---
section: cli-commands
title: npm-install
description: Install a package
---

# npm-install

## Install a package

### Synopsis

```bash
npm install (with no args, in package dir)
npm install [<@scope>/]<name>
npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<tag>
npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version>
npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version range>
npm install <git-host>:<git-user>/<repo-name>
npm install <git repo url>
npm install <tarball file>
npm install <tarball url>
npm install <folder>

aliases: npm i, npm add
common options: [-P|--save-prod|-D|--save-dev|-O|--save-optional] [-E|--save-exact] [-B|--save-bundle] [--no-save] [--dry-run]
```

### Description

This command installs a package, and any packages that it depends on. If the
package has a package-lock or shrinkwrap file, the installation of dependencies
will be driven by that, with an `npm-shrinkwrap.json` taking precedence if both
files exist. See [package-lock.json](/docs/configuring-npm/package-lock.json) and [`npm-shrinkwrap`](npm-shrinkwrap).

A `package` is:

* a) a folder containing a program described by a [`package.json`](/docs/configuring-npm/package-json) file
* b) a gzipped tarball containing (a)
* c) a url that resolves to (b)
* d) a `<name>@<version>` that is published on the registry (see [`npm-registry`](npm-registry)) with (c)
* e) a `<name>@<tag>` (see [`npm-dist-tag`](npm-dist-tag)) that points to (d)
* f) a `<name>` that has a "latest" tag satisfying (e)
* g) a `<git remote url>` that resolves to (a)

Even if you never publish your package, you can still get a lot of
benefits of using npm if you just want to write a node program (a), and
perhaps if you also want to be able to easily install it elsewhere
after packing it up into a tarball (b).


* `npm install` (in package directory, no arguments):

    Install the dependencies in the local node_modules folder.

    In global mode (ie, with `-g` or `--global` appended to the command),
    it installs the current package context (ie, the current working
    directory) as a global package.

    By default, `npm install` will install all modules listed as dependencies
    in [`package.json`](/docs/configuring-npm/package-json).

    With the `--production` flag (or when the `NODE_ENV` environment variable
    is set to `production`), npm will not install modules listed in
    `devDependencies`.

    > NOTE: The `--production` flag has no particular meaning when adding a
    dependency to a project.

* `npm install <folder>`:

    Install the package in the directory as a symlink in the current project.
    Its dependencies will be installed before it's linked. If `<folder>` sits
    inside the root of your project, its dependencies may be hoisted to the
    toplevel `node_modules` as they would for other types of dependencies.

* `npm install <tarball file>`:

    Install a package that is sitting on the filesystem.  Note: if you just want
    to link a dev directory into your npm root, you can do this more easily by
    using `npm link`.

    Tarball requirements:
    * The filename *must* use `.tar`, `.tar.gz`, or `.tgz` as
    the extension.
    * The package contents should reside in a subfolder inside the tarball (usually it is called `package/`). npm strips one directory layer when installing the package (an equivalent of `tar x --strip-components=1` is run).
    * The package must contain a `package.json` file with `name` and `version` properties.

    Example:

          npm install ./package.tgz

* `npm install <tarball url>`:

    Fetch the tarball url, and then install it.  In order to distinguish between
    this and other options, the argument must start with "http://" or "https://"

    Example:

          npm install https://github.com/indexzero/forever/tarball/v0.5.6

* `npm install [<@scope>/]<name>`:

    Do a `<name>@<tag>` install, where `<tag>` is the "tag" config. (See
    [`npm-config`](/docs/using-npm/config). The config's default value is `latest`.)

    In most cases, this will install the version of the modules tagged as
    `latest` on the npm registry.

    Example:

          npm install sax

    `npm install` saves any specified packages into `dependencies` by default.
    Additionally, you can control where and how they get saved with some
    additional flags:

    * `-P, --save-prod`: Package will appear in your `dependencies`. This is the
                         default unless `-D` or `-O` are present.

    * `-D, --save-dev`: Package will appear in your `devDependencies`.

    * `-O, --save-optional`: Package will appear in your `optionalDependencies`.

    * `--no-save`: Prevents saving to `dependencies`.

