what does npm install -d --save mean

Question

I have recently come across one of these statements in a node project that I am currently working on that we use to install node modules locally

npm install -d --save

Can somebody please tell me what it means as earlier we used to use simply npm install

I want to know the difference between the two

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/19578796/what-is-the-save-option-for-npm-install and http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8783230/what-is-the-d-in-npm-d-install — srquinn, Mar 06 '14 at 19:09
Also, there's always the [documentation](https://www.npmjs.org/doc/misc/npm-config.html). — ajp15243, Mar 06 '14 at 19:09
i tried googling didn't exactly find it..anyways thanks guys and jibsales can u please post your answer as an actual answer so that i can close this question :) — Nav, Mar 06 '14 at 19:12
@jibsales dude can you please post your comment as an answer so that I can close this question — Nav, Mar 06 '14 at 19:16
@ajp15243 If only that were true! The documentation is now missing. — Steve Pitchers, Jun 01 '18 at 12:37
Docs page has changed: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npm-install — Ricardo, Mar 24 '21 at 00:44

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 07 '14 at 01:05

8

From http://npmjs.org/doc/misc/npm-config.html:

The following shorthands are parsed on the command-line: -d: --loglevel info

From https://www.npmjs.org/doc/install.html

--save: Package will appear in your dependencies.

answered Mar 07 '14 at 01:05

Steve Jansen

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bryanmac · Answer 2 · 2014-03-07T01:16:24.113

It adds it to your dependencies in your packages.json

For example, I just did

npm install async --save

It added this to my packages.json

"dependencies": {
  "async": "~0.2.10",

Before you do that however, make sure you create your packages.json by running

npm init

By adding packages to source control (but not the node_modules it lays down locally), when others consume your solution, when they do 'npm install' after pulling your solution, it will pull those dependencies - you don't have to distribute.

https://www.npmjs.org/doc/cli/npm-install.html

what does npm install -d --save mean

2 Answers2