Sharing node_modules folder with multiple projects

[eliasuardi]

Hello.

As the title says I was wondering if it were possible to use the same modules folder for multiple projects so that I don't have to continuously install them using the command prompt.

Is it possible? If so how do I proceed?

Thanks.
Elia

[chungngoops]

Yes, it possible>
I found the info in Node's document:
https://nodejs.org/api/modules.html#modules_loading_from_node_modules_folders

If the module identifier passed to require() is not a core module, and does not begin with '/', '../', or './', then Node.js starts at the parent directory of the current module, and adds /node_modules, and attempts to load the module from that location. Node will not append node_modules to a path already ending in node_modules.

If it is not found there, then it moves to the parent directory, and so on, until the root of the file system is reached.

For example, if the file at '/home/ry/projects/foo.js' called require('bar.js'), then Node.js would look in the following locations, in this order:

/home/ry/projects/node_modules/bar.js
/home/ry/node_modules/bar.js
/home/node_modules/bar.js
/node_modules/bar.js
This allows programs to localize their dependencies, so that they do not clash.

It is possible to require specific files or sub modules distributed with a module by including a path suffix after the module name. For instance require('example-module/path/to/file') would resolve path/to/file relative to where example-module is located. The suffixed path follows the same module resolution semantics.

[eliasuardi]

So how should I structure the scripts element in the package.json of my projects?
This is one of them:

{
  "name": "stateless-functional-components",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
      "build": "webpack",
      "start": "webpack-dev-server"
  },
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "dependencies": {
    "babel-core": "^6.25.0",
    "babel-loader": "^7.0.0",
    "babel-preset-es2015": "^6.24.1",
    "babel-preset-react": "^6.24.1",
    "react": "^15.6.1",
    "react-dom": "^15.6.1"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "html-webpack-plugin": "^2.28.0",
    "webpack": "^2.6.1",
    "webpack-dev-server": "^2.4.5"
  }
}

I tried executing npm run build but I get this error:

> webpack

'webpack' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! [email protected] build: `webpack`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the [email protected] build script.
npm WARN Local package.json exists, but node_modules missing, did you mean to install?

[chungngoops]

I think you should create a project structure like this:

-Projects
--node_modules
--myproject1
---sub-project
--myproject2

then you install your npm package by run npm install with --save arg then it will be automatically append to your package.json.

[eliasuardi]

Thank you for the response.
So what I've done is:

1. execute npm init -y in my project folder
2. added manually dependencies to package.json:

• babel-core
• babel-loader
• babel-preset-es2015
• babel-preset-react
• react
• react-dom
• html-webpack-plugin
• webpack
• webpack-dev-server

3. executed npm install --save arg
   I've noticed that all it adds to the package.json is "arg": "0.0.1".

After these steps I still get the error.
Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Thanks.
Elia

[chungngoops]

I think you misunderstood me.
should be like this:

1. run npm init
2. install your npm packages, like npm install --save webpack

then it should work.

[eliasuardi]

Oh sorry about that.
I tried that but npm install --save <package> creates a local node_modules directory even though there is one in the parent directory.
So now my project structure is:

-Codecademy
--node_modules
--project1
---node_modules

[chungngoops]

For me, I put the file package.json for all project1, project2.. under Codecademy, then install npm packages, so when I run npm install --save <npm-package> it creates node_modules under Codecademy folder only.

-Codecademy
--node_modules
--package.json
--project1
---app.js

[Opty1712]

chungngoops

How do you execute npm run xxxx inside project1?
I've installed node_modules in upper dir, but when I call npm run dev I get an error: can not find module 'webpack'

[ORESoftware]

You could also use symlinks, using npm link, etc.

[Opty1712]

as far as I know - npm link is only for 1 package, but I talk about folder with ~1000 modules...

