NPM Basics

NPM (Node Package Manager)

NPM is the world’s largest software registry. It is installed automatically when you install Node.js.

To start a new project, run:

npm init

This creates a package.json file which tracks your dependencies. You can also use npm init -y to skip the questions and use defaults.

Local installation (for use in your project):
Terminal window
```
npm install lodash
```
Development installation (only for testing/building):
Terminal window
```
npm install --save-dev nodemon
```
Global installation (to use as a command line tool):
Terminal window
```
npm install -g vercel
```

You can define custom scripts in package.json:

"scripts": {
  "start": "node index.js",
  "dev": "nodemon index.js"
}

Run them using npm run <name>, e.g., npm run dev.

[!CAUTION] Avoid committing the node_modules folder to Git. Always use a .gitignore file to exclude it.