Summary
You started by learning how to install dependencies that your app can use. Using dependencies in your application allows you to create the application faster because the code is already written. Also, it's a good idea to rely on tried-and-tested packages rather than writing something yourself. Using these packages is an especially good idea when you're adding authentication and authorization to your app.
You were then introduced to various ways to install a dependency: local, global, and via the npm tool. Usually, you'll install dependencies locally.
After that, you learned how to update your dependencies. Dependencies are updated for various reasons in the form of bug fixes, new features, or larger changes. In the package.json file, you can configure the types of updates you're interested in on a per-dependency basis. If you work in an enterprise environment, we recommend you carefully consider your approach regarding the types of updates you're OK with.
Finally, in the last unit of the module, you learned about the package.json file in more detail. You learned about various fields, with a focus on metadata fields that describe an application. You also learned about scripts you can create to manage your Node.js project throughout the development phase.
Additional resources
- Review the official Node.js docs
- Check out a great community site for Node.js
- Try Visual Studio Code for editing text and code files