What is the --save option for npm install?

The --save option for npm install was once used to add the installed module into the dependencies section of your package.json file automatically.

However, from npm version 5.0.0 this is no longer needed. Installed modules are automatically added as a dependency and will therefore be installed whenever someone runs npm install command in the project directory.

There are also complementary options:

• --save-dev or -D: the package will be added to your devDependencies
• --save-optional: the package will be added to your optional dependencies

In conclusion, as of npm 5.0.0, the --save flag has no meaning.

Got an article suggestion? Let us know

Explore more

Node.js

Best Node.js Application Monitoring Tools in 2025

Node.js Applications Performance Management and Monitoring tools enable code-level observability, faster recovery, troubleshooting, and easier maintenance of Node.js applications.

Comparisons

Scaling Node.js Applications

Take your Node.js applications to production: Learn building, deployment, and scaling essentials

Guides

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.