Monday, February 28, 2022

npm install -g

As of about npm v5.0.0, the `npm install` command no longer installs from a directory. It is now an alias for `npm link`. This is fine in many cases, but `npm link` already existed and sometimes what one wants to do is install: not link.

For example, if a locally developed package is being installed globally so that all users can run a command it provides, it is generally best to install the package globally rather than link it, so that it is independent of the directory it was installed from.

Fortunately, it is not too difficult to overcome the elimination of this install option:

  • cd <package-directory>
  • npm pack
  • npm install -g <package>-<version>.tgz

This works because when installing from a tgz file, `npm install` still installs rather than linking.

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