packing it up into a tarball (b).
o npm install (in a package directory, no arguments):
Install the dependencies to the local node_modules folder.
In global mode (ie, with -g or --global appended to the command), it
installs the current package context (ie, the current working
directory) as a global package.
By default, npm install will install all modules listed as dependencies
in \fBpackage.json\fR </configuring-npm/package-json>.
With the --production flag (or when the NODE_ENV environment variable
is set to production), npm will not install modules listed in
devDependencies. To install all modules listed in both dependencies and
devDependencies when NODE_ENV environment variable is set to
production, you can use --production=false.
NOTE: The --production flag has no particular meaning when adding a
dependency to a project.
o npm install <folder>:
If <folder> sits inside the root of your project, its dependencies will
be installed and may be hoisted to the top-level node_modules as they
would for other types of dependencies. If <folder> sits outside the
root of your project, npm will not install the package dependencies in
the directory <folder>, but it will create a symlink to <folder>.
NOTE: If you want to install the content of a directory like a
package from the registry instead of creating a link, you would
need to use the --install-links option.
Example:
npm install ../../other-package --install-links
npm install ./sub-package
o npm install <tarball file>:
Install a package that is sitting on the filesystem. Note: if you just
want to link a dev directory into your npm root, you can do this more
easily by using npm help link.
Tarball requirements:
o The filename must use .tar, .tar.gz, or .tgz as the extension.
o The package contents should reside in a subfolder inside the
tarball (usually it is called package/). npm strips one
directory layer when installing the package (an equivalent of
tar x --strip-components=1 is run).
o The package must contain a package.json file with name and
version properties.
Example:
npm install ./package.tgz
o npm install <tarball url>:
Fetch the tarball url, and then install it. In order to distinguish
between this and other options, the argument must start with "http://"
or "https://"
Example:
npm install https://github.com/indexzero/forever/tarball/v0.5.6
o npm install [<@scope>/]<name>:
Do a <name>@<tag> install, where <tag> is the "tag" config. (See
\fBconfig\fR </using-npm/config#tag>. The config's default value is
latest.)
In most cases, this will install the version of the modules tagged as
latest on the npm registry.
Note: When installing by name without specifying a version or tag, npm
prioritizes versions that match the current Node.js version based on
the package's engines field. If the latest tag points to a version
incompatible with your current Node.js version, npm will install the
newest compatible version instead. To install a specific version
regardless of engines compatibility, explicitly specify the version or
tag: npm install <name>@latest.
Example:
npm install sax
npm install saves any specified packages into dependencies by default.
Additionally, you can control where and how they get saved with some
additional flags:
o -P, --save-prod: Package will appear in your dependencies. This
is the default unless -D or -O are present.
o -D, --save-dev: Package will appear in your devDependencies.
o --save-peer: Package will appear in your peerDependencies.
o -O, --save-optional: Package will appear in your
optionalDependencies.
o --no-save: Prevents saving to dependencies.
When using any of the above options to save dependencies to your
package.json, there are two additional, optional flags:
o -E, --save-exact: Saved dependencies will be configured with an
exact version rather than using npm's default semver range
operator.
o -B, --save-bundle: Saved dependencies will also be added to
your bundleDependencies list.
Further, if you have an npm-shrinkwrap.json or package-lock.json then
it will be updated as well.
<scope> is optional. The package will be downloaded from the registry
associated with the specified scope. If no registry is associated with
the given scope the default registry is assumed. See npm help scope.
Note: if you do not include the @-symbol on your scope name, npm will
interpret this as a GitHub repository instead, see below. Scopes names
must also be followed by a slash.
Examples:
npm install sax
npm install githubname/reponame
npm install @myorg/privatepackage
npm install node-tap --save-dev
npm install dtrace-provider --save-optional
npm install readable-stream --save-exact
npm install ansi-regex --save-bundle
o npm install <alias>@npm:<name>:
Install a package under a custom alias. Allows multiple versions of a
same-name package side-by-side, more convenient import names for
packages with otherwise long ones, and using git forks replacements or
forked npm packages as replacements. Aliasing works only on your
project and does not rename packages in transitive dependencies.
