npm

npm (Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for the JavaScript runtime environment Node.js. It consists of a command-line client (npm CLI) and an online database of public and paid-for private JavaScript packages, called the npm registry, facilitating module installation,…

Key facts

First appeared
2010
Category
devops_tool
Problem solved
npm was created to provide a standardized, robust, and easy-to-use solution for sharing and managing JavaScript modules (packages) for Node.js, which initially lacked such a system. Before npm, developers had to manually manage dependencies, leading to fragmentation and difficulty in sharing reusable code.
Platforms
macOS, Linux, Windows

Related technologies

Notable users

  • Facebook (for projects like React)
  • Virtually all Node.js and modern JavaScript projects
  • Microsoft (as owner of GitHub/npm)
  • Netflix
  • Amazon
  • Many other technology companies utilizing Node.js for backend or frontend development
  • Google (for projects like Angular, Chrome extensions)