Script for usecase of npm init ,nodemon, devDepen and dependencies
Hello Everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. My name is Julian and today we are going to discuss some essential parts of working with Node.js.
But before getting started:
Imagine you’re building a house.
You wouldn’t start by making every single tool manually from scratch, right?
Instead, you would go to a hardware store and pick up the tools you need—like a hammer, nails, or a measuring tape.
In the same way, when you’re building a Node.js application,
you don’t need to code every single feature by hand.
You can ‘shop’ for pre-built tools using npm,
which is like the hardware store for Node.js.
Npm stands for node package manager and
it is used for handling dependencies in our project.
So
Today, we’ll talk about how you don’t have to start everything from scratch—
there are already tools and functions available that can make your work easier and faster.
1. Starting with npm init
“When you begin a new Node.js project, one of the first things you’ll want to do is create a package.json file. This is the file that will contain key details about your project and its dependencies.
To create this file, you run:
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npm init
npm init will ask you a few questions like:
- Project name
- Version number
- Description
- Entry point (usually index.js)
For example, it might look like this:
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$ npm init
package name: (my-app)
version: (1.0.0)
description: My first Node.js project
entry point: (index.js)
After filling this out, you’ll have a package.json file in your project that looks like this:
json
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{
“name”: “my-app”,
“version”: “1.0.0”,
“description”: “My first Node.js project”,
“main”: “index.js”,
“scripts”: {
“start”: “node index.js”
},
“dependencies”: {}
}
Now, you have a basic structure for your project, and this file will manage all the dependencies you install later.”
2. Why Do We Need package.json?
So, why is package.json important?
Imagine you’re working on a project with teammates.
You’ve added some helpful tools (called packages) to your project,
but when your teammate tries to run it, it doesn’t work because they don’t have those packages.
Without a package.json file, you’d have to tell everyone which packages to install,
and they’d need to do it manually.
This can be confusing and take a lot of time.
package.json fixes this.
It keeps track of all the packages you used.
So when someone else downloads your project, they just run:
npm install
And this will automatically install all the necessary dependencies that are listed in your package.json file.”
3 .Using npm to Avoid Re-inventing the Wheel
“One of the great things about Node.js is the wide range of reusable packages.
Instead of writing everything from scratch,
we can use pre-built libraries or tools with npm (Node Package Manager).
For example, instead of manually building an HTTP server from scratch every time, you can use a popular library like express:
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npm install express –save
By doing this, you add express to your project’s dependencies, making it available for your app to use. It gets listed in package.json like this:
json
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“dependencies”: {
“express”: “^4.17.1”
}
Now, you can easily share your project with others, and they will be able to install express and other required packages by simply running npm install.”
4. What is nodemon and Why is It Useful?
while you’re working on your app, it can be annoying to restart the server manually every time you make changes to the code.
This is where nodemon helps!
It watches your files and automatically restarts the server whenever you make an update,
so you don’t have to keep restarting it yourself
To install nodemon, you can use:
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npm install nodemon –save-dev
Notice the –save-dev flag here. This installs nodemon as a development dependency, meaning it’s only needed while you’re working on your app, not when it’s running in production.
Once installed, you can run your app using nodemon like this:
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npx nodemon index.js
This will automatically restart your server anytime you save a file, saving you time and effort.”
5. Understanding –save and –save-dev
“Let’s talk about the difference between –save and –save-dev.
–save: Installing a package with –save adds that package to your production dependencies.
This means it’s required for your application to run in production.
Example:
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npm install express –save
–save-dev: Installing a package with –save-dev,
it’s added to your development dependencies.
These are packages you only need during development, like nodemon, testing libraries, or linters.
Example:
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npm install nodemon –save-dev
In package.json, you’ll see two sections: dependencies and devDependencies.
dependencies are essential for running the app in production, while devDependencies are only used during development.”
6. Conclusion: Focus on Building, Not Reinventing
“To summarize:
- npm init helps you set up a new project with a package.json file.
- Use npm install to add new packages to your project.
- Use –save for production dependencies and –save-dev for development tools like nodemon.
- Instead of writing everything from scratch, use npm to install packages that solve common problems—don’t reinvent the wheel.
By relying on existing libraries and managing them efficiently with npm,
you can focus on building the unique parts of your project and save a lot of time and effort!”