Aliases should follow the naming conventions stated in \fBvalidate-npm-
package-name\fR <https://www.npmjs.com/package/validate-npm-package-
name#naming-rules>.
Examples:
npm install my-react@npm:react
npm install jquery2@npm:jquery@2
npm install jquery3@npm:jquery@3
npm install npa@npm:npm-package-arg
o npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<tag>:
Install the version of the package that is referenced by the specified
tag. If the tag does not exist in the registry data for that package,
then this will fail.
Example:
npm install sax@latest
npm install @myorg/mypackage@latest
o npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version>:
Install the specified version of the package. This will fail if the
version has not been published to the registry.
Example:
npm install sax@0.1.1
npm install @myorg/privatepackage@1.5.0
o npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version range>:
Install a version of the package matching the specified version range.
This will follow the same rules for resolving dependencies described in
\fBpackage.json\fR </configuring-npm/package-json>.
Note that most version ranges must be put in quotes so that your shell
will treat it as a single argument.
Example:
npm install sax@">=0.1.0 <0.2.0"
npm install @myorg/privatepackage@"16 - 17"
Prerelease versions: By default, version ranges only match stable
versions. To include prerelease versions, they must be explicitly
specified in the range. Prerelease versions are tied to a specific
version triple (major.minor.patch). For example, ^1.2.3-beta.1 will
only match prereleases for 1.2.x, not 1.3.x. To match all prereleases
for a major version, use a range like ^1.0.0-0, which will include all
1.x.x prereleases.
Example:
npm install package@^1.2.3-beta.1 # Matches 1.2.3-beta.1, 1.2.3-beta.2, 1.2.4-beta.1, etc.
npm install package@^1.0.0-0 # Matches all 1.x.x prereleases and stable versions
o npm install <git remote url>:
Installs the package from the hosted git provider, cloning it with git.
For a full git remote url, only that URL will be attempted.
<protocol>://[<user>[:<password>]@]<hostname>[:<port>][:][/]<path>[#<commit-ish> | #semver:<semver>]
<protocol> is one of git, git+ssh, git+http, git+https, or git+file.
If #<commit-ish> is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
commit. If the commit-ish has the format #semver:<semver>, <semver> can
be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any
tags or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it
would for a registry dependency. If neither #<commit-ish> or
#semver:<semver> is specified, then the default branch of the
repository is used.
If the repository makes use of submodules, those submodules will be
cloned as well.
If the package being installed contains a prepare script, its
dependencies and devDependencies will be installed, and the prepare
script will be run, before the package is packaged and installed.
The following git environment variables are recognized by npm and will
be added to the environment when running git:
o GIT_ASKPASS
o GIT_EXEC_PATH
o GIT_PROXY_COMMAND
o GIT_SSH
o GIT_SSH_COMMAND
o GIT_SSL_CAINFO
o GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY
See the git man page for details.
Examples:
npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli.git#v1.0.27
npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli#pull/273
npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli#semver:^5.0
npm install git+https://isaacs@github.com/npm/cli.git
npm install git://github.com/npm/cli.git#v1.0.27
GIT_SSH_COMMAND='ssh -i ~/.ssh/custom_ident' npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli.git
o npm install <githubname>/<githubrepo>[#<commit-ish>]:
o npm install github:<githubname>/<githubrepo>[#<commit-ish>]:
Install the package at https://github.com/githubname/githubrepo by
attempting to clone it using git.
If #<commit-ish> is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
commit. If the commit-ish has the format #semver:<semver>, <semver> can
be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any
tags or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it
would for a registry dependency. If neither #<commit-ish> or
#semver:<semver> is specified, then the default branch is used.
As with regular git dependencies, dependencies and devDependencies will
be installed if the package has a prepare script before the package is
done installing.
