node/deps/npm/doc/api/load.md

npm-load(3) -- Load config settings

SYNOPSIS

npm.load(conf, cb)

DESCRIPTION

npm.load() must be called before any other function call. Both parameters are optional, but the second is recommended.

The first parameter is an object hash of command-line config params, and the second parameter is a callback that will be called when npm is loaded and ready to serve.

The first parameter should follow a similar structure as the package.json config object.

For example, to emulate the --dev flag, pass an object that looks like this:

{
  "dev": true
}

For a list of all the available command-line configs, see npm help config