npx for Windows - Javascript

Introduction

As a Windows user and a Javascript developer, one of the challenges we face is running command line tools and scripts. In the past, we had to install and configure them globally or locally in our project. This can cause conflicts and make our environment messy. npx was introduced to solve this problem.

In this article, we will explore what npx is, its advantages, and how to use it in a Windows environment.

What is npx?

npx is a command-line tool that comes with npm. It is used to execute a package without installing it. It is like a one-time-use npm run, except it can also install the package if it is not found. npx also provides a way to run a specific version of a package, regardless of the installed version on your system.

Advantages of npx

The most significant advantage of npx is that it helps reduce the clutter in our development environment. Instead of installing all the packages globally or locally, we can use npx to execute them when we need them.

Another advantage of npx is that it ensures everyone on the team is using the same version of a package. Suppose multiple developers are working on a project, and they all have different versions of a package installed. In that case, this can cause inconsistencies and bugs. By using npx to run the package, we can guarantee that everyone uses the same version.

How to use npx in Windows

To use npx on Windows, we first need to make sure that we have npm installed on our system. If we have npm installed, we can open our command prompt and type in npx.

npx

This will show us the help page for npx. The next step is to use npx to run the package we want. For example, let's say we want to run a node package called express. We can use the following command:

npx express-generator

This will run express-generator and create an express application for us.

Conclusion

npx is a powerful command-line tool that can save us time and keep our development environment clean. We can use it to execute packages without installing them and ensure everyone on the team is using the same version. If you are a Windows user and a Javascript developer, you should give npx a try.