Steps to initiate the NPM command within a Node.js file

Is there a way to run the npm init command within a nodejs file using node ./index.js? How should I handle user interactions if this command requires input?

This code seems to be causing a blockage, preventing any further questions and answers to proceed. It would be great if users could input information as needed.

let execute = require('child_process').exec;
execute("npm init")

Answer №1

If you want users to complete a questionnaire using the Command Line Interface (CLI), consider utilizing the child_process module's spawn() method rather than exec().

*Nix (Linux, macOS, ... )

Here is an example:

index.js

const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;

spawn('npm', ['init'], {
  shell: true,
  stdio: 'inherit'
});

Please note: After the user finishes the questionnaire in this example, the resulting package.json file will be created in the current working directory where the node command invoked index.js.

If you want to ensure that the package.json is always created in the same directory as where index.js is located, then set the value of the cwd option to __dirname. For instance:

const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;

spawn('npm', ['init'], {
  cwd: __dirname,        // <--- 
  shell: true,
  stdio: 'inherit'
});

Windows

If you are using node.js on Windows, you should use the following variation instead:

script.js

const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;

spawn('cmd', ['/c', 'npm init'], {  //<----
  shell: true,
  stdio: 'inherit'
});

This also utilizes the spawn() method, but it initiates a new instance of Windows command shell (cmd). The /c option executes the npm init command and then exits.


Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows, ... )

For a solution that works across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, combine the previous examples as shown below:

script.js

const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;

const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
const cmd = isWindows ? 'cmd' : 'npm';
const args = isWindows ? ['/c', 'npm init'] : ['init'];

spawn(cmd, args, {
  shell: true,
  stdio: 'inherit'
});

Answer №2

If no user input is required, you can achieve the same functionality with this code:

const childProcess = require('child_process').exec;
childProcess("npm init -y")

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