Into which folder does npm install installs - node.js

I installed an application via npm install and I can open the application in my webbrowser via http://localhost:3000/without any problem. What folder do I have to open to see what is displayed when I open the URL http://localhost:3000/ in my webbrowser?

by default npm install will install packages into node_modules which resides in your project root where package.json is located.
It seems you have a script which will spin up a webserver, in most cases it will not expose the node_modules directory on that webserver (for good reason).
The point is that you should be including the packages you installed within the script you use for your application that is served.
edit: you can read up on how to use nodejs packages here: https://docs.npmjs.com/using-npm-packages-in-your-projects

Related

How to install node modules to a folder outside the project folder?

I am running a React project and npm install installs all of the modules in the root folder of the project, in which it creates around 30 000 new files, which then slows dows web cloud syncing (I am unable to exclude locations). How can I install this large directory at a different location, that is outside the project folder or maybe globally somehow?
I have tried npm install -g after deleting the node_modules folder, but that said that everything is up to date and npm list -g shows only one item, that is the project. After that running npm start does not work, gives error 'react-scripts' is not recognized as an internal or external command
Learn Next JS and try to make server side rendering

NodeJS - npm install practice

Created new folder and did npm install serve in it.
It created package-lock.json and node_modules/ folder.
When I run in the same folder serve it shows error:
command not found: serve
What is the way to install?
I am using: npm#6.5.0
My dev environment is MACOS
I read a great many pages on this topic and nothing worked until I tried the following
./node_modules/.bin/serve -s build
Also if you are using VS CODE you may want to bring up the terminal window outside of VS CODE - this seems to have snared a lot of people.
First of all, you should start your project running
npm init
This will create the package.json file.
Then, you can install the serve package globally.
npm install -g serve
And now you can run serve.
The serve binary was not found because the operating system cannot locate it in the PATH environment variable.
When you do the npm install serve command. The serve module is only installed into the node_modules directory found under the the project folder. Unless you explicitly include the absolute path of this node_module directory as part of your PATH env var, the OS won't know where to find serve.
Like others say, the typical practise would be to install the module using the -g flag. G means global.
When -g is used, npm will put the binary in its node directory somewhere and this this directory would have been included as part of your PATH when you install node, thus making the any new binary discoverable.
If the node.js module has a "command" and you want to run it without installing the module globally(npm install -g serve). You can run it like ./node-modules/.bin/command from the root folder of the project.
Now, what is generally used is npx, so that you can from within a project easily run any of the binaries within its local node_modules or your system's global node_modules/ and any other commands on the $PATH.
For example, here we install webpack as a local dependency. You can image doing this in a folder after running npm init. Then we run webpack without having to worry about referencing the bin file:
$ npm i -D webpack
$ npx webpack

npm- module not recognized even though it's installed

I am running on windows.
My module is install via npm install. It's located in the node_modules which was locally created at my project.
For some reason, all of a sudden node has stop recognizing my module, even though it is installed and located in the root/node_modules location!!
I have tried every thing I could find online. What is going on???
tried clearing npm's cache
kill node.js process
re-open my command-line
even restarted my PC!!
path is configured correctly
One more thing:
if i manually install the package via: npm install --save my-module
its recognizing my package.
EDIT
I have noticed that when I run npm install it does not create the node_modules/.bin folder as of when I run npm install --save my-module it does create it.
EDIT 2
When manually placing my packages in the .bin folder than it works
Note, that you can also execute an installed npm module using the npx (Node.js Package Runner), which is part of npm.
npx my-module
You should see the module executable in ./node_modules/.bin
Please, at first re-install your node and shutdown your PC for 5 at least mins.
You can follow the following steps:
Search environment variables from start menu's search box.
Click it then go to Environment Variables
Click PATH
click Edit
Click New and try to copy and paste your path for 'bin' folder [find where you installed the node] for example according to my machine 'C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\bin'
If you got any error. try the another step:
Click New, then browse for the 'bin' folder

Install NodeJS package locally

When i try to install package on my local directory using npm install connect,but it just keep pop up some warning about
no such file or directory, open '/Users/felixfong/package.json'
But i don't not want to install package at my computer directory,i want to install at my local web app directory
Are you sure you are inside your local web app directory when you run the npm install connect command?
cd app-directory/
npm install connect
Also ensure that a package.json file is also present in the app-directory.
If it isn't present, you can use npm init command to create the package.json file interactively.
You have to go inside your project directory using
Then you can check package.json.
If package.json file is not there then initialize npm using the following command:
npm init
Then your can install the package using the following command:
npm install connect
'npm install connect' does not save the connect npm package in package.json file.
For saving the package into package.json file you have to givt --save option like:
npm install connect --save
Make sure that you are in web app's directory. Current path can be checked via command pwd in Linux and cd in windows. Navigate to your web app directory if you are somewhere else. Check existence of package.json by listing the content of the folder. ls and dir can be used for ubuntu and windows respectively for listing content. Commands for ubuntu are as below:
pwd
cd your-path/
ls
Now Initialize npm in your web app directory if package.json is not already existing there.
npm init
This will ask some information like:
name of the app,
its version,
description,
entry point,
test command,
git repo,
keywords,
author and
license (if any)
You can select default values by leaving the fields empty if you aren't sure or confused about any field. Combining this information as json, npm will create a file named package.json
Just run the desired command now after initialization of npm or if its already initialized:
npm install connect

Installing npm modules in a VM shared directory and grunt issues

I'm trying to put together a development environment and npm is causing me problems. Here is my scenario:
I have a development machine running Windows and VMWare Player. I have a Ubuntu Server VM (no UI) which is configured with Apache, PHP, NodeJS etc. As the VM has no UI I want to use the host OS for development. I set up a shared directory which in the VM is accessed as /mnt/hgfs/source/<project name>.
The problem comes when I attempt to run npm install within this directory. I see a lot of errors like Error: UNKNOWN, symlink '../requirejs/bin/r.js'. I know that my package.json file is OK because if I copy all files out of the share and into a regular unix directory (/var/www/<project name>) npm install works fine. So npm has a problem installing modules in the shared directory.
I thought I could get around this by installing the node packages globally but, for whatever reason, the GruntJS enthusiasts don't like that and it must be present locally. I then tried to create an npm link from global to local but that just results in a new error: Error: May not delete: /usr/lib/node_modules/grunt. I have full permissions on the /usr/lib/node_modules directory and all sub-directories.
I really don't want to write the entire project using a command-line text editor in the VM but it looks like I cannot have my code-base in a directory available to both the host and guest OS through VMWare.
I would very much appreciate any suggestions on how to either 1) allow npm modules to be installed in my shared directory, 2) run Grunt globally, or 3) solve the npm link error I'm seeing.
EDIT: Shortly after posting this I realised the fundamental issue here - it's not possible to create symbolic links within a VM shared directory when the host OS is Windows. As npm install uses symlinks by default it didn't work, and this is why the accepted solution does work.
Try the following:
npm install --no-bin-links
Grunt should be local since the plugins and gruntfile.js may require a certain version of Grunt in order to run your tasks. If another developer would like to run your tasks, they could just issue an npm install and they are set. (See this for more info.) grunt-cli is global which is used to run the local version of grunt

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