---
title: npm-link
section: 1
description: Symlink a package folder
---

### Synopsis

```bash
npm link [<package-spec>]

alias: ln
```

### Description

This is handy for installing your own stuff, so that you can work on it and
test iteratively without having to continually rebuild.

Package linking is a two-step process.

First, `npm link` in a package folder with no arguments will create a
symlink in the global folder `{prefix}/lib/node_modules/<package>` that
links to the package where the `npm link` command was executed. It will
also link any bins in the package to `{prefix}/bin/{name}`.  Note that
`npm link` uses the global prefix (see `npm prefix -g` for its value).

Next, in some other location, `npm link package-name` will create a
symbolic link from globally-installed `package-name` to `node_modules/` of
the current folder.

Note that `package-name` is taken from `package.json`, _not_ from the
directory name.

The package name can be optionally prefixed with a scope. See
[`scope`](/using-npm/scope).  The scope must be preceded by an @-symbol and
followed by a slash.

When creating tarballs for `npm publish`, the linked packages are
"snapshotted" to their current state by resolving the symbolic links, if
they are included in `bundleDependencies`.

For example:

```bash
cd ~/projects/node-redis    # go into the package directory
npm link                    # creates global link
cd ~/projects/node-bloggy   # go into some other package directory.
npm link redis              # link-install the package
```

Now, any changes to `~/projects/node-redis` will be reflected in
`~/projects/node-bloggy/node_modules/node-redis/`. Note that the link
should be to the package name, not the directory name for that package.

You may also shortcut the two steps in one.  For example, to do the
above use-case in a shorter way:

```bash
cd ~/projects/node-bloggy  # go into the dir of your main project
npm link ../node-redis     # link the dir of your dependency
```

The second line is the equivalent of doing:

```bash
(cd ../node-redis; npm link)
npm link redis
```

That is, it first creates a global link, and then links the global
installation target into your project's `node_modules` folder.

Note that in this case, you are referring to the directory name,
`node-redis`, rather than the package name `redis`.

If your linked package is scoped (see [`scope`](/using-npm/scope)) your
link command must include that scope, e.g.

```bash
npm link @myorg/privatepackage
```

### Caveat

Note that package dependencies linked in this way are _not_ saved to
`package.json` by default, on the assumption that the intention is to have
a link stand in for a regular non-link dependency.  Otherwise, for example,
if you depend on `redis@^3.0.1`, and ran `npm link redis`, it would replace
the `^3.0.1` dependency with `file:../path/to/node-redis`, which you
probably don't want!  Additionally, other users or developers on your
project would run into issues if they do not have their folders set up
exactly the same as yours.

If you are adding a _new_ dependency as a link, you should add it to the
relevant metadata by running `npm install <dep> --package-lock-only`.

If you _want_ to save the `file:` reference in your `package.json` and
`package-lock.json` files, you can use `npm link <dep> --save` to do so.

### Workspace Usage

`npm link <pkg> --workspace <name>` will link the relevant package as a
dependency of the specified workspace(s).  Note that It may actually be
linked into the parent project's `node_modules` folder, if there are no
conflicting dependencies.

`npm link --workspace <name>` will create a global link to the specified
workspace(s).

### Configuration

#### `save`

* Default: `true` unless when using `npm update` where it defaults to `false`
* Type: Boolean

Save installed packages to a `package.json` file as dependencies.

When used with the `npm rm` command, removes the dependency from
`package.json`.

Will also prevent writing to `package-lock.json` if set to `false`.

#### `save-exact`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Dependencies saved to package.json will be configured with an exact version
rather than using npm's default semver range operator.

#### `global`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the `prefix`
folder instead of the current working directory. See
[folders](/configuring-npm/folders) for more on the differences in behavior.

* packages are installed into the `{prefix}/lib/node_modules` folder, instead
  of the current working directory.
* bin files are linked to `{prefix}/bin`
* man pages are linked to `{prefix}/share/man`

#### `install-strategy`

* Default: "hoisted"
* Type: "hoisted", "nested", or "shallow"

Sets the strategy for installing packages in node_modules. hoisted
(default): Install non-duplicated in top-level, and duplicated as necessary
within directory structure. nested: (formerly --legacy-bundling) install in
place, no hoisting. shallow (formerly --global-style) only install direct
deps at top-level. linked: (coming soon) install in node_modules/.store,
link in place, unhoisted.

#### `legacy-bundling`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean
* DEPRECATED: This option has been deprecated in favor of
  `--install-strategy=nested`

Instead of hoisting package installs in `node_modules`, install packages in
the same manner that they are depended on. This may cause very deep
directory structures and duplicate package installs as there is no
de-duplicating. Sets `--install-strategy=nested`.