[ORESoftware]

say you have this:

 HOME/
   projects/
     node_modules/
     project_a/package.json
     project_b/package.json
     project_c/package.json

The best thing to do is use NODE_PATH env variable to include the node_modules directory in the projects folder. It's simple:

cd "$HOME/projects/project_a"
NODE_PATH="$HOME/projects/node_modules"  node app.js

cd "$HOME/projects/project_b"
NODE_PATH="$HOME/projects/node_modules"  node app.js

cd "$HOME/projects/project_c"
NODE_PATH="$HOME/projects/node_modules"  node app.js

try that. NODE_PATH is an env variable that's empty by default. If NODE_PATH is not empty, it's safer to do:

NODE_PATH="$NODE_PATH:$HOME/projects/node_modules" node app.js

[ORESoftware]

that being said, babel dependencies should be shared by default.

see # 15 here:
https://medium.com/@the1mills/node-js-wicked-tricks-from-the-oss-battlefield-a9e71c5c791d

Given the directory structure I mentioned above, Babel will reach up the directory tree and will be able to see:

$HOME/projects/node_modules

[ORESoftware]

[Opty1712]

ORESoftware thank you for the assistance but may be it is not working under windows?

My structure is:

c:\WORK\tmp\test_folder\node_modules\
c:\WORK\tmp\test_folder\project1\package.json
c:\WORK\tmp\test_folder\project2\package.json

I've tried following:

LOCATION: sbt-edunov-ab@SBT-C0APQD8 MINGW64 /c/WORK/tmp/test_folder/project1
COMMAND: $ NODE_PATH="/C/Work/tmp/test_folder/node_modules" echo $NODE_PATH
RESULT: /C/Work/tmp/test_folder/node_modules

cd /C/Work/tmp/test_folder/node_modules - works good, it seems there are no problems with PATH

LOCATION: sbt-edunov-ab@SBT-C0APQD8 MINGW64 /c/WORK/tmp/test_folder/project1
COMMAND: $ NODE_PATH="/C/Work/tmp/test_folder/node_modules"  node ./webpack/configs/dev.middleware.js
RESULT:  module.js:471
    throw err;
    ^

Error: Cannot find module 'webpack'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:469:15)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:417:25)
    at Module.require (module.js:497:17)
    at require (internal/module.js:20:19)
    at Object.<anonymous> (C:\WORK\tmp\test_folder\project1\webpack\configs\dev.
middleware.js:3:15)
    at Module._compile (module.js:570:32)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:579:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:487:32)
    at tryModuleLoad (module.js:446:12)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:438:3)

[ORESoftware]

The syntax for setting env variables on windows is different

try

set NODE_PATH=x & node foo.js

something like that

[ORESoftware]

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9249830/how-can-i-set-node-env-production-on-windows

[ORESoftware]

I recommend downloading git-bash for Windows

https://git-scm.com/downloads

then you will have a bash command line on Windows

then you can use the original command

NODE_PATH=x node foo.js

[Opty1712]

I already use git bash, not CMD.
I tried different variants, but all of them returns the same error. That is strange

[ORESoftware]

humma

[ORESoftware]

maybe try windows shell then

[Opty1712]

Tried with SET in windows CMD but got the same error(

[the1mills]

Hmm i will take a look at it tomorrow

[Opty1712]

the1mills
Have you had a time to check it?

[ORESoftware]

@Opty1712 what exactly are you trying to do?

[Opty1712]

I want to have node-modules in the parent dir of of my identical projects
Just as described upper #681 (comment)

[ORESoftware]

@Opty1712 I created an example project for you

clone this: https://github.com/ORESoftware/node_path_example_project

follow the instructions in the readme file, let me know if it works for you

[Opty1712]

thank you, your project works in git bash under windows!
but your files do'nt work with my projects. I'll try to understand why, it seems that this is my local problem

[ORESoftware]

yeah I created those files on a mac

[vijaysridhara]

I just added a video on creating multiple projects under one workspace, mostly works for learning.
https://youtu.be/sGn453rC78g

[trev-dev]

I was searching for a solution and found this: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/using-npm/workspaces - which may not have been available in 2018. Maybe it'll be good news for anyone here who hasn't figured this out.