What is the --save option for npm install?
Better Stack Team
Updated on March 11, 2024
The --save
option for npm install
was once used to add the installed module into the dependencies
section of your package.json
file automatically.
However, from npm version 5.0.0 this is no longer needed. Installed modules are automatically added as a dependency and will therefore be installed whenever someone runs npm install
command in the project directory.
There are also complementary options:
--save-dev
or-D
: the package will be added to yourdevDependencies
--save-optional
: the package will be added to your optional dependencies
In conclusion, as of npm 5.0.0, the --save
flag has no meaning.
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