npm-name
A CLI tool to check npm package and organization name availability with squatter detection.
What is npm-name?
npm-name-cli is a command-line tool that checks the availability of package and organization names on the npm registry. It helps developers quickly determine if a name is free, squatted, or already taken before publishing. The tool also suggests similar available names and detects potentially squatted packages.
Node.js and npm package developers who need to validate and secure package or organization names efficiently.
Developers choose npm-name-cli for its speed, squatter detection, and clean output, offering a more reliable and feature-rich alternative to npm's built-in search.
Overview
Check whether a package or organization name is available on npm
Use Cases
Best For
- Quickly checking npm package name availability before publishing
- Validating organization name availability on npm
- Identifying squatted package names to avoid conflicts
- Finding alternative available names when the desired one is taken
- Streamlining npm package naming workflows in CI/CD pipelines
- Comparing performance against npm's native search command
Not Ideal For
- Teams working with multiple package registries beyond npm, such as PyPI or Maven
- Projects requiring detailed npm package metadata like version history or dependencies
- Environments that mandate using only official npm tools for compliance or integration
Pros & Cons
Pros
Significantly faster than npm's native search, as evidenced in the README where it completes queries in 0.535s compared to npm's 55.380s for the same search.
Integrates the squatter library to identify potentially squatted package names, helping developers avoid conflicts with inactive or abusive registrations.
When a name is unavailable, it suggests alternative available names, aiding in quickly finding suitable replacements without manual searching.
Checks availability for both regular packages and npm organization names (prefixed with '@'), covering a broader range of naming needs.
Cons
Relies on the separate squatter library for squatting detection; issues or inaccuracies must be addressed upstream, as noted in the README, which can delay fixes.
Only supports the npm registry, making it useless for projects using other package managers like pip or cargo, limiting its utility in polyglot environments.
Squatter detection might incorrectly flag available names as squatted, leading to unnecessary avoidance due to algorithmic imperfections in the underlying library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
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npm-registerYour own private npm registry and backup server
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