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npm-faq(1) -- Frequently Asked Questions
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========================================
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## Where can I find these docs in HTML?
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<https://npmjs.org/doc/>, or run:
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npm config set viewer browser
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to open these documents in your default web browser rather than `man`.
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## It didn't work.
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That's not really a question.
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## Why didn't it work?
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I don't know yet.
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Read the error output, and if you can't figure out what it means,
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do what it says and post a bug with all the information it asks for.
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## Where does npm put stuff?
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See `npm-folders(1)`
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tl;dr:
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* Use the `npm root` command to see where modules go, and the `npm bin`
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command to see where executables go
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* Global installs are different from local installs. If you install
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something with the `-g` flag, then its executables go in `npm bin -g`
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and its modules go in `npm root -g`.
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## How do I install something on my computer in a central location?
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Install it globally by tacking `-g` or `--global` to the command. (This
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is especially important for command line utilities that need to add
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their bins to the global system `PATH`.)
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## I installed something globally, but I can't `require()` it
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Install it locally.
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The global install location is a place for command-line utilities
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to put their bins in the system `PATH`. It's not for use with `require()`.
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If you `require()` a module in your code, then that means it's a
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dependency, and a part of your program. You need to install it locally
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in your program.
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## Why can't npm just put everything in one place, like other package managers?
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Not every change is an improvement, but every improvement is a change.
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This would be like asking git to do network IO for every commit. It's
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not going to happen, because it's a terrible idea that causes more
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problems than it solves.
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It is much harder to avoid dependency conflicts without nesting
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dependencies. This is fundamental to the way that npm works, and has
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proven to be an extremely successful approach. See `npm-folders(1)` for
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more details.
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If you want a package to be installed in one place, and have all your
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programs reference the same copy of it, then use the `npm link` command.
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That's what it's for. Install it globally, then link it into each
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program that uses it.
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## Whatever, I really want the old style 'everything global' style.
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Write your own package manager, then. It's not that hard.
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npm will not help you do something that is known to be a bad idea.
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## `"node_modules"` is the name of my deity's arch-rival, and a Forbidden Word in my religion. Can I configure npm to use a different folder?
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No. This will never happen. This question comes up sometimes,
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because it seems silly from the outside that npm couldn't just be
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configured to put stuff somewhere else, and then npm could load them
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from there. It's an arbitrary spelling choice, right? What's the bg
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deal?
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At the time of this writing, the string `'node_modules'` appears 151
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times in 53 separate files in npm and node core (excluding tests and
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documentation).
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Some of these references are in node's built-in module loader. Since
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npm is not involved **at all** at run-time, node itself would have to
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be configured to know where you've decided to stick stuff. Complexity
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hurdle #1. Since the Node module system is locked, this cannot be
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changed, and is enough to kill this request. But I'll continue, in
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deference to your deity's delicate feelings regarding spelling.
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Many of the others are in dependencies that npm uses, which are not
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necessarily tightly coupled to npm (in the sense that they do not read
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npm's configuration files, etc.) Each of these would have to be
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configured to take the name of the `node_modules` folder as a
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parameter. Complexity hurdle #2.
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Furthermore, npm has the ability to "bundle" dependencies by adding
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the dep names to the `"bundledDependencies"` list in package.json,
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which causes the folder to be included in the package tarball. What
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if the author of a module bundles its dependencies, and they use a
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different spelling for `node_modules`? npm would have to rename the
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folder at publish time, and then be smart enough to unpack it using
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your locally configured name. Complexity hurdle #3.
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Furthermore, what happens when you *change* this name? Fine, it's
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easy enough the first time, just rename the `node_modules` folders to
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`./blergyblerp/` or whatever name you choose. But what about when you
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change it again? npm doesn't currently track any state about past
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configuration settings, so this would be rather difficult to do
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properly. It would have to track every previous value for this
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config, and always accept any of them, or else yesterday's install may
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be broken tomorrow. Complexity hurdle #5.
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Never going to happen. The folder is named `node_modules`. It is
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written indelibly in the Node Way, handed down from the ancient times
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of Node 0.3.
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## Should I check my `node_modules` folder into git?
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Mikeal Rogers answered this question very well:
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<http://www.mikealrogers.com/posts/nodemodules-in-git.html>
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tl;dr
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* Check `node_modules` into git for things you **deploy**, such as
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websites and apps.
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* Do not check `node_modules` into git for libraries and modules
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intended to be reused.
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* Use npm to manage dependencies in your dev environment, but not in
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your deployment scripts.
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## Is it 'npm' or 'NPM' or 'Npm'?
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npm should never be capitalized unless it is being displayed in a
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location that is customarily all-caps (such as the title of man pages.)
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## If 'npm' is an acronym, why is it never capitalized?
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Contrary to the belief of many, "npm" is not in fact an abbreviation for
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"Node Package Manager". It is a recursive bacronymic abbreviation for
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"npm is not an acronym". (If it was "ninaa", then it would be an
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acronym, and thus incorrectly named.)
