The npm team has released npm CLI 7.0.0. The package manager manages numerous JavaScript packages and was originally designed to work with Node.js. The seventh major version is to be rolled out with Node.js 15. In addition, it is already available for testing via the terminal: npm i -g npm @ 7 .

Technically, npm combines a command line tool with an online database that can also be viewed via the web interface. The majority of the packages come from the open source area, for which the company npm Inc. issues free licenses. In addition, with npm Enterprise it offers a commercial version for non-publicly accessible packages and additional security checks.

New features for npm CLI npm 7 brings some new features for the npm Command Line Interface (CLI), which support the management of multiple packages of a single root package at the top level. In addition, the update brings the possibility of automatically managing peer dependencies with a new algorithm. Before npm 7, developers apparently had to manage and install their own peer dependencies. The innovation ensures that a valid matching peer dependency is found at or above the position of this peer dependency in the node_modules tree.

The new functions also include a package lock format that enables the ability to create deterministically reproducible builds. In addition, the format should include everything that npm needs to completely create the package tree. Before version 7, the package manager apparently ignored the yarn.lock files. With the update, the npm client now uses yarn.lock as a source for package metadata and instructions for resolving it.

From old to new The npm team states that the internals of the package manager e