Are you already lost in your node_modules?

Paweł — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 06:25:01 +0000

It doesn’t matter if you work with React or Angular or Node.JS after some time when your project is getting bigger and more complex, it is no longer so easy to follow updates of your project dependencies. This problem continues and with so many updates and versions popping out, it will never end. Of course, this is understandable as projects will never be perfect, bugfixes, security vulnerabilities or compatibility issues will keep popping up.

I noticed this quite some time ago in my work, that npm update could be improved. Upgrading dependencies to their latest versions might often break your project if some of your dependencies contain breaking changes. I wanted to be able to upgrade my node_modules safely in a project, therefore I decided to search for an app, which in simpler and more user-friendly way will allow to track what is happening with my project dependencies.

Let's have a look into the app.

npm-gui is a handy tool for managing javascript project dependencies, which are listed in package.json. Under the hood it will use transparently npm or yarn commands to install, remove or update dependencies.

Below you can see a screenshot of npm-gui.

The newest version (v.3) of npm-gui has been released last month, and apart from showing you what could be updated, it also allows you to track size of individual bundles or critical security bugs.

Whichever framework you use, if you are a web developer looking for a way to simplify managing your dependencies, you must check out this app.

Try it out simply by using command:

npx npm-gui

This command will start application npm-gui without installing it. The new window in a browser will appear and all you have to do is click the open button to navigate to your project within npm-gui.

Feel free to leave your comments below. And if you have any features suggestions create an issue on project's page on GitHub.

And if you like it star this project!
Click to see the app at GitHub

DEV Community: Paweł

Are you already lost in your node_modules?