    When using any of the above options to save dependencies to your
    package.json, there are two additional, optional flags:

    * `-E, --save-exact`: Saved dependencies will be configured with an
      exact version rather than using npm's default semver range
      operator.

    * `-B, --save-bundle`: Saved dependencies will also be added to your `bundleDependencies` list.

    Further, if you have an `npm-shrinkwrap.json` or `package-lock.json` then it
    will be updated as well.

    `<scope>` is optional. The package will be downloaded from the registry
    associated with the specified scope. If no registry is associated with
    the given scope the default registry is assumed. See [`npm-scope`](/docs/using-npm/scope).

    Note: if you do not include the @-symbol on your scope name, npm will
    interpret this as a GitHub repository instead, see below. Scopes names
    must also be followed by a slash.

    Examples:

    ```bash
    npm install sax
    npm install githubname/reponame
    npm install @myorg/privatepackage
    npm install node-tap --save-dev
    npm install dtrace-provider --save-optional
    npm install readable-stream --save-exact
    npm install ansi-regex --save-bundle
    ```

    **Note**: If there is a file or folder named `<name>` in the current
    working directory, then it will try to install that, and only try to
    fetch the package by name if it is not valid.

* `npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<tag>`:

    Install the version of the package that is referenced by the specified tag.
    If the tag does not exist in the registry data for that package, then this
    will fail.

    Example:

    ```bash
    npm install sax@latest
    npm install @myorg/mypackage@latest
    ```

* `npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version>`:

    Install the specified version of the package.  This will fail if the
    version has not been published to the registry.

    Example:

    ```bash
    npm install sax@0.1.1
    npm install @myorg/privatepackage@1.5.0
    ```

* `npm install [<@scope>/]<name>@<version range>`:

    Install a version of the package matching the specified version range.  This
    will follow the same rules for resolving dependencies described in [`package.json`](/docs/configuring-npm/package-json).

    Note that most version ranges must be put in quotes so that your shell will
    treat it as a single argument.

    Example:
    ```bash
    npm install sax@">=0.1.0 <0.2.0"
    npm install @myorg/privatepackage@">=0.1.0 <0.2.0"
    ```

* `npm install <git remote url>`:

    Installs the package from the hosted git provider, cloning it with `git`.
    For a full git remote url, only that URL will be attempted.

    ```bash
      <protocol>://[<user>[:<password>]@]<hostname>[:<port>][:][/]<path>[#<commit-ish> | #semver:<semver>]
    ```

    `<protocol>` is one of `git`, `git+ssh`, `git+http`, `git+https`, or
    `git+file`.

    If `#<commit-ish>` is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
    commit. If the commit-ish has the format `#semver:<semver>`, `<semver>` can
    be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any tags
    or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it would for a
    registry dependency. If neither `#<commit-ish>` or `#semver:<semver>` is
    specified, then the default branch of the repository is used.

    If the repository makes use of submodules, those submodules will be cloned
    as well.

    If the package being installed contains a `prepare` script, its
    `dependencies` and `devDependencies` will be installed, and the prepare
    script will be run, before the package is packaged and installed.

    The following git environment variables are recognized by npm and will be
    added to the environment when running git:

    * `GIT_ASKPASS`
    * `GIT_EXEC_PATH`
    * `GIT_PROXY_COMMAND`
    * `GIT_SSH`
    * `GIT_SSH_COMMAND`
    * `GIT_SSL_CAINFO`
    * `GIT_SSL_NO_VERIFY`

    See the git man page for details.

    Examples:

    ```bash
    npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli.git#v1.0.27
    npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli#semver:^5.0
    npm install git+https://isaacs@github.com/npm/cli.git
    npm install git://github.com/npm/cli.git#v1.0.27
    GIT_SSH_COMMAND='ssh -i ~/.ssh/custom_ident' npm install git+ssh://git@github.com:npm/cli.git
    ```

* `npm install <githubname>/<githubrepo>[#<commit-ish>]`:
* `npm install github:<githubname>/<githubrepo>[#<commit-ish>]`:

    Install the package at `https://github.com/githubname/githubrepo` by
    attempting to clone it using `git`.