Examples:
npm install mygithubuser/myproject
npm install github:mygithubuser/myproject
o npm install gist:[<githubname>/]<gistID>[#<commit-
ish>|#semver:<semver>]:
Install the package at https://gist.github.com/gistID by attempting to
clone it using git. The GitHub username associated with the gist is
optional and will not be saved in package.json.
As with regular git dependencies, dependencies and devDependencies will
be installed if the package has a prepare script before the package is
done installing.
Example:
npm install gist:101a11beef
o npm install bitbucket:<bitbucketname>/<bitbucketrepo>[#<commit-
ish>]:
Install the package at
https://bitbucket.org/bitbucketname/bitbucketrepo by attempting to
clone it using git.
If #<commit-ish> is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
commit. If the commit-ish has the format #semver:<semver>, <semver> can
be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any
tags or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it
would for a registry dependency. If neither #<commit-ish> or
#semver:<semver> is specified, then master is used.
As with regular git dependencies, dependencies and devDependencies will
be installed if the package has a prepare script before the package is
done installing.
Example:
npm install bitbucket:mybitbucketuser/myproject
o npm install gitlab:<gitlabname>/<gitlabrepo>[#<commit-ish>]:
Install the package at https://gitlab.com/gitlabname/gitlabrepo by
attempting to clone it using git.
If #<commit-ish> is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
commit. If the commit-ish has the format #semver:<semver>, <semver> can
be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any
tags or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it
would for a registry dependency. If neither #<commit-ish> or
#semver:<semver> is specified, then master is used.
As with regular git dependencies, dependencies and devDependencies will
be installed if the package has a prepare script before the package is
done installing.
Example:
npm install gitlab:mygitlabuser/myproject
npm install gitlab:myusr/myproj#semver:^5.0
You may combine multiple arguments and even multiple types of
arguments. For example:
npm install sax@">=0.1.0 <0.2.0" bench supervisor
The --tag argument will apply to all of the specified install targets.
If a tag with the given name exists, the tagged version is preferred
over newer versions.
Note: The --tag option only affects packages specified on the command
line. It does not override version ranges specified in package.json.
For example, if package.json specifies "foo": "^1.0.0" and you run npm
install --tag beta, npm will still install a version matching ^1.0.0
even if the beta tag points to a different version. To install a tagged
version, specify the package explicitly: npm install foo@beta.
The --dry-run argument will report in the usual way what the install
would have done without actually installing anything.
The --package-lock-only argument will only update the package-
lock.json, instead of checking node_modules and downloading
dependencies.
The -f or --force argument will force npm to fetch remote resources
even if a local copy exists on disk.
npm install sax --force
Configuration
See the npm help config help doc. Many of the configuration params have
some effect on installation, since that's most of what npm does.
These are some of the most common options related to installation.
save
o Default: true unless when using npm update where it defaults to
false
o Type: Boolean
Save installed packages to a package.json file as dependencies.
When used with the npm rm command, removes the dependency from
package.json.
Will also prevent writing to package-lock.json if set to false.
save-exact
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
Dependencies saved to package.json will be configured with an exact
version rather than using npm's default semver range operator.
global
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the
prefix folder instead of the current working directory. See npm help
folders for more on the differences in behavior.
o packages are installed into the {prefix}/lib/node_modules folder,
instead of the current working directory.
o bin files are linked to {prefix}/bin
o man pages are linked to {prefix}/share/man
install-strategy
o Default: "hoisted"
o Type: "hoisted", "nested", "shallow", or "linked"
Sets the strategy for installing packages in node_modules. hoisted
(default): Install non-duplicated in top-level, and duplicated as
necessary within directory structure. nested: (formerly --legacy-
bundling) install in place, no hoisting. shallow (formerly --global-
style) only install direct deps at top-level. linked: (experimental)
install in node_modules/.store, link in place, unhoisted.
