Skip to the content
Dorris
Book a demo
Menu
What it doesHow it worksPricingLook insideLessonsField manualHow I workLibraryGlossary

Word

npm

npm is the tool that downloads and tracks the outside code your project depends on.

Also called: package manager

Almost nothing is written from scratch: your app leans on pieces other people maintain. npm keeps a written list of them, and that list is what lets the same project be rebuilt on another machine and come out the same.

You will meet npm the first time you set the app up, and again whenever you add something that needs a new dependency.

What throws people: adding a package is not a purchase or a signup. It is copying files into your project folder. You can delete them and fetch them again, and usually that is the fix.

Related words

All words

Paste this first

Something broke

I just did this: <what you clicked or typed, in a few words>
This is what I got: <paste the error here, or drag in a screenshot>

I don't know what it means. Work out what went wrong and fix it. Then tell me in one plain sentence what was wrong and what you changed, and stop.

Is this really for you?

1 of 7 Where do you sell online?
2 of 7 Would you like software built around exactly how your business works?
3 of 7 When something in your software needs changing, how do you want that to happen?
4 of 7 Have you ever written code?
5 of 7 If something breaks, what kind of help do you need?
6 of 7 Do you pay monthly for an app where you only really use one or two of its features?
7 of 7 Building your app means using an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT on a paid monthly plan. Are you OK with that?