What should one put into npm package?

Question

Recently I start committing my application node_modules folder into VCS to speed up deployments and fix dependencies.

I noticed that many npm packages contain a bunch of stuff unnecessary to me like tests and various builds that I'll never use and I wrinkle every time when I put it in my repo.

So, what should one put into npm package?

Normally you do not add node_modules to source control. For that you create a package.json — Dalorzo, Apr 15 '14 at 17:42
Let's not discuss my choice. Please see http://stackoverflow.com/a/19416403/737477 — Anton Rudeshko, Apr 15 '14 at 17:44
mmm "not discussing" in a forum... what an interesting concept :) — Dalorzo, Apr 15 '14 at 17:58
BTW, see also my post about this http://www.rudeshko.com/web/2014/05/13/help-people-consume-your-npm-packages.html — Anton Rudeshko, May 15 '14 at 06:42

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 15 '14 at 20:18

The tests and other items are usually a good item to include in your devDependencies.

You can install packages without them by using npm install --production or setting the configuration flag to production using npm config set production

I would recommend looking at this page and reading the information in the different types of dependencies to get an understanding of what each does.

That being said the bare minimum to include is just what it takes for your module to run but that varies based on the module you're creating. Although a README.md is almost essential if you're sharing your package publicly so users can git a quick overview of your package on npm and github.

What should one put into npm package?

1 Answers1