legacy-bundling
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
o DEPRECATED: This option has been deprecated in favor of --install-
strategy=nested
Instead of hoisting package installs in node_modules, install packages
in the same manner that they are depended on. This may cause very deep
directory structures and duplicate package installs as there is no de-
duplicating. Sets --install-strategy=nested.
global-style
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
o DEPRECATED: This option has been deprecated in favor of --install-
strategy=shallow
Only install direct dependencies in the top level node_modules, but
hoist on deeper dependencies. Sets --install-strategy=shallow.
omit
o Default: 'dev' if the NODE_ENV environment variable is set to
'production'; otherwise, empty.
o Type: "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple times)
Dependency types to omit from the installation tree on disk.
Note that these dependencies are still resolved and added to the
package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json file. They are just not
physically installed on disk.
If a package type appears in both the --include and --omit lists, then
it will be included.
If the resulting omit list includes 'dev', then the NODE_ENV
environment variable will be set to 'production' for all lifecycle
scripts.
include
o Default:
o Type: "prod", "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple
times)
Option that allows for defining which types of dependencies to install.
This is the inverse of --omit=<type>.
Dependency types specified in --include will not be omitted, regardless
of the order in which omit/include are specified on the command-line.
strict-peer-deps
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
If set to true, and --legacy-peer-deps is not set, then any conflicting
peerDependencies will be treated as an install failure, even if npm
could reasonably guess the appropriate resolution based on non-peer
dependency relationships.
By default, conflicting peerDependencies deep in the dependency graph
will be resolved using the nearest non-peer dependency specification,
even if doing so will result in some packages receiving a peer
dependency outside the range set in their package's peerDependencies
object.
When such an override is performed, a warning is printed, explaining
the conflict and the packages involved. If --strict-peer-deps is set,
then this warning is treated as a failure.
prefer-dedupe
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
Prefer to deduplicate packages if possible, rather than choosing a
newer version of a dependency.
package-lock
o Default: true
o Type: Boolean
If set to false, then ignore package-lock.json files when installing.
This will also prevent writing package-lock.json if save is true.
package-lock-only
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
If set to true, the current operation will only use the package-
lock.json, ignoring node_modules.
For update this means only the package-lock.json will be updated,
instead of checking node_modules and downloading dependencies.
For list this means the output will be based on the tree described by
the package-lock.json, rather than the contents of node_modules.
foreground-scripts
o Default: false unless when using npm pack or npm publish where it
defaults to true
o Type: Boolean
Run all build scripts (ie, preinstall, install, and postinstall)
scripts for installed packages in the foreground process, sharing
standard input, output, and error with the main npm process.
Note that this will generally make installs run slower, and be much
noisier, but can be useful for debugging.
ignore-scripts
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
If true, npm does not run scripts specified in package.json files.
Note that commands explicitly intended to run a particular script, such
as npm start, npm stop, npm restart, npm test, and npm run will still
run their intended script if ignore-scripts is set, but they will not
run any pre- or post-scripts.
allow-git
o Default: "all"
o Type: "all", "none", or "root"
Limits the ability for npm to fetch dependencies from git references.
That is, dependencies that point to a git repo instead of a version or
semver range. Please note that this could leave your tree incomplete
and some packages may not function as intended or designed.
all allows any git dependencies to be fetched and installed. none
prevents any git dependencies from being fetched and installed. root
only allows git dependencies defined in your project's package.json to
be fetched installed. Also allows git dependencies to be fetched for
other commands like npm view
audit
o Default: true
o Type: Boolean
When "true" submit audit reports alongside the current npm command to
the default registry and all registries configured for scopes. See the
documentation for npm help audit for details on what is submitted.
before
o Default: null
o Type: null or Date
If passed to npm install, will rebuild the npm tree such that only
versions that were available on or before the given date are installed.
If there are no versions available for the current set of dependencies,
the command will error.
If the requested version is a dist-tag and the given tag does not pass
the --before filter, the most recent version less than or equal to that
tag will be used. For example, foo@latest might install foo@1.2 even
though latest is 2.0.
