JavaScript and Node.js Development Notes

This document contains a collection of notes, commands, and recommended libraries for JavaScript and Node.js development.

Managing Node.js Versions with NVM

nvm (Node Version Manager) is a script that allows you to manage multiple active Node.js versions on the same machine.

Installation

  1. Install nvm: 
    curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

    Follow the instructions on-screen, which will likely involve sourcing a script in your shell profile.

Usage

  • Install a specific version of Node.js: 
    nvm install 20
nvm install 18
  • Switch to a specific version in the current shell: 
    nvm use 20
  • Set a default version for all new shells: 
    nvm alias default 20
  • List all installed versions: 
    nvm ls

Useful Tools and Commands

  • npm-check-updates: A utility to upgrade your package.json dependencies to the latest versions.
    1. Install it globally: npm i -g npm-check-updates
    2. Run it in your project directory: ncu -u
    3. Install the updated packages: npm install
  • unimported: A tool to find and clean up unused files and dependencies in your project. 
    npx unimported
  • localtunnel: An alternative to ngrok for exposing your local server to the internet.

Troubleshooting

npx command not working

If you encounter an error like npm ERR! Could not install from "..." as it does not contain a package.json file, it might be because your npm cache path contains spaces.

  1. Check your npm configuration: 
    npm config list

    Look for the prefix or cache path. If it contains spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\...), you need to update it.

  2. Set the path using the 8.3 short name format (for Windows): In place of a space in a directory name like Program Files, use Progra~1. 
    npm config set cache "C:\\Progra~1\\Git\\home\\ravinder \\.npm-global"

This is a list of commonly used libraries and tools in the JavaScript ecosystem.

Node.js (Backend)

  • express: Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework.
  • multer: Middleware for handling multipart/form-data, primarily used for uploading files.
  • mongoose: Elegant MongoDB object modeling for Node.js.
  • sequelize / prisma: Modern ORMs for Node.js and TypeScript.
  • bcrypt: A library for hashing passwords.
  • puppeteer: A Node.js library for controlling a headless Chrome or Chromium browser.
  • xlsx: A library for reading, writing, and manipulating spreadsheet files.

React (Frontend)

  • axios: Promise-based HTTP client for the browser and Node.js.
  • react-hook-form / formik: Libraries for building and managing forms.
  • joi / zod: Schema description and data validation libraries.
  • redux / redux-toolkit: State management libraries.
  • react-use: A collection of essential React Hooks.
  • serve: A simple tool for serving static sites.
  • radix-ui & shadcn/ui: Accessible, unstyled UI component primitives.
  • tanstack/react-query & tanstack/react-table: Libraries for data fetching, caching, and building powerful tables.

Tooling and Configuration

  • pnpm: A fast, disk space-efficient package manager.
  • husky: A tool for running scripts at different stages of the git lifecycle (e.g., pre-commit).
  • prettier: An opinionated code formatter.
  • eslint: A pluggable and configurable linter tool for identifying and reporting on patterns in JavaScript.
  • commit-lint: A tool to lint your commit messages.