    If `#<commit-ish>` is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
    commit. If the commit-ish has the format `#semver:<semver>`, `<semver>` can
    be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any tags
    or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it would for a
    registry dependency. If neither `#<commit-ish>` or `#semver:<semver>` is
    specified, then `master` is used.

    As with regular git dependencies, `dependencies` and `devDependencies` will
    be installed if the package has a `prepare` script, before the package is
    done installing.

    Examples:

    ```bash
    npm install mygithubuser/myproject
    npm install github:mygithubuser/myproject
   ```

* `npm install gist:[<githubname>/]<gistID>[#<commit-ish>|#semver:<semver>]`:

    Install the package at `https://gist.github.com/gistID` by attempting to
    clone it using `git`. The GitHub username associated with the gist is
    optional and will not be saved in `package.json`.

    As with regular git dependencies, `dependencies` and `devDependencies` will
    be installed if the package has a `prepare` script, before the package is
    done installing.

    Example:

    ```bash
    npm install gist:101a11beef
    ```

* `npm install bitbucket:<bitbucketname>/<bitbucketrepo>[#<commit-ish>]`:

    Install the package at `https://bitbucket.org/bitbucketname/bitbucketrepo`
    by attempting to clone it using `git`.

    If `#<commit-ish>` is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
    commit. If the commit-ish has the format `#semver:<semver>`, `<semver>` can
    be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any tags
    or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it would for a
    registry dependency. If neither `#<commit-ish>` or `#semver:<semver>` is
    specified, then `master` is used.

    As with regular git dependencies, `dependencies` and `devDependencies` will
    be installed if the package has a `prepare` script, before the package is
    done installing.

    Example:

    ```bash
    npm install bitbucket:mybitbucketuser/myproject
    ```

* `npm install gitlab:<gitlabname>/<gitlabrepo>[#<commit-ish>]`:

    Install the package at `https://gitlab.com/gitlabname/gitlabrepo`
    by attempting to clone it using `git`.

    If `#<commit-ish>` is provided, it will be used to clone exactly that
    commit. If the commit-ish has the format `#semver:<semver>`, `<semver>` can
    be any valid semver range or exact version, and npm will look for any tags
    or refs matching that range in the remote repository, much as it would for a
    registry dependency. If neither `#<commit-ish>` or `#semver:<semver>` is
    specified, then `master` is used.

    As with regular git dependencies, `dependencies` and `devDependencies` will
    be installed if the package has a `prepare` script, before the package is
    done installing.

    Example:

    ```bash
    npm install gitlab:mygitlabuser/myproject
    npm install gitlab:myusr/myproj#semver:^5.0
    ```

You may combine multiple arguments, and even multiple types of arguments.
For example:

```bash
npm install sax@">=0.1.0 <0.2.0" bench supervisor
```

The `--tag` argument will apply to all of the specified install targets. If a
tag with the given name exists, the tagged version is preferred over newer
versions.

The `--dry-run` argument will report in the usual way what the install would
have done without actually installing anything.

The `--package-lock-only` argument will only update the `package-lock.json`,
instead of checking `node_modules` and downloading dependencies.

The `-f` or `--force` argument will force npm to fetch remote resources even if a
local copy exists on disk.

