Code Craft with Pradeep

Simplify Your Projects: Keeping Node Modules in a Common Place

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Pradeep Rai

7 min read

As developers, we often find ourselves juggling multiple projects simultaneously, each with its own set of dependencies.
One common headache we face is the duplication of node_modules folders across projects, eating up precious disk space and cluttering up our directories.

However, there’s a solution to this problem: centralizing node_modules in a common location.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why this approach is beneficial and how you can implement it to streamline your development workflow.

Why Centralize Node Modules?

  • Conserves Disk Space
    With multiple projects, each containing their own node_modules folder, disk space can quickly dwindle. Centralizing these dependencies eliminates redundant copies, saving significant space on your hard drive.

  • Simplified Maintenance
    Updating dependencies becomes a breeze when they are centralized. Instead of navigating through each project and running npm install, you can manage all dependencies from a single location.

  • Improved Performance
    By reducing the number of duplicate node_modules folders, you can improve the performance of your system. Disk operations become faster, and you’ll notice a smoother development experience.

How to Centralize Node Modules

1. Create a Shared Directory

Start by creating a directory to house all your centralized dependencies.
This directory could be named common_modules or anything you prefer.

2. Set Up Symbolic Links

Instead of copying node_modules folders into your projects, create symbolic links (symlinks) that point to the common directory.

On Unix-based systems:

1ln -s /path/to/common_modules /path/to/your_project/node_modules

On Windows:

1mklink /d \path\to\your_project\node_modules \path\to\common_modules

This command creates a symbolic link named node_modules in your project directory, which points to the common_modules directory.

3. Install Dependencies

With the symlinks in place, install dependencies as usual using:

1npm install
2# or
3yarn add <package-name>

The dependencies will be installed in the common_modules directory, and all linked projects will have access.

4. Automate the Process (Optional)

To streamline setup further, you can write a script to loop through your projects and create symlinks automatically.

Benefits and Considerations

  • Version Control
    Ensure that your common_modules directory is not included in version control (.gitignore it).

  • Backup
    Regularly back up your common_modules directory to prevent loss of dependencies.

  • Security
    Be cautious when centralizing dependencies in projects with different security requirements.

Conclusion

Centralizing node_modules is a simple yet effective way to streamline your development workflow and save disk space.
By consolidating dependencies into a common location, you can simplify maintenance, improve performance, and enhance productivity.

With the steps outlined in this blog post, you can easily implement this approach in your projects and reap the benefits.
So, why wait? Start centralizing your node_modules today and enjoy a more efficient development experience!

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