Monday, 16 December, 2019 UTC
Summary
Here’s a little guide for publishing your own packages on npm.
You’ve written some piece of software code that you think is really useful! Now you want publish it on npm so that others can use your wonderful bundle of code!
There’s a lot of configurations for npm but many times these will be project-specific. This article is just going to cover the essentials for getting your packages published on npm.
npm is included with Node.js. To check if npm is installed on your system, run this command in your terminal:
npm -v This affiliate banner helps support the site 🙏
Make the Directory
Let’s create a folder that’s going to hold our package’s source code. In your terminal:
# This will create, and navigate # into the `wonderful-bundle` directory $ mkdir wonderful-bundle $ cd wonderful-bundle Initializing a npm Package
Now that you’re in the folder, here’s where we start using
npm commands!$ npm init Running
npm init will ask you a few setup questions (for example, the name of your package, your package’s description, etc).You can simply hit “Enter” for each question and this default boilerplate for
package.json file will be created in your directory:package.json
{ "name": "wonderful-bundle", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "", "main": "index.js", "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" }, "author": "", "license": "ISC" } What is the package.json file?
You can compare the package.json file to a recipe card for your favorite meal.
The
package.json file contains all of the descriptive metadata about the project (like the name “Apple Crumb Pie”), and all of the dependencies needed to properly run it (the ingredients: “apples”, “pie crust”, “sugar”, etc).Using all of this info, npm brings everything together so that your package can be effortlessly downloaded & run by other people.
Let’s edit
package.json to include a description, and author information.{ "name": "wonderful-bundle", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "outputs an uplifting message", "main": "index.js", "author": "Chompy MacPherson <[email protected]>", "license": "ISC" } The only fields that are required in
package.json are “name”, “version”, and “main”. The “scripts” field was removed since we don’t have any tests written yet.The “main” field is the file path to the JavaScript code. When someone uses your package this JavaScript file will be used. Let’s create the
index.js file in our terminal:$ touch index.js In a text editor of your choice…
index.js
module.exports = function() { console.log("you're wonderful!"); return; }; Remember to
export your code in the same way you would for files that are local to your software project.Creating a README
Generally it’s a good idea to include documentation for your package so others know how to use it. The README file is typically used for this purpose.
Let’s create the README file in the root of your package’s directory:
# create the README file $ touch README # put some text into README $ echo "## Wonderful Bundle \n\n Get an uplifting message!" > README …and Publish
Currently, this is what the file directory for
wonderful-bundle looks like:wonderful-bundle |_ index.js |_ README |_ package.json Essentially, this is the basic structure of a npm package. Not much is needed to publish your software to npm!
Now that we feel pretty good about our package, let’s publish it!
$ npm publish You'll need an account on the npm registry website, and if you're not logged into it from the CLI you'll be asked to log in. You also have to use a package name that hasn't been used on the registry already.
Wrapping Up That’s it! Your package is now published on npm. To recap, there are only 3 steps to go from zero-to-published:
- Initialize:
npm init - Add source code:
index.jsandREADME - Publish:
npm publish
Now when someone wants to use your package, they just run this in their terminal:
$ npm install wonderful-bundle This will download, and install any dependencies needed for your package in other people’s software projects! Technology is amazing 🤤
Hopefully this guide has shown you how easy it is to contribute your software to the Open Source community, regardless of how significant or small it might be 📦 👉 🌎
If you prefer using Yarn check out this guide: npm vs Yarn Commands Cheat Sheet