npm

Detailed Explanation

npm (Node Package Manager) is the default package manager for JavaScript and Node.js. It hosts over 2 million packages — pre-built code libraries you can install with a single CLI command. Need React? npm install react. Need Supabase? npm install @supabase/supabase-js.

npm manages your project's dependencies in package.json. The node_modules folder contains installed packages (never commit this to Git). Key commands: npm install (install all dependencies), npm install <package> (add a package), and npm run dev (run development server).

Claude Code uses npm to install packages your project needs. Popular packages include Zustand (state management), Tailwind CSS (styling), TypeScript (type checking), and ESLint (code quality).