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1 ---
2 title: npm-link
3 section: 1
4 description: Symlink a package folder
5 github_repo: npm/cli
6 github_branch: release/v7
7 github_path: docs/content/commands/npm-link.md
8 redirect_from:
9 - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/link
10 - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/npm-link
11 - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/link
12 - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/npm-link
13 - /cli-documentation/v7/link
14 - /cli-documentation/v7/npm-link
15 - /cli/v7/cli-commands/link
16 - /cli/v7/cli-commands/npm-link
17 - /cli/v7/commands/link
18 - /cli/v7/link
19 - /cli/v7/npm-link
20 ---
21
22 ### Synopsis
23
24 ```bash
25 npm link (in package dir)
26 npm link [<@scope>/]<pkg>[@<version>]
27
28 alias: npm ln
29 ```
30
31 ### Description
32
33 This is handy for installing your own stuff, so that you can work on it and test iteratively without having to continually rebuild.
34
35 Package linking is a two-step process.
36
37 First, `npm link` in a package folder will create a symlink in the global folder `{prefix}/lib/node_modules/<package>` that links to the package where the `npm link` command was executed. It will also link any bins in the package to `{prefix}/bin/{name}`. Note that `npm link` uses the global prefix (see `npm prefix -g` for its value).
38
39 Next, in some other location, `npm link package-name` will create a symbolic link from globally-installed `package-name` to `node_modules/` of the current folder.
40
41 Note that `package-name` is taken from `package.json`, _not_ from the directory name.
42
43 The package name can be optionally prefixed with a scope. See [`scope`](/cli/v7/using-npm/scope). The scope must be preceded by an @-symbol and followed by a slash.
44
45 When creating tarballs for `npm publish`, the linked packages are "snapshotted" to their current state by resolving the symbolic links, if they are included in `bundleDependencies`.
46
47 For example:
48
49 ```bash
50 cd ~/projects/node-redis # go into the package directory
51 npm link # creates global link
52 cd ~/projects/node-bloggy # go into some other package directory.
53 npm link redis # link-install the package
54 ```
55
56 Now, any changes to `~/projects/node-redis` will be reflected in `~/projects/node-bloggy/node_modules/node-redis/`. Note that the link should be to the package name, not the directory name for that package.
57
58 You may also shortcut the two steps in one. For example, to do the above use-case in a shorter way:
59
60 ```bash
61 cd ~/projects/node-bloggy # go into the dir of your main project
62 npm link ../node-redis # link the dir of your dependency
63 ```
64
65 The second line is the equivalent of doing:
66
67 ```bash
68 (cd ../node-redis; npm link)
69 npm link redis
70 ```
71
72 That is, it first creates a global link, and then links the global installation target into your project's `node_modules` folder.
73
74 Note that in this case, you are referring to the directory name, `node-redis`, rather than the package name `redis`.
75
76 If your linked package is scoped (see [`scope`](/cli/v7/using-npm/scope)) your link command must include that scope, e.g.
77
78 ```bash
79 npm link @myorg/privatepackage
80 ```
81
82 ### Caveat
83
84 Note that package dependencies linked in this way are _not_ saved to `package.json` by default, on the assumption that the intention is to have a link stand in for a regular non-link dependency. Otherwise, for example, if you depend on `redis@^3.0.1`, and ran `npm link redis`, it would replace the `^3.0.1` dependency with `file:../path/to/node-redis`, which you probably don't want! Additionally, other users or developers on your project would run into issues if they do not have their folders set up exactly the same as yours.
85
86 If you are adding a _new_ dependency as a link, you should add it to the relevant metadata by running `npm install <dep> --package-lock-only`.
87
88 If you _want_ to save the `file:` reference in your `package.json` and `package-lock.json` files, you can use `npm link <dep> --save` to do so.
89
90 ### Workspace Usage
91
92 `npm link <pkg> --workspace <name>` will link the relevant package as a dependency of the specified workspace(s). Note that It may actually be linked into the parent project's `node_modules` folder, if there are no conflicting dependencies.
93
94 `npm link --workspace <name>` will create a global link to the specified workspace(s).
95
96 ### Configuration
97
98 #### `save`
99
100 - Default: true
101 - Type: Boolean
102
103 Save installed packages to a package.json file as dependencies.
104
105 When used with the `npm rm` command, removes the dependency from package.json.
106
107 #### `save-exact`
108
109 - Default: false
110 - Type: Boolean
111
112 Dependencies saved to package.json will be configured with an exact version rather than using npm's default semver range operator.
113
114 #### `global`
115
116 - Default: false
117 - Type: Boolean
118
119 Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the `prefix` folder instead of the current working directory. See [folders](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/folders) for more on the differences in behavior.
120
121 - packages are installed into the `{prefix}/lib/node_modules` folder, instead of the current working directory.
