Question 1

How do I use package-json with a private npm registry?

Accepted Answer

package-json automatically respects your .npmrc configuration, so if you're authenticated for a private registry, it will work seamlessly. Just ensure your npm credentials are set up, and it handles both bearer tokens and basic authentication.

Question 2

Can I get all versions of a package with package-json?

Accepted Answer

Yes, set the 'allVersions' option to true in the API call. This returns the main entry containing all versions, but note that it might be larger and slower to fetch compared to abbreviated metadata.

Question 3

package-json vs using the npm CLI directly for metadata

Accepted Answer

package-json provides a programmatic API with promise-based calls and specific error types, whereas the npm CLI requires parsing stdout and handling commands manually. It's better for automation but lacks CLI convenience for one-off queries.

Question 4

How to handle errors when a package is not found?

Accepted Answer

The library throws specific errors like PackageNotFoundError or VersionNotFoundError, which you can catch and handle appropriately in your code. This makes error management more robust compared to generic HTTP errors.

Question 5

Does package-json support semver ranges?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can use semver ranges like '^1.2.3' or '~2.0.0' in the version option, and it will fetch the appropriate package metadata based on the range. This is documented with examples in the API section.

Question 6

How to improve performance when fetching metadata?

Accepted Answer

Use the default abbreviated metadata by keeping 'fullMetadata' as false. This returns a lighter object, speeding up responses. Only enable 'fullMetadata' when detailed information like full dependency lists is necessary.

package-json

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