node.js - Install node_modules to vendor

Question

How can I install npm modules locally for each project to vendor/node_modules and make package.json file see them.

I don't want to move package.json to vendor folder

I have bower and in .bowerrc I specify the bower_components path - that is super easy.

How can I do that with npm ?

I`ve read the docs, npmrc docs, some questions here, googled, wasted more than an hour - still no luck. This is ridiculously hard for such an easy task.

I don't care about minuses, just tell me how to do that finally.

Answer 1

Frustrated by the fact that there seems to be no built in way to install into a node_modules folder in an arbitrary subfolder, I came up with a sneaky solution using the two following scripts:

preinstall.js

var fs = require("fs");
try
{
    fs.mkdirSync("./app/node_modules/");
}
catch(e)
{
}

try
{
    if(process.platform.indexOf("win32") !== -1)
    {
        fs.symlinkSync("./app/node_modules/","./node_modules/","junction");
    }
    else
    {
        fs.symlinkSync("./app/node_modules/","./node_modules","dir");
    }
}
catch(e){}

postinstall.js

var fs = require("fs");
try
{
    if(process.platform.indexOf("win32") !== -1)
    {
        fs.unlinkSync("./node_modules/");
    }
    else
    {
        fs.unlinkSync("./node_modules");
    }
}
catch(e){}

All you need to do is use them in your package.json file by adding them to the scripts option:

"scripts": {
    "preinstall": "node preinstall.js",
    "postinstall": "node postinstall.js"
},

So, the big question is: what does it do?

1. Well, when you call npm install the preinstall.js script fires which creates a node_modules in the subfolder you want. Then it creates a symlink or (shortcut in Windows) from the node_modules that npm expects to the real node_modules.

2. Then npm installs all the dependencies.

3. Finally, once all the dependencies are installed, the postinstall.js script fires which removes the symlink!

Here's a handy gist with all that you need.