I need to upgrade one of the yarn.lock file from node_modules folder to remove the Raven vulnerabilities issue.
The file path is
src/node_modules/form-data/yarn.lock
I know I can use npm install to install a new package. But is there a way that I can keep the whole package to the current version, but upgrade one file in the package?
You can edit the file directly. Or you can fork the package and update just the file, then publish your fork. But no, there is no way to use npm (and presumably not yarn either) to update a file without updating the package. That is by design. There are big debugging and malware possibilities if you run an npm command and have it report back that you are running version 1.2.3 but in reality you are running version 1.2.3 with one or more files modified.
I'm puzzled a bit by your desire to update a yarn.lock file in a package. yarn.lock files don't affect anything if they're inside node_modules. This is true both for npm and yarn. The yarn.lock file is ignored if it is not in your top-level project. Updating yarn.lock inside node_modules won't do anything to your running code. Perhaps the dependency is listed in your top-level yarn.lock file for your project?
What is the exact use of package.lock.json file? I have read about it but it's confusing.
Let's say I do npm install so that it will create a package.lock.json file, and the next time when I do npm install, will it retain installation of the same packages as it was mentioned in the package.lock.json file?
Let's say I have a package version defined as "^1.0.0" in my package.json file and a new version becomes available in the npm registry. Will it update the package when I do npm install, or will it keep the same as what was there in the package.json?
Is there any easy way to update the package.json file with the exact no of package version without manually updating it one by one? I want to keep maintain the version of the package the same so that next time anybody does npm install, they should get exactly the same package. It's need for a release branch
Actually I need what was the original definition of package.lock.json file but I found inconsistency in its behavior.
I tried using NPM CI but it fails with error node_gyp needs python https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/1977
What is the exact use of package.lock.json file?
Ans: The file is used to describe the exact tree that was generated initially, that is the version of the dependency that was used initially to install (NOTE: It will always be modified if package.json or node_modules are modified by npm)
source: https://docs.npmjs.com/configuring-npm/package-lock-json.html
Now coming to your specific questions :
Let's say I do npm install so that it will create a package.lock.json file, and the next time when I do npm install, will it retain installation of the same packages as it was mentioned in the package.lock.json file?
The simple answer here is: Yes
When you do npm install initially, you specify the package name. npm will create node_modules folder and package-lock.json file and the entry of the package with the version that was used to install will be added. next time when you do npm install, without specifying the package it will not update any of your package even with the caret (^) symbol because this time npm will look at the package-lock.json file (as it is present there) and it will install the same version that is specified in the (package-lock.json) file.
Let's say I have a package version defined as "^1.0.0" in my package.json file and a new version becomes available in the npm registry. Will it update the package when I do npm install, or will it keep the same as what was there in the package.json?
As explained in first question, it will not, if the package-lock.json is present in the directory. Updating of the package will only happen if package-lock.json file and node_modules folder are not present in the directory.
Is there any easy way to update the package.json file with the exact no of package version without manually updating it one by one? I want to keep maintain the version of the package the same so that next time anybody does npm install, they should get exactly the same package. It's need for a release branch
It is a good practice to use npm ci, but you can also use npm update, this will update the dependencies to its latest minor version, and your package.json as well as package-lock.json file will also be updated
For the production, its preferred way to use the same version of dependencies that was used initially. In this case it is better to have package-lock.json file, so in case of dockerizing application when you do npm install it will install the dependencies with versions that are used in package-lock.json
Simple question : Is it possible, in a package.json, to reference another package.json, and install its dependencies ?
Thank you.
Yes, this is possible, and this is automatically done by npm install.
If you have pkg-a that depends on pkg-b, including pkg-a in your dependencies will install both pkg-a and pkg-b when running npm install. That is because dependencies are actually references to the package.json of other packages. NPM, upon running install, builds a dependency tree of all the packages that are indirectly required by your current project, and installs all of them in the node_modules directory, and keeps track of them all in package-lock.json.
