npx - Run a command from a local or remote npm package Synopsis npx -- <pkg>[@<version>] [args...] npx --package=<pkg>[@<version>] -- <cmd> [args...] npx -c '<cmd> [args...]' npx --package=foo -c '<cmd> [args...]' Description This command allows you to run an arbitrary command from an npm package (either one installed locally, or fetched remotely), in a similar con- text as running it via npm run. Whatever packages are specified by the --package option will be pro- vided in the PATH of the executed command, along with any locally installed package executables. The --package option may be specified multiple times, to execute the supplied command in an environment where all specified packages are available. If any requested packages are not present in the local project depen- dencies, then they are installed to a folder in the npm cache, which is added to the PATH environment variable in the executed process. A prompt is printed (which can be suppressed by providing either --yes or --no). Package names provided without a specifier will be matched with what- ever version exists in the local project. Package names with a speci- fier will only be considered a match if they have the exact same name and version as the local dependency. If no -c or --call option is provided, then the positional arguments are used to generate the command string. If no --package options are provided, then npm will attempt to determine the executable name from the package specifier provided as the first positional argument accord- ing to the following heuristic: o If the package has a single entry in its bin field in package.json, or if all entries are aliases of the same command, then that command will be used. o If the package has multiple bin entries, and one of them matches the unscoped portion of the name field, then that command will be used. o If this does not result in exactly one option (either because there are no bin entries, or none of them match the name of the package), then npm exec exits with an error. To run a binary other than the named binary, specify one or more --package options, which will prevent npm from inferring the package from the first command argument. npx vs npm exec When run via the npx binary, all flags and options must be set prior to any positional arguments. When run via npm exec, a double-hyphen -- flag can be used to suppress npm's parsing of switches and options that should be sent to the executed command. For example: $ npx foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo In this case, npm will resolve the foo package name, and run the fol- lowing command: $ foo bar --package=@npmcli/foo Since the --package option comes after the positional arguments, it is treated as an argument to the executed command. In contrast, due to npm's argument parsing logic, running this command is different: $ npm exec foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo In this case, npm will parse the --package option first, resolving the @npmcli/foo package. Then, it will execute the following command in that context: $ foo@latest bar The double-hyphen character is recommended to explicitly tell npm to stop parsing command line options and switches. The following command would thus be equivalent to the npx command above: $ npm exec -- foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo Examples Run the version of tap in the local dependencies, with the provided arguments: $ npm exec -- tap --bail test/foo.js $ npx tap --bail test/foo.js Run a command other than the command whose name matches the package name by specifying a --package option: $ npm exec --package=foo -- bar --bar-argument # ~ or ~ $ npx --package=foo bar --bar-argument Run an arbitrary shell script, in the context of the current project: $ npm x -c 'eslint && say "hooray, lint passed"' $ npx -c 'eslint && say "hooray, lint passed"' Compatibility with Older npx Versions The npx binary was rewritten in npm v7.0.0, and the standalone npx package deprecated at that time. npx uses the npm exec command instead of a separate argument parser and install process, with some affor- dances to maintain backwards compatibility with the arguments it accepted in previous versions. This resulted in some shifts in its functionality: o Any npm config value may be provided. o To prevent security and user-experience problems from mistyping pack- age names, npx prompts before installing anything. Suppress this prompt with the -y or --yes option. o The --no-install option is deprecated, and will be converted to --no. o Shell fallback functionality is removed, as it is not advisable. o The -p argument is a shorthand for --parseable in npm, but shorthand for --package in npx. This is maintained, but only for the npx exe- cutable. o The --ignore-existing option is removed. Locally installed bins are always present in the executed process PATH. o The --npm option is removed. npx will always use the npm it ships with. o The --node-arg and -n options are removed. o The --always-spawn option is redundant, and thus removed. o The --shell option is replaced with --script-shell, but maintained in the npx executable for backwards compatibility. See Also o npm help run-script o npm help scripts o npm help test o npm help start o npm help restart o npm help stop o npm help config o npm help exec
Please see following description for synopsis
NPX(1) NPX(1)
NAME
npx - Run a command from a local or remote npm package
Synopsis
npx -- <pkg>[@<version>] [args...]
npx --package=<pkg>[@<version>] -- <cmd> [args...]
npx -c '<cmd> [args...]'
npx --package=foo -c '<cmd> [args...]'
Description
This command allows you to run an arbitrary command from an npm package
(either one installed locally, or fetched remotely), in a similar con-
text as running it via npm run.
