npm-vs-npx.md

NPM and NPX are both tools used in the JavaScript ecosystem, but they serve different purposes. Here's a breakdown of the difference between them:

1. NPM (Node Package Manager):

• NPM is the package manager for Node.js and is primarily used to install, manage, and share JavaScript packages and libraries. It allows you to download and install dependencies (like React, Express, Lodash, etc.) for your projects.

Key Functions of NPM:

• Installing packages: You can install libraries or dependencies locally (for your project) or globally (for your entire system).

  npm install # Installs the package locally in the current project
  npm install -g # Installs the package globally

• Managing dependencies: NPM keeps track of your project's dependencies in the package.json file, which is created when you initialize a new project with npm init.

• Running scripts: NPM allows you to define and run custom scripts (like start or build) in the package.json file.

    {  
    "scripts":{  
    "start":"node app.js"  
    }  
    }  
    npm run start  # Runs the start script defined in package.json

2. NPX (Node Package Execute):

• NPX is a command-line tool that comes with NPM (since NPM version 5.2.0). It is used to execute binaries from Node modules and other executables without installing them globally or adding them to your project dependencies.

Key Functions of NPX:

• Run packages without installing: NPX allows you to run an executable from a package without the need to install it globally or as a project dependency. This is useful for one-time use of tools or scripts.

  npx create-react-app my-app # Runs create-react-app without globally installing it