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Difference between npm install and npm update in Node.js

Difference between npm i and npm ci in Node.js

Last Updated : 07 Jan, 2025

npm i or npm install is used to install, modify, and update the dependencies in a project along with updating the dependencies in package-lock.json while npm ci only reinstalls all the packages mentioned in the package-lock.json with the specified versions and can’t modify the lock packages.

Let’s discuss the difference between npm i and npm ci in detail.

npm i

The npm i (or npm install) is used to install all dependencies or devDependencies from a package.json file. It can install additional package, modify and update versions and also update the package-lock.json file.

Syntax:

npm install "package-name"
// OR
npm i "package-name"

npm ci

CI stands for clean install and npm ci is used to install all exact version dependencies or devDependencies from a package-lock.json file. It can’t install additional packages or modify the already installed dependencies.

Syntax:

npm ci

Difference between npm i and npm ci

Understanding the difference between npm i and npm ci is crucial for managing project dependencies in Node.js.

npm i	npm ci
It installs a package and all its dependencies.	It is generally used to install dependencies.
It may write to package.json or package-lock.json.	It never writes to package.json or package-lock.json.
Individual dependencies can be added with this command.	Individual dependencies cannot be added with this command.
It is slower in execution.	It is faster in execution.
If any dependency is not in package-lock.json, This command will add it.	If any dependencies are missing or have incompatible versions, then npm ci will throw an error.
If a node_modules is already present, This Command doesn’t change anything to it.	If a node_modules is already present, it will be automatically removed before npm ci begins its install.
It can install global packages.	It can not install global packages.
The npm i package-name is used to write to package.json to add or update dependencies.	It can’t be used to write to package.json.
npm i may write to package-lock.json to lock version of some dependencies.	It can’t write to package-lock.json.
Used during development after pulling changes that update the list of dependencies.	Used for the deterministic, repeatable build.

Conclusion

NPM ci command is used to reinstall all the dependencies with versions from package-lock.json while npm i installs, updates and modifies the dependencies in a project

Difference between npm install and npm update in Node.js

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