Should I check in node_modules to git when creatin

Question

I followed the basic getting started instructions for node.js on Heroku here:

https://devcenter.heroku.com/categories/nodejs

These instruction don't tell you to create a .gitignore node_modules, and therefore imply that node_modules should be checked in to git. When I include node_modules in git my getting started application ran correctly.

When I followed the more advanced example at:

https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/realtime-polyglot-app-node-ruby-mongodb-socketio https://github.com/mongolab/tractorpush-server (source)

It instructed me to add node_modules to .gitignore. So I removed node_modules from git, added it to .gitignore, then re-deployed. This time the deployed failed like so:

-----> Heroku receiving push
-----> Node.js app detected
-----> Resolving engine versions
       Using Node.js version: 0.8.2
       Using npm version: 1.0.106
-----> Fetching Node.js binaries
-----> Vendoring node into slug
-----> Installing dependencies with npm
       Error: npm doesn't work with node v0.8.2
       Required: node@0.4 || 0.5 || 0.6
           at /tmp/node-npm-5iGk/bin/npm-cli.js:57:23
           at Object.<anonymous> (/tmp/node-npm-5iGk/bin/npm-cli.js:77:3)
           at Module._compile (module.js:449:26)
           at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:467:10)
           at Module.load (module.js:356:32)
           at Function.Module._load (module.js:312:12)
           at Module.require (module.js:362:17)
           at require (module.js:378:17)
           at Object.<anonymous> (/tmp/node-npm-5iGk/cli.js:2:1)
           at Module._compile (module.js:449:26)
       Error: npm doesn't work with node v0.8.2
       Required: node@0.4 || 0.5 || 0.6
           at /tmp/node-npm-5iGk/bin/npm-cli.js:57:23
           at Object.<anonymous> (/tmp/node-npm-5iGk/bin/npm-cli.js:77:3)
           at Module._compile (module.js:449:26)
           at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:467:10)
           at Module.load (module.js:356:32)
           at Function.Module._load (module.js:312:12)
           at Module.require (module.js:362:17)
           at require (module.js:378:17)
           at Object.<anonymous> (/tmp/node-npm-5iGk/cli.js:2:1)
           at Module._compile (module.js:449:26)
       Dependencies installed
-----> Discovering process types
       Procfile declares types -> mongod, redis, web
-----> Compiled slug size is 5.0MB
-----> Launching... done, v9

Running "heroku ps" confirms the crash. Ok, no problem, so I rolled back the change, add node_module back to the git repository and removed it from .gitignore. However, even after reverting, I still get the same error message on deploy but now the application is running correctly again. Running "heroku ps" tells me the application is running.

So my question is what's the right way to do this? Include node_modules or not? And why would I still be getting the error message when I rollback? My guess is the git repository is in a bad state on the Heroku side?

Answer 1

I am using this solution:

1. Create separate repository that holds node_modules. If you have native modules that should be build for specific platform then create separate repository for each platform.
2. Attach these repositories to your project repository with git submodule:

git submodule add .../your_project_node_modules_windows.git node_modules_windows

git submodule add .../your_project_node_modules_linux_x86_64 node_modules_linux_x86_64

3. Create link from platform-specific node_modules to node_modules directory and add node_modules to .gitignore.
4. Run npm install.
5. Commit submodule repository changes.
6. Commit your project repository changes.

So you can easily switch between node_modules on different platforms (for example if you are developing on OS X and deploying to Linux).

Answer 2

My biggest concern with not checking node_modules into git is that 10 years down the road, when your production application is still in use, npm may not be around. Or npm might become corrupted; or the maintainers might decide to remove the library that you rely on from their repository; or the version you use might be trimmed out.

This can be mitigated with repo managers like maven, because you can always use your own local Nexus or Artifactory to maintain a mirror with the packages that you use. As far as I understand, such a system doesn't exist for npm. The same goes for client-side library managers like Bower and Jamjs.

If you've committed the files to your own git repo, then you can update them when you like, and you have the comfort of repeatable builds and the knowledge that your app won't break because of some third-party action.