```bash
npm install sax --force
```

The `--no-fund` argument will hide the message displayed at the end of each
install that aknowledges the number of dependencies looking for funding.
See `npm-fund(1)`

The `-g` or `--global` argument will cause npm to install the package globally
rather than locally.  See [npm-folders](/docs/configuring-npm/folders).

The `--global-style` argument will cause npm to install the package into
your local `node_modules` folder with the same layout it uses with the
global `node_modules` folder. Only your direct dependencies will show in
`node_modules` and everything they depend on will be flattened in their
`node_modules` folders. This obviously will eliminate some deduping.

The `--ignore-scripts` argument will cause npm to not execute any
scripts defined in the package.json. See [`npm-scripts`](/docs/using-npm/scripts).

The `--legacy-bundling` argument will cause npm to install the package such
that versions of npm prior to 1.4, such as the one included with node 0.8,
can install the package. This eliminates all automatic deduping.

The `--link` argument will cause npm to link global installs into the
local space in some cases.

The `--no-bin-links` argument will prevent npm from creating symlinks for
any binaries the package might contain.

The `--no-optional` argument will prevent optional dependencies from
being installed.

The `--no-shrinkwrap` argument, which will ignore an available
package lock or shrinkwrap file and use the package.json instead.

The `--no-package-lock` argument will prevent npm from creating a
`package-lock.json` file.  When running with package-lock's disabled npm
will not automatically prune your node modules when installing.

The `--nodedir=/path/to/node/source` argument will allow npm to find the
node source code so that npm can compile native modules.

The `--only={prod[uction]|dev[elopment]}` argument will cause either only
`devDependencies` or only non-`devDependencies` to be installed regardless of the `NODE_ENV`.

The `--no-audit` argument can be used to disable sending of audit reports to
the configured registries.  See [`npm-audit`](npm-audit) for details on what is sent.

See [`npm-config`](/docs/using-npm/config).  Many of the configuration params have some
effect on installation, since that's most of what npm does.

#### Algorithm

To install a package, npm uses the following algorithm:
```bash
load the existing node_modules tree from disk
clone the tree
fetch the package.json and assorted metadata and add it to the clone
walk the clone and add any missing dependencies
  dependencies will be added as close to the top as is possible
  without breaking any other modules
compare the original tree with the cloned tree and make a list of
actions to take to convert one to the other
execute all of the actions, deepest first
  kinds of actions are install, update, remove and move
```

For this `package{dep}` structure: `A{B,C}, B{C}, C{D}`,
this algorithm produces:

```bash
A
+-- B
+-- C
+-- D
```

That is, the dependency from B to C is satisfied by the fact that A
already caused C to be installed at a higher level. D is still installed
at the top level because nothing conflicts with it.

For `A{B,C}, B{C,D@1}, C{D@2}`, this algorithm produces:

```bash
A
+-- B
+-- C
   `-- D@2
+-- D@1
```

Because B's D@1 will be installed in the top level, C now has to install D@2
privately for itself. This algorithm is deterministic, but different trees may
be produced if two dependencies are requested for installation in a different
order.

See [npm-folders](/docs/configuring-npm/folders) for a more detailed description of the specific
folder structures that npm creates.

### Limitations of npm's Install Algorithm

npm will refuse to install any package with an identical name to the
current package. This can be overridden with the `--force` flag, but in
most cases can simply be addressed by changing the local package name.

There are some very rare and pathological edge-cases where a cycle can
cause npm to try to install a never-ending tree of packages.  Here is
the simplest case:

```bash
A -> B -> A' -> B' -> A -> B -> A' -> B' -> A -> ...
```

where `A` is some version of a package, and `A'` is a different version
of the same package.  Because `B` depends on a different version of `A`
than the one that is already in the tree, it must install a separate
copy.  The same is true of `A'`, which must install `B'`.  Because `B'`
depends on the original version of `A`, which has been overridden, the
cycle falls into infinite regress.

To avoid this situation, npm flat-out refuses to install any
`name@version` that is already present anywhere in the tree of package
folder ancestors.  A more correct, but more complex, solution would be
to symlink the existing version into the new location.  If this ever
affects a real use-case, it will be investigated.

### See Also

* [npm folders](/configuring-npm/folders)
* [npm update](/cli-commands/npm-update)
* [npm audit](/cli-commands/npm-audit)
* [npm fund](/cli-commands/npm-fund)
* [npm link](/cli-commands/npm-link)
* [npm rebuild](/cli-commands/npm-rebuild)
* [npm scripts](/using-npm/scripts)
* [npm build](/cli-commands/npm-build)
* [npm config](/cli-commands/npm-config)
* [npmrc](/configuring-npm/npmrc)
* [npm registry](/using-npm/registry)
* [npm dist-tag](/cli-commands/npm-dist-tag)
* [npm uninstall](/cli-commands/npm-uninstall)
* [npm shrinkwrap](/cli-commands/npm-shrinkwrap)
* [package.json](/configuring-npm/package-json)
