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I am wondering what's the difference between these 3 ways of including third party code in a project. For example, in bootstrap, I can include the css and javascript with a cdn link, or download the minified versions and include them in the project or install bootstap with a package manager in the directory of my project. I understand that the cdn is not good because maybe there will be a version change and still have the old version's code and it needs internet connection in order to work. But what's the difference between installing bootstrap with a package manager and just download the min versions and include them?

Giannis Savvidis
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  • Possible duplicate of [Purpose of installing bootstrap through npm?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26773767/purpose-of-installing-bootstrap-through-npm) – jmargolisvt Oct 04 '17 at 19:53

2 Answers2

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Some quick comparison points:

  • If you are not connected to the internet, your NPM package will still work. Your CDN link will not.

  • CDN usually only hosts the most popular stuff. If you want to use a less popular package, you'll want to use NPM.

  • Updating NPM packages is easier, especially since some forms will look for major/minor updates. You'd have to change your CDN link by hand.

jmargolisvt
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There is no real difference. What happens with a package manager is that it puts it in a pre-specified directory in your project. That package may include easy ways of including it easier like bundling, but in the end, a package for something like bootstrap just goes and gets the files and puts them in your project. No different than you doing it yourself.

Scott Craig
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