When you install global npm packages on Ubuntu, it's helpful to know where they get installed. Understanding the installation location can be essential for managing these packages, updating them, or working with them in your projects. Here's a guide to help you locate global npm packages on your Ubuntu system.
By default, global npm packages are installed in the "/usr/local" directory on Ubuntu. This is the standard directory for globally installed packages and is where npm stores executables and modules that can be accessed system-wide.
When you install a global npm package using the command `npm install -g `, npm will place the package files in the "/usr/local/lib/node_modules" directory. This directory contains all the globally installed npm packages on your system.
To find the globally installed npm packages, you can navigate to the "/usr/local/lib/node_modules" directory using the terminal. You can use the following command to list all the packages installed globally:
ls /usr/local/lib/node_modules
This will display a list of directories, each representing a global npm package that you have installed. You can explore these directories to view the files and configurations of each package.
In addition to the package files, npm also creates symbolic links to the executables of globally installed packages in the "/usr/local/bin" directory. These symbolic links allow you to run the package's commands from anywhere in the terminal without specifying the full path.
To view the symbolic links to the executable files of global npm packages, you can navigate to the "/usr/local/bin" directory using the following command:
ls /usr/local/bin
This will show you the symbolic links that point to the executable files of your globally installed npm packages. You can use these symbolic links to run the commands provided by the packages directly from the terminal.
It's important to note that if you install Node.js using a package manager like NVM (Node Version Manager), the global npm packages will be installed in the corresponding NVM directory. This directory may vary depending on the Node.js version and the NVM configuration.
Knowing where global npm packages are installed on Ubuntu can be beneficial for managing your development environment and integrating these packages into your projects. By understanding the installation directory and the location of package executables, you can effectively work with global npm packages and leverage their functionalities in your projects.