This config cannot be used with: min-release-age
min-release-age
o Default: null
o Type: null or Number
If set, npm will build the npm tree such that only versions that were
available more than the given number of days ago will be installed. If
there are no versions available for the current set of dependencies,
the command will error.
This flag is a complement to before, which accepts an exact date
instead of a relative number of days.
This config cannot be used with: before
This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
bin-links
o Default: true
o Type: Boolean
Tells npm to create symlinks (or .cmd shims on Windows) for package
executables.
Set to false to have it not do this. This can be used to work around
the fact that some file systems don't support symlinks, even on
ostensibly Unix systems.
fund
o Default: true
o Type: Boolean
When "true" displays the message at the end of each npm install
acknowledging the number of dependencies looking for funding. See npm
help fund for details.
dry-run
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
Indicates that you don't want npm to make any changes and that it
should only report what it would have done. This can be passed into any
of the commands that modify your local installation, eg, install,
update, dedupe, uninstall, as well as pack and publish.
Note: This is NOT honored by other network related commands, eg dist-
tags, owner, etc.
cpu
o Default: null
o Type: null or String
Override CPU architecture of native modules to install. Acceptable
values are same as cpu field of package.json, which comes from
process.arch.
os
o Default: null
o Type: null or String
Override OS of native modules to install. Acceptable values are same as
os field of package.json, which comes from process.platform.
libc
o Default: null
o Type: null or String
Override libc of native modules to install. Acceptable values are same
as libc field of package.json
workspace
o Default:
o Type: String (can be set multiple times)
Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of
the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces
defined by this configuration option.
Valid values for the workspace config are either:
o Workspace names
o Path to a workspace directory
o Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all
workspaces within that folder)
When set for the npm init command, this may be set to the folder of a
workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up
as a brand new workspace within the project.
This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
workspaces
o Default: null
o Type: null or Boolean
Set to true to run the command in the context of all configured
workspaces.
Explicitly setting this to false will cause commands like install to
ignore workspaces altogether. When not set explicitly:
o Commands that operate on the node_modules tree (install, update,
etc.) will link workspaces into the node_modules folder. - Commands
that do other things (test, exec, publish, etc.) will operate on
the root project, unless one or more workspaces are specified in
the workspace config.
This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
include-workspace-root
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
Include the workspace root when workspaces are enabled for a command.
When false, specifying individual workspaces via the workspace config,
or all workspaces via the workspaces flag, will cause npm to operate
only on the specified workspaces, and not on the root project.
This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
install-links
o Default: false
o Type: Boolean
When set file: protocol dependencies will be packed and installed as
regular dependencies instead of creating a symlink. This option has no
effect on workspaces.
Algorithm
Given a package{dep} structure: A{B,C}, B{C}, C{D}, the npm install
algorithm produces:
A
+-- B
+-- C
+-- D
That is, the dependency from B to C is satisfied by the fact that A
already caused C to be installed at a higher level. D is still
installed at the top level because nothing conflicts with it.
For A{B,C}, B{C,D@1}, C{D@2}, this algorithm produces:
A
+-- B
+-- C
`-- D@2
+-- D@1
Because B's D@1 will be installed in the top-level, C now has to
install D@2 privately for itself. This algorithm is deterministic, but
different trees may be produced if two dependencies are requested for
installation in a different order.
See npm help folders for a more detailed description of the specific
folder structures that npm creates.
See Also
o npm help folders
o npm help update
o npm help audit
o npm help fund
o npm help link
o npm help rebuild
o npm help scripts
o npm help config
o npm help npmrc
o npm help registry
o npm help dist-tag
o npm help uninstall
o npm help shrinkwrap
o package.json </configuring-npm/package-json>
o npm help workspaces
NPM@11.12.0 March 2026 npm-install(1)
npm 11.12.0 - Generated Thu Mar 19 07:16:40 CDT 2026