www.LinuxHowtos.org
PACKAG-SPEC
Section: (7)Updated: October 2025
Index Return to Main Contents
NAME
packag-spec- Package name specifierDescription
Commands like npm install and the dependency sections in the package.json use a package name specifier. This can be many different things that all refer to a "package". Examples include a package name, git url, tarball, or local directory. These will generally be referred to as <packag-spec> in the help output for the npm commands that use this package name specifier.Package name
-
- *
- [lB]<@scope>/[rB]<pkg>
- *
- [lB]<@scope>/[rB]<pkg>@<tag>
- *
- [lB]<@scope>/[rB]<pkg>@<version>
- *
- [lB]<@scope>/[rB]<pkg>@<version range>
Refers to a package by name, with or without a scope, and optionally tag, version, or version range. This is typically used in combination with the registry la/usin-npm/config#registryra config to refer to a package in a registry. Examples:
-
- *
- npm
- *
- @npmcli/arborist
- *
- @npmcli/arborist@latest
- *
- npm@6.13.1
- *
- npm@^4.0.0
Aliases
-
- *
- <alias>@npm:<name>
Primarily used by commands like npm install and in the dependency sections in the package.json, this refers to a package by an alias. The <alias> is the name of the package as it is reified in the node_modules folder, and the <name> refers to a package name as found in the configured registry. See Package name above for more info on referring to a package by name, and registry la/usin-npm/config#registryra for configuring which registry is used when referring to a package by name. Examples:
-
- *
- semver:@npm:@npmcli/semve-wit-patch
- *
- semver:@npm:semver@7.2.2
- *
- semver:@npm:semver@legacy
Folders
-
- *
- <folder>
This refers to a package on the local filesystem. Specifically this is a folder with a package.json file in it. This should always be prefixed with a / or ./ (or your OS equivalent) to reduce confusion. npm currently will parse a string with more than one / in it as a folder, but this is legacy behavior that may be removed in a future version. Examples:
-
- *
- ./m-package
- *
- /opt/npm/m-package
Tarballs
-
- *
- <tarball file>
- *
- <tarball url>
Examples:
-
- *
- ./m-package.tgz
- *
- https://registry.npmjs.org/semver-/semve-1.0.0.tgz
Refers to a package in a tarball format, either on the local filesystem or remotely via url. This is the format that packages exist in when uploaded to a registry.
git urls
-
- *
- <git:// url>
- *
- <github username>/<github project>
Refers to a package in a git repo. This can be a full git url, git shorthand, or a username/package on GitHub. You can specify a git tag, branch, or other git ref by appending #ref. Examples:
-
- *
- https://github.com/npm/cli.git
- *
- git@github.com:npm/cli.git
- *
- git+ssh://git@github.com/npm/cli#v6.0.0
- *
- github:npm/cli#HEAD
- *
- npm/cli#c12ea07
See also
-
- *
- np-packag-arg lahttps://npm.im/np-packag-argra
- *
- npm help scope
- *
- npm help config