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In this video, we'll take a look at what npm is and what it can do for you.
npm Package Examples
- Accessibility-developer-tools
- Express
- Passport
- jQuery Plugins
- Grunt
- gulp.js
- CoffeeScript
- TypeScript
- Sass
- Cordova
- Ionic
- johnny-five
- Espruino
Node.js and npm Install Guides
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[MUSIC]
0:00
Hi, I'm Reggie.
0:09
I use the he/him pronouns.
0:11
Welcome to NPM basics.
0:14
In this course, we'll learn about
the command line application NPM, and
0:17
how it will help us to use open source
code to build and improve our apps.
0:22
In software development, many common
problems have already been solved, and
0:28
you may come across the phrase,
don't reinvent the wheel.
0:32
One way developers take this phrase to
heart is with the use of open source
0:37
software, like packages.
0:41
Packages are prewritten bundles of
code that help you build apps faster.
0:43
They can contain JavaScript,
HTML, CSS, images, or
0:48
other types of code, all depending
on the function of the package.
0:53
Open source means that users of the code
have permission from developers to change,
0:59
share, and use the code freely.
1:04
I may want to create a website
listing kayaking sites in my area.
1:06
I could write tons of code and
1:11
set up a framework that handles putting
together my HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
1:13
Maybe I want to allow users to create
profiles and need to manage passwords.
1:20
Both of these things can
take plenty of time and
1:26
code, but instead, I want to focus on
the functionality specific to my app.
1:29
With packages,
I can install a pre written framework or
1:34
password manager and
spend more time customizing my site.
1:38
With packages, we can typically see
if the code has been tested, or
1:44
how many times it's been
downloaded by others.
1:48
When we use packages,
we can speed up our development time and
1:51
reduce the errors that may come from
writing the same code on our own.
1:55
Packages can be used to include
development tools, frameworks, libraries,
2:00
and other tools into projects.
2:05
As a full stack JavaScript developer,
some of the packages you use
2:08
may include the Express framework for
full stack applications,
2:13
the React library for
building interfaces, TypeScript for
2:18
adding types to your JavaScript code,
Sass for CSS, and Mocha for testing.
2:22
There are many, many more.
2:27
There are over 1 million packages
that can each contain hundreds
2:30
of lines of code or more.
2:35
As we add packages to our project,
it could become difficult to manage all of
2:37
these packages and
the files that make them up.
2:41
Thanks to NPM, we can install,
update, and delete packages.
2:44
NPM is a command line package manager
that comes installed with Node.
2:50
With NPM, we can install command line
tools for building applications,
2:55
tools to optimize our JavaScript and CSS,
3:00
as well as tools to convert our
source code into other languages.
3:02
NPM is commonly used for Node, but can
install packages that use other languages.
3:08
NPM provides a standardized
way of installing packages and
3:15
NPM packages included in your
project are called modules.
3:19
You can check to see if you have NPM
installed by running NPM -v in your
3:25
terminal.
3:29
If you don't already have it installed,
3:31
follow the guide in the teacher's
notes before the next video.
3:33
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