How to Create and Deploy NPM Packages

Introduction

The world is changing with technologies, and technologies are advancing constantly. Imagine having the power to simplify your workflow, enhance code reusability, and share your invaluable solutions with the global developer community. That’s where you need NPM (Node Package Manager) packages, where your coding prowess takes center stage. With NPM, you can also leverage continuous deployment to streamline the process of deploying updates to your frontend and backend code on every commit. But how will you create and Deploy NPM Packages?

In addition, a package manager is software that keeps track of your project’s versions, packages, and dependencies.

A NPM Package Management assists in managing dependencies as a project develops in size.

You can use it for all NPM Package Versioning and in collaboration with other people.

Additionally, It saves money by minimizing the number of dependencies between developer teams.

We use the NPM registry, which is a centralized NPM Package Repository of Node.js packages, to install them.

Further, we’ll learn how to make a Node.js NPM Packages and put it on the NPM registry for public use in this tutorial.

Let’s Discuss NPM Packages…

Node.js is a popular server-side programming language used by millions of developers worldwide.

We use a variety of packages to make development easier when working with Node.js. Setting up a git repository is essential for managing and deploying code, especially when working with these packages.

The Node Package Manager is in charge of all of these packages. Let’s understand how to Create NPM Package.

Create an NPM Account

Let’s get start with making an NPM account.

To sign up for npmjs, go to their website and click the signup button.

Npmjs link – https://www.npmjs.com/

Enter a username, email address, and password.

You must now confirm your account.

Check the inbox of the email address you supplied for the verification email and click on it.

Your npm account will be verified as a result of this.

You’ve created an NPM account and are ready to start publishing packages.

It is important to set up environment variables for different stages of development to ensure that your build environments are correctly configured.

To begin publishing packages, follow this NPM Package Publishing Steps login into your npm account on your terminal.

To begin, create a new folder and launch your terminal.

Enter the following command:

npm login

Enter your username, password, and email address now.

We have successfully signed in.

Let’s Code

After npm create new project, navigate to the project’s root directory. A Package.json Setup file should be included in every package published to the NPM registry. Let’s begin by setting up a package.json file.

The package’s minimum requirements. A name and a version can be found in a JSON file. Let’s put those details into the file. { “name”: “clist-node”, “version”: “1.0.0” } In the package, give it a new name. Because each NPM package should have its name, we use JSON.

{
              “name”: “clist-node”,
              “version”: “1.0.0”
           }

In the package, give it a new name. Because each NPM package should have its name, we use JSON.

For making API calls, we’ll use the Axios package in our sample. Use the following command to install it.

npm i axios

Note: Visit the Axios NPM package page for further information.

Axios link – https://www.npmjs.com/package/axios

• We’ll use the clist API, which returns a list of contests such as hackathons and programming competitions.
• Get an API key by creating an account on the clist website.
• The index.js file would be the package’s entry point. In the same directory, create a file called index.js.

module.exports = async function getContests() {
              const axios = require("axios"); // Importing the Axios module to make API requests
              var result;
           
              const username; // Insert Your Username here
              const api_key; //Insert API key here
           
              await axios // Making a GET request using axios and requesting information from the 
           
           API.get("https://clist.by/api/v1/json/contest/?username=" + username + "&api_key=" + api_key + "&limit=20&end__gt=2020-09-19T00%3A00%3A00")
              .then((response) => { // If the GET request is successful, this block is executed
                 return response; // The response of the API call is passed on to
                    the next block
                  })
                .then((contests) => { 
               // In this block, we store the response data into a variable 'result'
              result = contests.data.objects;
             })
              .catch((err) => {
                 console.log(err); // Error handler
              });
              return result; // The contest data is returned
           };

To run this package, you’ll need an API key. As a result, if you install it, it might not start right away.

It’s time to deploy the package now that we’ve programmed it.

Deployment NPM Publish

Wondering how to deploy npm package? To NPM Registry Deployment, enter the below command: npm publish As soon as you publish package to npm, you’ll receive an email from NPM letting you know!

To deploy the site, you can use the command npm run deploy. This command simplifies the deployment process and ensures that your site is properly published.

When deploying, it is important to specify the build folder. The build folder contains all the static assets and configuration needed for your Create React App project. Make sure your server is configured to serve the index.html file for unknown paths to handle client-side routing.

For deploying to GitHub Pages, you can use the gh-pages branch. This involves creating a temporary clone of your repository, committing changes, and pushing to the origin remote using the gh-pages branch. This setup ensures that your project settings are correctly configured to use the gh-pages branch.

npm publish

As soon as you publish package to npm, you’ll receive an email from NPM letting you know!

Use the Packages

Create a new folder and start a package.json with the following NPM Init Command: npm init -y It’s worth noting that the -y option Build NPM Package. Without an interactive procedure, JSON

npm init -y

It’s worth noting that the -y option Build NPM Package. Without an interactive procedure, JSON

Let’s now install the npm package we just released.

npm i clist-node

Create an index.js file and let’s code

const clist = require("clist-node"); // import the installed package
           
           clist()
           .then((res) => {
           // If the function successfully retrieves the data, it enters this block
           console.log(res); // Print the contest data on the console
           })
           .catch((err) => {
           console.log(err); // Error handler
           });

Run this file by using the command:

node index.js

Run this file by using the command: node index.js Our NPM package would display contest data on the console. In addition to using the collected information on our front end, we can save it in a database or process it further. The options are limitless.

In a production build of your app, you can serve static paths like /static/js/main..js with the contents of the /static/js/main..js file. This ensures that your JavaScript project efficiently uses the deployed package.

It was a success to install and test our NPM package!

Conclusion

Creating NPM is not just an NPM Package Development practice; it will elevate your projects. So, if you need help, approach Custom Node.js Development Services to work on NPM. Otherwise, you can Hire a Node.js Developer. Or you can just read this javascript package manager NPM Guide. NPM opens a world of possibilities, from streamlining your projects to significantly impacting the Open Source NPM Packages. Packaging your code effectively and sharing it on the NPM registry, you contribute to a global network of developers, fostering innovation and collaboration.

• Take a recap of what you have read:
• From npmjs.org, I created an NPM account.
• Using the command npm login, log in to the terminal using your npm credentials.
• The npm init -y command was used to create the package.json file.
• I wrote some code.
• npm publishing was used to deploy the package.
• Using npm I, use your deployed package.
• Create React App is a powerful tool for deploying React applications to platforms like Heroku, Render, and Vercel.
• Setting up a custom domain for your deployed package can enhance its accessibility and branding.
• Configuring the built environment for different stages of development ensures smooth transitions from development to production.

FAQ