Answer 3

From https://web.archive.org/web/20150212165006/http://www.futurealoof.com/posts/nodemodules-in-git.html :

Edit: The original link was this one but it is now dead. Thanks @Flavio for pointing it out.

To recap.

• Only checkin node_modules for applications you deploy, not reusable packages you maintain.
• Any compiled dependencies should have their source checked in, not the compile targets, and should $ npm rebuild on deploy.

My favorite part:

All you people who added node_modules to your gitignore, remove that shit, today, it’s an artifact of an era we’re all too happy to leave behind. The era of global modules is dead.

Answer 4

scenario 1:

One scenario: You use a package that gets removed from npm. If you have all the modules in the folder node_modules, then it won't be a problem for you. If you do only have the package name in the package.json, you can't get it anymore. If a package is less than 24 hours old, you can easily remove it from npm. If it's older than 24 hours old, then you need to contact them. But:

If you contact support, they will check to see if removing that version of your package would break any other installs. If so, we will not remove it.

read more

So the chances for this are low, but there is scenario 2...

---

scenario 2:

An other scenario where this is the case: You develop an enterprise version of your software or a very important software and write in your package.json:

"dependencies": {
    "studpid-package": "~1.0.1"
}

You use the method function1(x)of that package.

Now the developers of studpid-package rename the method function1(x)to function2(x) and they make a fault... They change the version of their package from 1.0.1 to 1.1.0. That's a problem because when you call npm install the next time, you will accept version 1.1.0 because you used the tilde ("studpid-package": "~1.0.1").

Calling function1(x) can cause errors and problems now.

---

Pushing the whole node_modules folder (often more than 100 MB) to your repository, will cost you memory space. A few kb (package.json only) compared with hundreds of MB (package.json & node_modules)... Think about it.

You could do it / should think about it if:

• the software is very important.

• it costs you money when something fails.

• you don't trust the npm registry. npm is centralized and could theoretically be shut down.

You don't need to publish the node_modules folder in 99.9% of the cases if:

• you develop a software just for yourself.

• you've programmed something and just want to publish the result on GitHub because someone else could maybe be interested in it.

---

If you don't want the node_modules to be in your repository, just create a .gitignore file and add the line node_modules.

Answer 5

I have been using both committing node_modules folder and shrink-wrapping. Both solutions did not make me happy.

In short: committed node_modules adds too much noise to repository.
And shrinkwrap.json is not easy to manage and there is no guarantee that some shrink-wrapped project will build in a few years.

I found that Mozilla was using a separate repository for one of their projects https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/gaia-node-modules

So it did not take me long to implement this idea in a node CLI tool https://github.com/bestander/npm-git-lock

Just before every build add
npm-git-lock --repo [[e-mail]:your/dedicated/node_modules/git/repository.git]

It will calculate hash of your package.json and will either check out node_modules content from a remote repo, or, if it is a first build for this package.json, will do a clean npm install and push the results to the remote repo.

Answer 6

Second Update

The FAQ is not available anymore.

From the documentation of shrinkwrap:

If you wish to lock down the specific bytes included in a package, for example to have 100% confidence in being able to reproduce a deployment or build, then you ought to check your dependencies into source control, or pursue some other mechanism that can verify contents rather than versions.

Shannon and Steven mentioned this before but I think, it should be part of the accepted answer.

---

Update

The source listed for the below recommendation has been updated. They are no longer recommending the node_modules folder be committed.

Usually, no. Allow npm to resolve dependencies for your packages.

For packages you deploy, such as websites and apps, you should use npm shrinkwrap to lock down your full dependency tree:

https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/shrinkwrap

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Original Post

For reference, npm FAQ answers your question clearly:

Check node_modules into git for things you deploy, such as websites and apps. Do not check node_modules into git for libraries and modules intended to be reused. Use npm to manage dependencies in your dev environment, but not in your deployment scripts.

and for some good rationale for this, read Mikeal Rogers' post on this.

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Source: https://docs.npmjs.com/misc/faq#should-i-check-my-node-modules-folder-into-git