Is it necessary to package files before releasing a library on npm?

Here's a rough overview of my project structure:

dist/
  - helper.compiled.js
  - entrypoint.compiled.js
src/
 - helper.js
 - entrypoint.js

As I was going through the npm publishing guidelines, I noticed they recommend providing a single index.js file. But do I really need to do this? Can't my entrypoint.compiled.js simply require helper.compiled.js? What advantages does a single index.js file offer?

What's the best approach for publishing a library on npm in this scenario? I attempted to use npm pack, but I'm still a bit unclear on its functionality.

javascriptnpm

Answer №1

To effectively bundle just the compiled files, consider adding the directory to the files section within your package.json. By doing this, only the necessary files that npm utilizes, such as package.json, README.md, and any other required files for your package, will be packaged.

A sample package.json may resemble the following structure:

{
    "name": "my-package",
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "description": "Description of my package.",
    "main": "dist/compiled-file.js",
    "scripts": {},
    "author": "",
    "license": "MIT",
    "dependencies": {},
    "files": [
        "dist"
    ]
}

Answer №2

If you have compiled your files correctly, you only need to publish the compiled version without including your src/ folder in the package.

You can check out my .npmignore file for the react-tree package I created here: .npmignore. For more details on the package contents, visit this link.

In my case, I only include the dist directory and all files in the root when publishing the package. The essential files are the package.json and the dist directory.

When you use the npm publish command, it essentially packages your files and uploads them to the npm registry. Make sure to download the published package from the registry after running the command to verify that all required files are included and usable.

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