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< h1 > < a href = "../doc/faq.html" > faq< / a > < / h1 > < p > Frequently Asked Questions< / p >
< h2 id = "Where-can-I-find-these-docs-in-HTML" > Where can I find these docs in HTML?< / h2 >
< p > < a href = "http://npmjs.org/doc/" > http://npmjs.org/doc/< / a > , or run:< / p >
< pre > < code > npm config set viewer browser< / code > < / pre >
< p > to open these documents in your default web browser rather than < code > man< / code > .< / p >
< h2 id = "It-didn-t-work" > It didn't work.< / h2 >
< p > That's not really a question.< / p >
< h2 id = "Why-didn-t-it-work" > Why didn't it work?< / h2 >
< p > I don't know yet.< / p >
< p > Read the error output, and if you can't figure out what it means,
do what it says and post a bug with all the information it asks for.< / p >
< h2 id = "Where-does-npm-put-stuff" > Where does npm put stuff?< / h2 >
< p > See < code > < a href = "../doc/folders.html" > folders(1)< / a > < / code > < / p >
< p > tl;dr:< / p >
< ul > < li > Use the < code > npm root< / code > command to see where modules go, and the < code > npm bin< / code >
command to see where executables go< / li > < li > Global installs are different from local installs. If you install
something with the < code > -g< / code > flag, then its executables go in < code > npm bin -g< / code >
and its modules go in < code > npm root -g< / code > .< / li > < / ul >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-install-something-everywhere" > How do I install something everywhere?< / h2 >
< p > Install it globally by tacking < code > -g< / code > or < code > --global< / code > to the command.< / p >
< h2 id = "I-installed-something-globally-but-I-can-t-require-it" > I installed something globally, but I can't `require()` it< / h2 >
< p > Install it locally.< / p >
< h2 id = "I-don-t-wanna" > I don't wanna.< / h2 >
< p > Check out < code > npm link< / code > . You might like it.< / p >
< h2 id = "No-I-really-want-0-x-style-everything-global-style" > No, I really want 0.x style 'everything global' style.< / h2 >
< p > Ok, fine. Do this:< / p >
< pre > < code > echo 'export NODE_PATH="'$(npm root -g)'"' > > ~/.bashrc
. ~/.bashrc
npm config set global true< / code > < / pre >
< p > This is not recommended.< / p >
< p > Many things < strong > will not work< / strong > if you do this. Make sure you read and
understand < code > < a href = "../doc/config.html" > config(1)< / a > < / code > and < code > < a href = "../doc/global.html" > global(1)< / a > < / code > before you complain
about things being broken.< / p >
< p > When you realize what a mistake it was, do this to switch back:< / p >
< pre > < code > npm config delete global --local< / code > < / pre >
< h2 id = "If-npm-is-an-acronym-why-is-it-never-capitalized" > If 'npm' is an acronym, why is it never capitalized?< / h2 >
< p > Contrary to the belief of many, "npm" is not in fact an abbreviation for
"Node Package Manager". It is a recursive bacronymic abbreviation for
"npm is not an acronym". (If it was "ninaa", then it would be an
acronym, and thus incorrectly named.)< / p >
< p > "NPM", however, < em > is< / em > an acronym (more precisely, a capitonym) for the
National Association of Pastoral Musicians. You can learn more
about them at < a href = "http://npm.org/" > http://npm.org/< / a > .< / p >
< p > In software, "NPM" is a non-parametric mapping utility written by
Chris Rorden. You can analyze pictures of brains with it. Learn more
about the (capitalized) NPM program at < a href = "http://www.cabiatl.com/mricro/npm/" > http://www.cabiatl.com/mricro/npm/< / a > .< / p >
< p > The first seed that eventually grew into this flower was a bash utility
named "pm", which was a shortened descendent of "pkgmakeinst", a
bash function that was used to install various different things on different
platforms, most often using Yahoo's < code > yinst< / code > . If < code > npm< / code > was ever an
acronym for anything, it was < code > node pm< / code > or maybe < code > new pm< / code > .< / p >
< p > So, in all seriousness, the "npm" project is named after its command-line
utility, which was organically selected to be easily typed by a right-handed
programmer using a US QWERTY keyboard layout, ending with the
right-ring-finger in a postition to type the < code > -< / code > key for flags and
other command-line arguments. That command-line utility is always
lower-case, though it starts most sentences it is a part of.< / p >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-list-installed-packages" > How do I list installed packages?< / h2 >
< p > < code > npm ls< / code > < / p >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-search-for-packages" > How do I search for packages?< / h2 >
< p > < code > npm search< / code > < / p >
< p > Arguments are greps. < code > npm search jsdom< / code > shows jsdom packages.< / p >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-update-npm" > How do I update npm?< / h2 >
< pre > < code > npm update npm -g< / code > < / pre >
< p > You can also update all outdated local packages by doing < code > npm update< / code > without
any arguments, or global packages by doing < code > npm update -g< / code > .< / p >
< p > Occasionally, the version of npm will progress such that the current
version cannot be properly installed with the version that you have
installed already. (Consider, if there is ever a bug in the < code > update< / code >
command.)< / p >
< p > In those cases, you can do this:< / p >