Good question! but this is not possible as you cannot internally reference one json document from another (json is just a document format, it lacks any ability to process logic, import files etc), npm is configured to run using a single package.json file so your best best would be to put all your dependencies in a single package.json file or split your project into two directories with two separate package.json files, two npm installs etc, if for some reason you require your dependencies to be separate. You could then run your two node projects separately and connect via http if you wish.
The only way that you could come close to doing this would be to write an npm start script in the package.json that cds to another directory with a package.json and runs npm install, this would however only install the dependencies in the second directory node-modules/ folder
I'm working with continuous integration and discovered the npm ci command.
I can't figure what the advantages are of using this command for my workflow.
Is it faster? Does it make the test harder, okay, and after?
From the official documentation for npm ci:
In short, the main differences between using npm install and npm ci are:
The project must have an existing package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json.
If dependencies in the package lock do not match those in package.json, npm ci will exit with an error, instead of updating the package lock.
npm ci can only install entire projects at a time: individual dependencies cannot be added with this command.
If a node_modules is already present, it will be automatically removed before npm ci begins its install.
It will never write to package.json or any of the package-locks: installs are essentially frozen.
Essentially,
npm install reads package.json to create a list of dependencies and uses package-lock.json to inform which versions of these dependencies to install. If a dependency is not in package-lock.json it will be added by npm install.
npm ci (also known as Clean Install) is meant to be used in automated environments — such as test platforms, continuous integration, and deployment — or, any situation where you want to make sure you're doing a clean install of your dependencies.
It installs dependencies directly from package-lock.json and uses package.json only to validate that there are no mismatched versions. If any dependencies are missing or have incompatible versions, it will throw an error.
Use npm install to add new dependencies, and to update dependencies on a project. Usually, you would use it during development after pulling changes that update the list of dependencies but it may be a good idea to use npm ci in this case.
Use npm ci if you need a deterministic, repeatable build. For example during continuous integration, automated jobs, etc. and when installing dependencies for the first time, instead of npm install.
npm install
Installs a package and all its dependencies.
Dependencies are driven by npm-shrinkwrap.json and package-lock.json (in that order).
without arguments: installs dependencies of a local module.
Can install global packages.
Will install any missing dependencies in node_modules.
It may write to package.json or package-lock.json.
When used with an argument (npm i packagename) it may write to package.json to add or update the dependency.
when used without arguments, (npm i) it may write to package-lock.json to lock down the version of some dependencies if they are not already in this file.
npm ci
Requires at least npm v5.7.1.
Requires package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json to be present.
Throws an error if dependencies from these two files don't match package.json.
Removes node_modules and install all dependencies at once.
It never writes to package.json or package-lock.json.
Algorithm
While npm ci generates the entire dependency tree from package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json, npm install updates the contents of node_modules using the following algorithm (source):
load the existing node_modules tree from disk
clone the tree
fetch the package.json and assorted metadata and add it to the clone
walk the clone and add any missing dependencies
dependencies will be added as close to the top as is possible
without breaking any other modules
compare the original tree with the cloned tree and make a list of
actions to take to convert one to the other
execute all of the actions, deepest first
kinds of actions are install, update, remove and move
npm ci will delete any existing node_modules folder and relies on the package-lock.json file to install the specific version of each package. It is significantly faster than npm install because it skips some features. Its clean state install is great for ci/cd pipelines and docker builds! You also use it to install everything all at once and not specific packages.
While everyone else has answered the technical differences none explain in what situations to use both.
You should use them in different situations.
npm install is great for development and in the CI when you want to cache the node_modules directory.