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"NPM", however, *is* an acronym (more precisely, a capitonym) for the
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National Association of Pastoral Musicians. You can learn more
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about them at <http://npm.org/>.
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In software, "NPM" is a Non-Parametric Mapping utility written by
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Chris Rorden. You can analyze pictures of brains with it. Learn more
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about the (capitalized) NPM program at <http://www.cabiatl.com/mricro/npm/>.
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The first seed that eventually grew into this flower was a bash utility
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named "pm", which was a shortened descendent of "pkgmakeinst", a
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bash function that was used to install various different things on different
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platforms, most often using Yahoo's `yinst`. If `npm` was ever an
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acronym for anything, it was `node pm` or maybe `new pm`.
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So, in all seriousness, the "npm" project is named after its command-line
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utility, which was organically selected to be easily typed by a right-handed
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programmer using a US QWERTY keyboard layout, ending with the
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right-ring-finger in a postition to type the `-` key for flags and
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other command-line arguments. That command-line utility is always
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lower-case, though it starts most sentences it is a part of.
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## How do I list installed packages?
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`npm ls`
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## How do I search for packages?
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`npm search`
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Arguments are greps. `npm search jsdom` shows jsdom packages.
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## How do I update npm?
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npm update npm -g
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You can also update all outdated local packages by doing `npm update` without
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any arguments, or global packages by doing `npm update -g`.
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Occasionally, the version of npm will progress such that the current
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version cannot be properly installed with the version that you have
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installed already. (Consider, if there is ever a bug in the `update`
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command.)
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In those cases, you can do this:
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curl https://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
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## What is a `package`?
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A package is:
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* a) a folder containing a program described by a package.json file
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* b) a gzipped tarball containing (a)
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* c) a url that resolves to (b)
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* d) a `<name>@<version>` that is published on the registry with (c)
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* e) a `<name>@<tag>` that points to (d)
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* f) a `<name>` that has a "latest" tag satisfying (e)
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* g) a `git` url that, when cloned, results in (a).
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Even if you never publish your package, you can still get a lot of
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benefits of using npm if you just want to write a node program (a), and
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perhaps if you also want to be able to easily install it elsewhere
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after packing it up into a tarball (b).
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Git urls can be of the form:
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git://github.com/user/project.git#commit-ish
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git+ssh://user@hostname:project.git#commit-ish
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git+http://user@hostname/project/blah.git#commit-ish
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git+https://user@hostname/project/blah.git#commit-ish
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The `commit-ish` can be any tag, sha, or branch which can be supplied as
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an argument to `git checkout`. The default is `master`.
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## How do I install node with npm?
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You don't. Try one of these:
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* <https://github.com/isaacs/nave>
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* <https://github.com/visionmedia/n>
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* <https://github.com/creationix/nvm>
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## How can I use npm for development?
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See `npm-developers(1)` and `npm-json(1)`.
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You'll most likely want to `npm link` your development folder. That's
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awesomely handy.
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To set up your own private registry, check out `npm-registry(1)`.
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## Can I list a url as a dependency?
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Yes. It should be a url to a gzipped tarball containing a single folder
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that has a package.json in its root, or a git url.
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(See "what is a package?" above.)
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## How do I symlink to a dev folder so I don't have to keep re-installing?
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See `npm-link(1)`
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## The package registry website. What is that exactly?
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See `npm-registry(1)`.
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## What's up with the insecure channel warnings?
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Until node 0.4.10, there were problems sending big files over HTTPS. That
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means that publishes go over HTTP by default in those versions of node.
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## I forgot my password, and can't publish. How do I reset it?
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Go to <https://npmjs.org/forgot>.
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## I get ECONNREFUSED a lot. What's up?
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Either the registry is down, or node's DNS isn't able to reach out.
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To check if the registry is down, open up <http://registry.npmjs.org/>
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in a web browser. This will also tell you if you are just unable to
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access the internet for some reason.
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If the registry IS down, let me know by emailing or posting an issue.
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We'll have someone kick it or something.
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## Why no namespaces?
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Please see this discussion: <https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues/798>
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tl;dr - It doesn't actually make things better, and can make them worse.
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If you want to namespace your own packages, you may: simply use the
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`-` character to separate the names. npm is a mostly anarchic system.
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There is not sufficient need to impose namespace rules on everyone.
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## Who does npm?
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`npm view npm author`
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`npm view npm contributors`
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## I have a question or request not addressed here. Where should I put it?
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Discuss it on the mailing list, or post an issue.
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* <npm-@googlegroups.com>
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* <https://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues>
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## Why does npm hate me?
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npm is not capable of hatred. It loves everyone, especially you.
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## SEE ALSO
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* npm(1)
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* npm-developers(1)
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* npm-json(1)
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* npm-config(1)
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* npm-folders(1)
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