What is this?
This is the source code for npm, the default package manager for JavaScript — the command-line tool you use to install and manage packages in a project.
This is the source code for npm, the default package manager for JavaScript — the command-line tool you use to install and manage packages in a project.Is this repo the CLI itself, or the npm registry and website?It's the CLI itself — the client that installs and manages packages. The npm registry and website are separate services; this is the command-line program that talks to them.
It's the CLI itself — the client that installs and manages packages. The npm registry and website are separate services; this is the command-line program that talks to them.How do I get npm onto my machine?You likely already have it: npm comes bundled with Node.js and most third-party distributions. Otherwise install it from npmjs.com via their install.sh script, or use a Node version manager.
You likely already have it: npm comes bundled with Node.js and most third-party distributions. Otherwise install it from npmjs.com via their install.sh script, or use a Node version manager.Do I need a specific version of Node.js to run it?Yes — npm needs a currently supported Node.js release; this version's engines field requires Node 22.22.2+, 24.15.0+, or 26+, so older Node installs must upgrade first.
Yes — npm needs a currently supported Node.js release; this version's engines field requires Node 22.22.2+, 24.15.0+, or 26+, so older Node installs must upgrade first.Is npm an acronym for 'Node Package Manager'?No — contrary to popular belief, npm is a recursive backronym: 'npm is not an acronym'. Its precursor was a bash utility called 'pm', short for pkgmakeinst, which installed various things on various platforms.
No — contrary to popular belief, npm is a recursive backronym: 'npm is not an acronym'. Its precursor was a bash utility called 'pm', short for pkgmakeinst, which installed various things on various platforms.Should it be written as npm or NPM?Always lowercase: the project asks that npm never be capitalized unless it appears in a context that is customarily all-capitals, like titles on man pages.
Always lowercase: the project asks that npm never be capitalized unless it appears in a context that is customarily all-capitals, like titles on man pages.What are similar projects?volta, yarn, pip, winget-cli, brew, homebrew-cask, zerobrew, webpack-dashboard
volta, yarn, pip, winget-cli, brew, homebrew-cask, zerobrew, webpack-dashboardWhich topics is it in?tools, package-manager, installer, utility, command-line-tool, free, npm, terminal, nodejs, javascript, cli, cross-platform
tools, package-manager, installer, utility, command-line-tool, free, npm, terminal, nodejs, javascript, cli, cross-platform