When to use this? You can do this if you are making a package for other people to use (you do NOT include node_modules in such a release). Regarding the caching, be careful, if you plan to support different versions of Node.js remember that node_modules might have to be reinstalled due to differences between the Node.js runtime requirements. If you wish to stick to one version, stick to the latest LTS.
npm ci should be used when you are to test and release a production application (a final product, not to be used by other packages) since it is important that you have the installation be as deterministic as possible, this install will take longer but will ultimately make your application more reliable (you do include node_modules in such a release). Stick with LTS version of Node.js.
npm i and npm ci both utilize the npm cache if it exists, this cache lives normally at ~/.npm.
Also, npm ci respects the package-lock.json file. Unlike npm install, which rewrites the file and always installs new versions.
Bonus: You could mix them depending on how complex you want to make it. On feature branches in git you could cache the node_modules to increase your teams productivity and on the merge request and master branches rely on npm ci for a deterministic outcome.
The documentation you linked had the summary:
In short, the main differences between using npm install and npm ci are:
The project must have an existing package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json.
If dependencies in the package lock do not match those in package.json, npm ci will exit with an error, instead of updating the package lock.
npm ci can only install entire projects at a time: individual dependencies cannot be added with this command.
If a node_modules is already present, it will be automatically removed before npm ci begins its install.
It will never write to package.json or any of the package-locks: installs are essentially frozen.
The commands are very similar in functionality however the difference is in the approach taken to install the dependencies specified in your package.json and package-lock.json files.
npm ci performs a clean install of all the dependencies of your app whereas npm install may skip some installations if they already exist on the system. A problem may arise if the version already installed on the system isn't the one your package.json intended to install i.e. the installed version is different from the 'required' version.
Other differences would be that npm ci never touches your package*.json files. It will stop installation and show an error if the dependency versions do not match in the package.json and package-lock.json files.
You can read a much better explanation from the official docs here.
Additionally, you may want to read about package locks here.
It is worth having in mind that light node docker images like alpine do not have Python installed which is a dependency of node-gyp which is used by npm ci.
I think it's a bit opinionated that in order to have npm ci working you need to install Python as dependency in your build.
More info here Docker and npm - gyp ERR! not ok
npm ci - install exactly what is listed in package-lock.json
npm install - without changing any versions in package.json, use package.json to create/update package-lock.json, then install exactly what is listed in package-lock.json
npm update - update package.json packages to latest versions, then use package.json to create/update package-lock.json, then install exactly what is listed in package-lock.json
Or said a different way, npm ci changes 0 package files, npm install changes 1 package file, and npm update changes 2 package files.
It does a clean install, use it in situations where you would delete node_modules and re-run npm i.
I have no idea why some people think it's short for "continuous integration". There is an npm install command that can be run as npm i and an npm clean-install command that can be run as npm ci.
npm install is the command used to install the dependencies listed in a project's package.json file, while npm ci is a command that installs dependencies from a package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json file. The npm ci command is typically used in continuous integration (CI) environments, where the package-lock.json or npm-shrinkwrap.json file is checked into version control and should not be modified. Because npm ci installs dependencies from a locked file, it is a faster and more reliable way to install dependencies than npm install, which could install different versions of dependencies based on the state of the package.json file.
When I deploy my app to AWS, it's copied into a new directory, so NPM will install all the same packages, during each deploy, which can take a lot of time. Most of these packages haven't changed between builds (if at all), so having it do a full npm-install seems like a waste.
My app server runs a bunch of different Node apps, so installing globally isn't an option. Instead I'd like to have the app store it's node packages in a location that isn't wiped out during deployment, but have the option to update packages as necessary during npm install.
Does NPM have a concept of an app-specific module directory that isn't located in a subfolder of an app? That way I can delete the app folder, and not have to reinstall the same packages over and over again.
I could achieve this by using symlinks, or migrating the current node_module directory.
If you lock down your dependencies versions, NPM is likely to cache the packages. So the installation wouldn't take much longer.
If you prefer not to do this, you can install dependencies globally and link them with the npm link command (which is basically creating a symlink yourself!). Then, it'll be up to you update the globally installed packages regularly.