< pre > < code > curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh< / code > < / pre >
< h2 id = "What-is-a-package" > What is a `package`?< / h2 >
< p > A package is:< / p >
< ul > < li > a) a folder containing a program described by a package.json file< / li > < li > b) a gzipped tarball containing (a)< / li > < li > c) a url that resolves to (b)< / li > < li > d) a < code > < name> @< version> < / code > that is published on the registry with (c)< / li > < li > e) a < code > < name> @< tag> < / code > that points to (d)< / li > < li > f) a < code > < name> < / code > that has a "latest" tag satisfying (e)< / li > < li > g) a < code > git< / code > url that, when cloned, results in (a).< / li > < / ul >
< p > 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).< / p >
< p > Git urls can be of the form:< / p >
< pre > < code > git://github.com/user/project.git#commit-ish
git+ssh://user@hostname:project.git#commit-ish
git+http://user@hostname/project/blah.git#commit-ish
git+https://user@hostname/project/blah.git#commit-ish< / code > < / pre >
< p > The < code > commit-ish< / code > can be any tag, sha, or branch which can be supplied as
an argument to < code > git checkout< / code > . The default is < code > master< / code > .< / p >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-install-node-with-npm" > How do I install node with npm?< / h2 >
< p > You don't. Try one of these:< / p >
< ul > < li > < a href = "http://github.com/isaacs/nave" > http://github.com/isaacs/nave< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "http://github.com/visionmedia/n" > http://github.com/visionmedia/n< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "http://github.com/creationix/nvm" > http://github.com/creationix/nvm< / a > < / li > < / ul >
< h2 id = "How-can-I-use-npm-for-development" > How can I use npm for development?< / h2 >
< p > See < code > < a href = "../doc/developers.html" > developers(1)< / a > < / code > and < code > < a href = "../doc/json.html" > json(1)< / a > < / code > .< / p >
< p > You'll most likely want to < code > npm link< / code > your development folder. That's
awesomely handy.< / p >
< p > To set up your own private registry, check out < code > < a href = "../doc/registry.html" > registry(1)< / a > < / code > .< / p >
< h2 id = "Can-I-list-a-url-as-a-dependency" > Can I list a url as a dependency?< / h2 >
< p > Yes. It should be a url to a gzipped tarball containing a single folder
that has a package.json in its root, or a git url.
(See "what is a package?" above.)< / p >
< h2 id = "How-do-I-symlink-to-a-dev-folder-so-I-don-t-have-to-keep-re-installing" > How do I symlink to a dev folder so I don't have to keep re-installing?< / h2 >
< p > See < code > < a href = "../doc/link.html" > link(1)< / a > < / code > < / p >
< h2 id = "The-package-registry-website-What-is-that-exactly" > The package registry website. What is that exactly?< / h2 >
< p > See < code > < a href = "../doc/registry.html" > registry(1)< / a > < / code > .< / p >
< h2 id = "What-s-up-with-the-insecure-channel-warnings" > What's up with the insecure channel warnings?< / h2 >
< p > Until node 0.4.10, there were problems sending big files over HTTPS. That
means that publishes go over HTTP by default in those versions of node.< / p >
< h2 id = "I-forgot-my-password-and-can-t-publish-How-do-I-reset-it" > I forgot my password, and can't publish. How do I reset it?< / h2 >
< p > Go to < a href = "http://admin.npmjs.org/reset" > http://admin.npmjs.org/reset< / a > .< / p >
< h2 id = "I-get-ECONNREFUSED-a-lot-What-s-up" > I get ECONNREFUSED a lot. What's up?< / h2 >
< p > Either the registry is down, or node's DNS isn't able to reach out.
This happens a lot if you don't follow < em > all< / em > the steps in the Cygwin
setup doc.< / p >
< p > To check if the registry is down, open up
< a href = "http://registry.npmjs.org/-/short" > http://registry.npmjs.org/-/short< / a >
in a web browser. This will also tell you if you are just unable to
access the internet for some reason.< / p >
< p > If the registry IS down, let me know by emailing or posting an issue.
We'll have someone kick it or something.< / p >
< h2 id = "Who-does-npm" > Who does npm?< / h2 >
< p > < code > npm view npm author< / code > < / p >
< p > < code > npm view npm contributors< / code > < / p >
< h2 id = "I-have-a-question-or-request-not-addressed-here-Where-should-I-put-it" > I have a question or request not addressed here. Where should I put it?< / h2 >
< p > Discuss it on the mailing list, or post an issue.< / p >
< ul > < li > < a href = "mailto:npm-@googlegroups.com" > npm-@googlegroups.com< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues" > http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues< / a > < / li > < / ul >
< h2 id = "Why-does-npm-hate-me" > Why does npm hate me?< / h2 >
< p > npm is not capable of hatred. It loves everyone, especially you.< / p >
< h2 id = "SEE-ALSO" > SEE ALSO< / h2 >
< ul > < li > < a href = "../doc/npm.html" > npm(1)< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "../doc/developers.html" > developers(1)< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "../doc/json.html" > json(1)< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "../doc/config.html" > config(1)< / a > < / li > < li > < a href = "../doc/folders.html" > folders(1)< / a > < / li > < / ul >
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< p id = "footer" > faq — npm@1.1.0-beta-4< / p >
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