npm-packlist

What is npm-packlist?

The npm-packlist package is used to generate a list of files that would be included in an npm package publish. This includes filtering out files that are not meant to be published, such as those specified in `.npmignore` or the `.gitignore` files, and including those specified in the `files` array in `package.json`. It's useful for package authors to understand and control what gets included in their published npm package.

What are npm-packlist's main functionalities?

Generate packlist

This feature allows you to generate a list of files that would be included if you were to publish the current package. The code sample demonstrates how to use npm-packlist to get an array of file paths that are included in the package's publish list.

const packlist = require('npm-packlist');
packlist().then(files => {
  console.log(files)
});

Customize packlist with package.json

While not a direct feature of npm-packlist, the package respects the `files` field in `package.json`. This allows users to explicitly specify which files or directories should be included in the publish. The code sample shows how to specify a list of files and directories in `package.json` that should be included in the npm package.

{
  "files": [
    "lib/**/*",
    "bin/*",
    "README.md"
  ]
}

Other packages similar to npm-packlist

glob

The 'glob' package provides functionality to match files using the patterns the shell uses, like stars and stuff. It's similar to npm-packlist in that it can be used to select files to include in a package, but it does not directly integrate with npm's packaging logic or respect `.npmignore` and `files` in `package.json`.

ignore

The 'ignore' package is used to filter file paths according to the rules found in `.gitignore` and `.npmignore` files. It's similar to npm-packlist in its purpose of filtering out files, but it's more focused on the ignore rules and doesn't directly generate a list of files for npm packaging.

README

npm-packlist

Get a list of the files to add from a folder into an npm package

These can be handed to tar like so to make an npm package tarball:

const pack = require('npm-packlist')
const tar = require('tar')
const packageDir = '/path/to/package'
const packageTarball = '/path/to/package.tgz'

pack({ path: packageDir })
  .then(files => tar.create({
    prefix: 'package/',
    cwd: packageDir,
    file: packageTarball,
    gzip: true,
    bundled: [
      'some',
      'deps',
      'that-are',
      'bundled-dependencies-in-node_modules',
      'this-is-optional-of-course'
    ]
  }, files))
  .then(_ => {
    // tarball has been created, continue with your day
  })

This uses the following rules:

1. If a package.json file is found, and it has a files list, then ignore everything that isn't in files. Always include the readme, license, notice, changes, changelog, and history files, if they exist, and the package.json file itself.

2. If there's no package.json file (or it has no files list), and there is a .npmignore file, then ignore all the files in the .npmignore file.

3. If there's no package.json with a files list, and there's no .npmignore file, but there is a .gitignore file, then ignore all the files in the .gitignore file.

4. Everything in the root node_modules is ignored, unless it's a bundled dependency. If it IS a bundled dependency, and it's a symbolic link, then the target of the link is included, not the symlink itself. (The bundled option determines which packages are to be considered bundled deps.)

5. Unless they're explicitly included (by being in a files list, or a !negated rule in a relevant .npmignore or .gitignore), always ignore certain common cruft files:

   1. .npmignore and .gitignore files (their effect is in the package already, there's no need to include them in the package)
   2. editor junk like .*.swp, ._* and .*.orig files
   3. A /test/ or /tests/ folder at the root
   4. .npmrc files (these may contain private configs)
   5. The node_modules/.bin folder
   6. Waf and gyp cruft like /build/config.gypi and .lock-wscript
   7. Darwin's .DS_Store files because wtf are those even
   8. npm-debug.log files at the root of a project

   You can explicitly re-include any of these with a files list in package.json or a negated ignore file rule.

API

Same API as ignore-walk, just hard-coded file list and rule sets, and takes the bundled list of package names to include.