122 - bin files are linked to `{prefix}/bin`
123 - man pages are linked to `{prefix}/share/man`
124
125 #### `global-style`
126
127 - Default: false
128 - Type: Boolean
129
130 Causes npm to install the package into your local `node_modules` folder with the same layout it uses with the global `node_modules` folder. Only your direct dependencies will show in `node_modules` and everything they depend on will be flattened in their `node_modules` folders. This obviously will eliminate some deduping. If used with `legacy-bundling`, `legacy-bundling` will be preferred.
131
132 #### `legacy-bundling`
133
134 - Default: false
135 - Type: Boolean
136
137 Causes npm to install the package such that versions of npm prior to 1.4, such as the one included with node 0.8, can install the package. This eliminates all automatic deduping. If used with `global-style` this option will be preferred.
138
139 #### `strict-peer-deps`
140
141 - Default: false
142 - Type: Boolean
143
144 If set to `true`, and `--legacy-peer-deps` is not set, then _any_ conflicting `peerDependencies` will be treated as an install failure, even if npm could reasonably guess the appropriate resolution based on non-peer dependency relationships.
145
146 By default, conflicting `peerDependencies` deep in the dependency graph will be resolved using the nearest non-peer dependency specification, even if doing so will result in some packages receiving a peer dependency outside the range set in their package's `peerDependencies` object.
147
148 When such and override is performed, a warning is printed, explaining the conflict and the packages involved. If `--strict-peer-deps` is set, then this warning is treated as a failure.
149
150 #### `package-lock`
151
152 - Default: true
153 - Type: Boolean
154
155 If set to false, then ignore `package-lock.json` files when installing. This will also prevent _writing_ `package-lock.json` if `save` is true.
156
157 When package package-locks are disabled, automatic pruning of extraneous modules will also be disabled. To remove extraneous modules with package-locks disabled use `npm prune`.
158
159 #### `omit`
160
161 - Default: 'dev' if the `NODE_ENV` environment variable is set to 'production', otherwise empty.
162 - Type: "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple times)
163
164 Dependency types to omit from the installation tree on disk.
165
166 Note that these dependencies _are_ still resolved and added to the `package-lock.json` or `npm-shrinkwrap.json` file. They are just not physically installed on disk.
167
168 If a package type appears in both the `--include` and `--omit` lists, then it will be included.
169
170 If the resulting omit list includes `'dev'`, then the `NODE_ENV` environment variable will be set to `'production'` for all lifecycle scripts.
171
172 #### `ignore-scripts`
173
174 - Default: false
175 - Type: Boolean
176
177 If true, npm does not run scripts specified in package.json files.
178
179 Note that commands explicitly intended to run a particular script, such as `npm start`, `npm stop`, `npm restart`, `npm test`, and `npm run-script` will still run their intended script if `ignore-scripts` is set, but they will _not_ run any pre- or post-scripts.
180
181 #### `audit`
182
183 - Default: true
184 - Type: Boolean
185
186 When "true" submit audit reports alongside the current npm command to the default registry and all registries configured for scopes. See the documentation for [`npm audit`](/cli/v7/commands/npm-audit) for details on what is submitted.
187
188 #### `bin-links`
189
190 - Default: true
191 - Type: Boolean
192
193 Tells npm to create symlinks (or `.cmd` shims on Windows) for package executables.
194
195 Set to false to have it not do this. This can be used to work around the fact that some file systems don't support symlinks, even on ostensibly Unix systems.
196
197 #### `fund`
198
199 - Default: true
200 - Type: Boolean
201
202 When "true" displays the message at the end of each `npm install` acknowledging the number of dependencies looking for funding. See [`npm fund`](/cli/v7/commands/npm-fund) for details.
203
204 #### `dry-run`
205
206 - Default: false
207 - Type: Boolean
208
209 Indicates that you don't want npm to make any changes and that it should only report what it would have done. This can be passed into any of the commands that modify your local installation, eg, `install`, `update`, `dedupe`, `uninstall`, as well as `pack` and `publish`.
210
211 Note: This is NOT honored by other network related commands, eg `dist-tags`, `owner`, etc.
212
213 #### `workspace`
214
215 - Default:
216 - Type: String (can be set multiple times)
217
218 Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option.
219
220 Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:
221
222 - Workspace names
223 - Path to a workspace directory
224 - Path to a parent workspace directory (will result to selecting all of the nested workspaces)
225
226 When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project.
227
228 This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
229
230 #### `workspaces`
231
232 - Default: false
233 - Type: Boolean
234
235 Enable running a command in the context of **all** the configured workspaces.
236
237 This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.
238
239 ### See Also
240
241 - [npm developers](/cli/v7/using-npm/developers)
242 - [package.json](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/package-json)
243 - [npm install](/cli/v7/commands/npm-install)
244 - [npm folders](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/folders)
245 - [npm config](/cli/v7/commands/npm-config)
246 - [npmrc](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/npmrc)