node.js - NPM Installs Package Outside Current Directory

Question

I try to install express package using npm from inside /home/iwan/my-project directory:

npm install express

[email protected] ../node_modules/express
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected]
├── [email protected] ([email protected])
└── [email protected] ([email protected])

The strange thing is npm doesn't install express package in current dir (/home/iwan/my-project/node_modules/express), but in /home/iwan/node_modules/express.

Did i miss something?

Answer 1

If the node_modules directory doesn't exist in your current directory, NPM will look for it in the higher directories until it finds it. So, if the parent directory has a node_modules directory, NPM will assume that's where it is to install modules.

A quick way around this is to create an empty node_modules directory where you want the modules to be placed.