Whatever packages are specified by the --package option will be pro-
vided in the PATH of the executed command, along with any locally
installed package executables. The --package option may be specified
multiple times, to execute the supplied command in an environment where
all specified packages are available.
If any requested packages are not present in the local project depen-
dencies, then they are installed to a folder in the npm cache, which is
added to the PATH environment variable in the executed process. A
prompt is printed (which can be suppressed by providing either --yes or
--no).
Package names provided without a specifier will be matched with what-
ever version exists in the local project. Package names with a speci-
fier will only be considered a match if they have the exact same name
and version as the local dependency.
If no -c or --call option is provided, then the positional arguments
are used to generate the command string. If no --package options are
provided, then npm will attempt to determine the executable name from
the package specifier provided as the first positional argument accord-
ing to the following heuristic:
o If the package has a single entry in its bin field in package.json,
or if all entries are aliases of the same command, then that command
will be used.
o If the package has multiple bin entries, and one of them matches the
unscoped portion of the name field, then that command will be used.
o If this does not result in exactly one option (either because there
are no bin entries, or none of them match the name of the package),
then npm exec exits with an error.
To run a binary other than the named binary, specify one or more
--package options, which will prevent npm from inferring the package
from the first command argument.
npx vs npm exec
When run via the npx binary, all flags and options must be set prior to
any positional arguments. When run via npm exec, a double-hyphen --
flag can be used to suppress npm's parsing of switches and options that
should be sent to the executed command.
For example:
$ npx foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo
In this case, npm will resolve the foo package name, and run the fol-
lowing command:
$ foo bar --package=@npmcli/foo
Since the --package option comes after the positional arguments, it is
treated as an argument to the executed command.
In contrast, due to npm's argument parsing logic, running this command
is different:
$ npm exec foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo
In this case, npm will parse the --package option first, resolving the
@npmcli/foo package. Then, it will execute the following command in
that context:
$ foo@latest bar
The double-hyphen character is recommended to explicitly tell npm to
stop parsing command line options and switches. The following command
would thus be equivalent to the npx command above:
$ npm exec -- foo@latest bar --package=@npmcli/foo
Examples
Run the version of tap in the local dependencies, with the provided
arguments:
$ npm exec -- tap --bail test/foo.js
$ npx tap --bail test/foo.js
Run a command other than the command whose name matches the package
name by specifying a --package option:
$ npm exec --package=foo -- bar --bar-argument
# ~ or ~
$ npx --package=foo bar --bar-argument
Run an arbitrary shell script, in the context of the current project:
$ npm x -c 'eslint && say "hooray, lint passed"'
$ npx -c 'eslint && say "hooray, lint passed"'
Compatibility with Older npx Versions
The npx binary was rewritten in npm v7.0.0, and the standalone npx
package deprecated at that time. npx uses the npm exec command instead
of a separate argument parser and install process, with some affor-
dances to maintain backwards compatibility with the arguments it
accepted in previous versions.
This resulted in some shifts in its functionality:
o Any npm config value may be provided.
o To prevent security and user-experience problems from mistyping pack-
age names, npx prompts before installing anything. Suppress this
prompt with the -y or --yes option.
o The --no-install option is deprecated, and will be converted to --no.
o Shell fallback functionality is removed, as it is not advisable.
o The -p argument is a shorthand for --parseable in npm, but shorthand
for --package in npx. This is maintained, but only for the npx exe-
cutable.
o The --ignore-existing option is removed. Locally installed bins are
always present in the executed process PATH.
o The --npm option is removed. npx will always use the npm it ships
with.
o The --node-arg and -n options are removed.
o The --always-spawn option is redundant, and thus removed.
o The --shell option is replaced with --script-shell, but maintained in
the npx executable for backwards compatibility.
See Also
o npm help run-script
o npm help scripts
o npm help test
o npm help start
o npm help restart
o npm help stop
o npm help config
o npm help exec
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:
+---------------+--------------------------+
|ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+---------------+--------------------------+
|Availability | runtime/nodejs/nodejs-18 |
+---------------+--------------------------+
|Stability | Pass-thru volatile |
+---------------+--------------------------+
NOTES
Source code for open source software components in Oracle Solaris can
be found at https://www.oracle.com/downloads/opensource/solaris-source-
code-downloads.html.
This software was built from source available at
https://github.com/oracle/solaris-userland. The original community
source was downloaded from https://github.com/nodejs/node/ar-
chive/v18.1.0.zip.
Further information about this software can be found on the open source
community website at https://github.com/nodejs/node.
April 2022 NPX(1)