1REGISTRY(7)                                                        REGISTRY(7)
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NAME

6       registry - The JavaScript Package Registry
7
8   Description
9       To  resolve  packages by name and version, npm talks to a registry web‐
10       site that implements the CommonJS Package  Registry  specification  for
11       reading package info.
12
13       npm  is  configured  to use npm, Inc.'s public registry at https://reg‐
14       istry.npmjs.org by default. Use of the npm public registry  is  subject
15       to terms of use available at https://www.npmjs.com/policies/terms.
16
17       You can configure npm to use any compatible registry you like, and even
18       run your own registry. Use of someone else's registry may  be  governed
19       by their terms of use.
20
21       npm's  package  registry  implementation supports several write APIs as
22       well, to allow for publishing packages and managing user account infor‐
23       mation.
24
25       The  npm  public  registry  is  powered by a CouchDB database, of which
26       there is a public  mirror  at  https://skimdb.npmjs.com/registry.   The
27       code  for  the couchapp is available at https://github.com/npm/npm-reg‐
28       istry-couchapp.
29
30       The registry URL used is determined by the scope of  the  package  (see
31       npm help scope. If no scope is specified, the default registry is used,
32       which is supplied by the registry config parameter.  See npm help  con‐
33       fig,  npm  help  npmrc,  and npm help config for more on managing npm's
34       configuration.
35
36   Does npm send any information about me back to the registry?
37       Yes.
38
39       When making requests of the registry npm adds two headers with informa‐
40       tion about your environment:
41
42       · Npm-Scope  –  If your project is scoped, this header will contain its
43         scope. In the future npm hopes to build registry  features  that  use
44         this  information  to allow you to customize your experience for your
45         organization.
46
47       · Npm-In-CI – Set to "true" if npm believes this install is running  in
48         a  continuous  integration  environment,  "false"  otherwise. This is
49         detected by looking for  the  following  environment  variables:  CI,
50         TDDIUM, JENKINS_URL, bamboo.buildKey. If you'd like to learn more you
51         may   find   the    original    PR    https://github.com/npm/npm-reg‐
52         istry-client/pull/129  interesting.   This  is  used to gather better
53         metrics on how npm is used by humans, versus build farms.
54
55
56       The npm registry does not try to correlate  the  information  in  these
57       headers  with  any  authenticated accounts that may be used in the same
58       requests.
59
60   Can I run my own private registry?
61       Yes!
62
63       The easiest way is to replicate the couch database, and  use  the  same
64       (or similar) design doc to implement the APIs.
65
66       If  you  set  up  continuous replication from the official CouchDB, and
67       then set your internal CouchDB as the registry config, then  you'll  be
68       able  to read any published packages, in addition to your private ones,
69       and by default will only publish internally.
70
71       If you then want to publish a package for the whole world to  see,  you
72       can simply override the --registry option for that publish command.
73
74   I don't want my package published in the official registry. It's private.
75       Set  "private": true in your package.json to prevent it from being pub‐
76       lished at all, or  "publishConfig":{"registry":"http://my-internal-reg‐
77       istry.local"}  to  force  it to be published only to your internal reg‐
78       istry.
79
80       See npm help package.json for more info  on  what  goes  in  the  pack‐
81       age.json file.
82
83   Will you replicate from my registry into the public one?
84       No.  If you want things to be public, then publish them into the public
85       registry using npm.  What little security there is would be for  nought
86       otherwise.
87
88   Do I have to use couchdb to build a registry that npm can talk to?
89       No, but it's way easier.  Basically, yes, you do, or you have to effec‐
90       tively implement the entire CouchDB API anyway.
91
92   Is there a website or something to see package docs and such?
93       Yes, head over to https://www.npmjs.com/
94
95   See also
96       · npm help config
97
98       · npm help config
99
100       · npm help npmrc
101
102       · npm help developers
103
104       · npm help disputes
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109                                 February 2021                     REGISTRY(7)