Clean Node Modules Efficiently

TODO: collapasable, copyable, download, etc

I have a nodejs project. In a branch I installed some stuff. Switching back to main, if I do npm install will that get me back to the right versions of node modules? Will it remove modules that shouldn't be there? How can I do that?Switching branches in a Node.js project and ensuring your node_modules folder matches the current branch's dependencies as specified in the package.json and package-lock.json (or yarn.lock for Yarn users) files can be a bit tricky but is essential for consistent development and testing.

Will npm install revert to the correct versions?

Running npm install after switching branches to main will update your node_modules folder to match the dependencies specified in the main branch's package.json. However, it might not remove all extraneous packages that were installed in the other branch but are not needed in the main branch. npm install is primarily concerned with ensuring that all the dependencies listed in package.json are installed at their correct versions as per package-lock.json.

Removing Modules That Shouldn't Be There

To ensure that your node_modules folder exactly matches the current branch's dependencies, you can use the following steps:

1. Clean the node_modules Folder:

   • Using npm ci Command: This command is a cleaner alternative for ensuring your node_modules directory matches exactly what is expected. npm ci will delete the node_modules folder and any existing package locks (for npm version 5 and above), and then reinstall the dependencies as specified in the package-lock.json. This ensures that your dependencies are exactly the same as what is specified, without keeping any extraneous packages.

   npm ci
   

2. Manually Deleting node_modules and Reinstalling: If you prefer a more manual approach or are troubleshooting specific issues, you can delete the node_modules folder and the package-lock.json file (if you're okay with potentially updating some dependencies) and then run npm install:

   rm -rf node_modules
   rm package-lock.json # Optional: only if you want to update dependencies within the ranges specified in package.json
   npm install
   

This manual deletion ensures that all extraneous modules are removed, and reinstalling the dependencies fresh ensures that only the required modules for the current branch are installed.

Summary

• npm install on its own might not remove extraneous packages not listed in the package.json of the current branch.
• Using npm ci is the recommended approach to ensure your node_modules matches exactly what is required for the current branch, without any extraneous packages.
• Manually deleting node_modules and optionally the package-lock.json file before running npm install is a more drastic measure that can also ensure your environment is clean and up to date with the current branch's requirements.

Clean Node Modules Efficiently created at Tue Jan 20 1970 18:52:51 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)