#### `global-style`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean
* DEPRECATED: This option has been deprecated in favor of
  `--install-strategy=shallow`

Only install direct dependencies in the top level `node_modules`, but hoist
on deeper dependendencies. Sets `--install-strategy=shallow`.

#### `strict-peer-deps`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

If set to `true`, and `--legacy-peer-deps` is not set, then _any_
conflicting `peerDependencies` will be treated as an install failure, even
if npm could reasonably guess the appropriate resolution based on non-peer
dependency relationships.

By default, conflicting `peerDependencies` deep in the dependency graph will
be resolved using the nearest non-peer dependency specification, even if
doing so will result in some packages receiving a peer dependency outside
the range set in their package's `peerDependencies` object.

When such and override is performed, a warning is printed, explaining the
conflict and the packages involved. If `--strict-peer-deps` is set, then
this warning is treated as a failure.

#### `package-lock`

* Default: true
* Type: Boolean

If set to false, then ignore `package-lock.json` files when installing. This
will also prevent _writing_ `package-lock.json` if `save` is true.

This configuration does not affect `npm ci`.

#### `omit`

* Default: 'dev' if the `NODE_ENV` environment variable is set to
  'production', otherwise empty.
* Type: "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple times)

Dependency types to omit from the installation tree on disk.

Note that these dependencies _are_ still resolved and added to the
`package-lock.json` or `npm-shrinkwrap.json` file. They are just not
physically installed on disk.

If a package type appears in both the `--include` and `--omit` lists, then
it will be included.

If the resulting omit list includes `'dev'`, then the `NODE_ENV` environment
variable will be set to `'production'` for all lifecycle scripts.

#### `ignore-scripts`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

If true, npm does not run scripts specified in package.json files.

Note that commands explicitly intended to run a particular script, such as
`npm start`, `npm stop`, `npm restart`, `npm test`, and `npm run-script`
will still run their intended script if `ignore-scripts` is set, but they
will *not* run any pre- or post-scripts.

#### `audit`

* Default: true
* Type: Boolean

When "true" submit audit reports alongside the current npm command to the
default registry and all registries configured for scopes. See the
documentation for [`npm audit`](/commands/npm-audit) for details on what is
submitted.

#### `bin-links`

* Default: true
* Type: Boolean

Tells npm to create symlinks (or `.cmd` shims on Windows) for package
executables.

Set to false to have it not do this. This can be used to work around the
fact that some file systems don't support symlinks, even on ostensibly Unix
systems.

#### `fund`

* Default: true
* Type: Boolean

When "true" displays the message at the end of each `npm install`
acknowledging the number of dependencies looking for funding. See [`npm
fund`](/commands/npm-fund) for details.

#### `dry-run`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Indicates that you don't want npm to make any changes and that it should
only report what it would have done. This can be passed into any of the
commands that modify your local installation, eg, `install`, `update`,
`dedupe`, `uninstall`, as well as `pack` and `publish`.

Note: This is NOT honored by other network related commands, eg `dist-tags`,
`owner`, etc.

#### `workspace`

* Default:
* Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the
current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by
this configuration option.

Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:

* Workspace names
* Path to a workspace directory
* Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all
  workspaces within that folder)

When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a
workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a
brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `workspaces`

* Default: null
* Type: null or Boolean

Set to true to run the command in the context of **all** configured
workspaces.

Explicitly setting this to false will cause commands like `install` to
ignore workspaces altogether. When not set explicitly:

- Commands that operate on the `node_modules` tree (install, update, etc.)
will link workspaces into the `node_modules` folder. - Commands that do
other things (test, exec, publish, etc.) will operate on the root project,
_unless_ one or more workspaces are specified in the `workspace` config.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `include-workspace-root`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Include the workspace root when workspaces are enabled for a command.

When false, specifying individual workspaces via the `workspace` config, or
all workspaces via the `workspaces` flag, will cause npm to operate only on
the specified workspaces, and not on the root project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

#### `install-links`

* Default: true
* Type: Boolean

When set file: protocol dependencies will be packed and installed as regular
dependencies instead of creating a symlink. This option has no effect on
workspaces.

### See Also

* [package spec](/using-npm/package-spec)
* [npm developers](/using-npm/developers)
* [package.json](/configuring-npm/package-json)
* [npm install](/commands/npm-install)
* [npm folders](/configuring-npm/folders)
* [npm config](/commands/npm-config)
* [npmrc](/configuring-npm/npmrc)
