A comprehensive beginner’s guide to NPM

Node.js, a widely used open-source platform, is supported by a massive ecosystem of over 11 million developers, and its package management is handled by the Node Package Manager (NPM). NPM is a crucial tool for JavaScript developers, acting as a registry for JavaScript libraries and facilitating the installation and management of packages through a command-line interface. A package, essentially a folder containing code for specific features, can range from a pluggable module to a library of scripts, as illustrated by the example of Cheerio.js, which provides server-side manipulation of HTML and XML data. NPM offers both local and global installation options, allowing developers to manage dependencies efficiently without incurring hosting costs, and it is integral to sharing code and fostering community growth. To utilize NPM, developers must have Node.js installed, and they can use commands such as `npm install` to manage their project's dependencies, with options to update, uninstall, and list installed packages. This functionality supports the streamlined development of scalable applications and highlights the importance of NPM in maintaining and sharing open-source JavaScript projects.