This article part of a series on Mastering npm in the Enterprise, also available as a chapter in our free, downloadable eBook

npm (Node Package Manager) is a big part of modern software development, particularly in organizations. Its usage has seen huge growth, and is now one of the most widely used tools by professional developers. As of November 2024, the npm OSS repository holds approximately 2.1 million packages.

Even so, without an organized approach to managing npm packages, organizations will end up facing significant risks, including security issues resulting from vulnerabilities, non-compliance with licensing, and issues with poorly maintained packages.

That’s where this article comes in. Here, I’ll cover essential practices for managing your npm development in an enterprise environment. From setting up standards for internal repositories to maintaining package integrity and navigating licensing complexities, I’ll talk you through creating a robust npm workflow tailored to your organization’s needs. 

Laying the Groundwork for npm Management 

Managing Your Organization’s npm Packages 

When using npm packages across an organization, creating clear standards helps avoid issues like version conflicts and security vulnerabilities.  Managing internal repositories requires a bit of a different approach to open-source community repositories. Three key practices for doing this are: 

⭐ Use Scopes: represented by prefixes like @my-org/package-name, these help prevent dependency confusion and ensure organizational identity.

⭐ Use SemVer2: Follow Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 to maintain clear and logical versioning, which makes it easier for teams to understand changes and compatibility between releases. 

⭐ Optimize Metadata: Keep package.json metadata concise, well-organized, and consistent to improve readability, and reduce confusion when sharing packages between teams. 

⭐ Use Pre-release Identifiers: Go with SemVer2 tags like -alpha, -beta, or -rc to label testing or development versions, so it’s clear to developers what stage a package is in.

npm Package Approval Flows & Connectors 

Using npm packages in development directly from npmjs.org is pretty common, but a big risk, especially at enterprise level.  Quality, security, and licensing of npm packages vary widely, and could expose your projects to vulnerabilities or legal issues. The sheer number of npm packages and dependencies (potentially 1000+ in any given project) can also overwhelm your team, increasing the chance of errors and security oversights. 

To get around this, organizations should implement processes to make sure only approved npm packages are used in development. There are a couple of options for this: 

💡 A package approval workflow to vet and promote packages to an “approved” repository, making sure developers can only use packages assessed as safe for production 

💡 Filtering npm packages by scope to block unverified ones by default.  

Managing npm packages in your organization isn’t just about getting the foundations in place, you need to make sure the packages you’re using are secure, reliable, and compliant. Part of this is handling vulnerabilities and maintaining your npm dependencies. 

Maintaining npm Package Integrity and Safety 

npm Package Vulnerabilities and Auditing 

Vulnerabilities in npm packages can lead to anything from data breaches or code injection attacks to unauthorized access to sensitive information.  Running npm audit helps identify these vulnerabilities, but it can be difficult to determine which actually pose a risk since this only provides a severity rating, not a detailed risk assessment.  Just because a package’s severity is “high”, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easily exploitable. 

Addressing vulnerabilities shouldn’t just be a case of upgrading packages blindly, as you may just end up with new issues or broken functionality. Instead, you should be assessing each vulnerability individually, determining the actual risk it poses to your development.  

Package managers like ProGet can help with this process by assessing vulnerabilities based on your organization’s criteria and blocking vulnerable package downloads, avoiding the review fatigue that comes with manually assessing all of a project’s package vulnerabilities.  

npm Dependencies with Lock Files 

Part of managing npm dependencies is dealing with version conflicts. If one developer installs Express version 4.16.0 and another installs 4.18.0, this can lead to compatibility issues and a broken application. Lock files (e.g., package-lock.json) resolve these issues by recording exact package versions, ensuring all team members work with the same environment. 

To make dependency management smoother, you should: 

⭐ Commit lock files regularly: This keeps versions consistent across all environments. 

⭐ Specify precise version ranges in package.json: Avoid potential conflicts and keep things predictable. 

⭐ Update dependencies regularly: Keep your app secure and benefit from the latest features and bug fixes. 

⭐ Use a private package repository: Using a private package repository like ProGet gives you more control over what packages get used in production. 

That covers the safety of packages and development, but doesn’t really make sure your npm packages meet your organization’s legal and compliance needs. That’s where npm license and version control come in. 

Navigating npm Licensing and Version Control 

npm Package Licenses 

While npm packages are often seen as freely available, they come with legal agreements that dictate how they can be used. The licenses for npm packages can be found in the package.json file or within an embedded license file. 

Licenses like GPL-3.0 impose strict requirements, like the need to release derivative works under the same license. Organizations need to be on top of these licenses to avoid the legal issues that come from violating them.

The “obvious” answer to this is to assess each package’s license manually to determine if it’s compliant for use in your organization, as time-consuming as it sounds. This is far from ideal, and can result in review fatigue that risks oversights.  

Tools like ProGet can automate license approval by scanning packages and blocking certain licenses from being used in production. This makes sure developers don’t overlook the legal terms of the packages they use, saving time and ensuring your organization’s use of open-source software stays compliant.  

npm Versioning With SemVer 

Relying on npm tags like “latest” or “next,” when managing npm packages in development can lead to dependency conflicts and unexpected breakages.  Let’s say one developer tags a pre-release version as “alpha” and another developer uses the same tag for a different pre-release version, the original tag can be overwritten. This is a big deal in CI/CD workflows, where unstable code can easily slip into production, causing all kinds of headaches.  

By using Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 (SemVer2) and its pre-release labels (e.g., 1.2.0-alpha or 1.2.0-rc.1), teams can avoid the confusion of custom tags that can be easily reassigned, leading to version overwrites and conflicts.  

What’s more, Repackaging pre-release versions into stable releases once they pass testing (e.g., converting 1.2.0-rc.1 to 1.2.0) helps to ensure packages are production-ready. In a CI/CD environment, tools like Buildmaster can automate this process, converting pre-release versions into stable ones, avoiding any unexpected updates and improving the reliability of production deployments. 

Effective npm Management in Your Organization 

Managing npm packages in your organization can be tricky—security risks, legal issues, and poorly maintained packages are just the start. Throw in version conflicts and audit fatigue, and it can quickly get overwhelming.

To stay ahead, it’s important to establish clear npm practices like using scoped packages, enforcing Semantic Versioning, and automating license compliance. Implementing approval workflows, running regular vulnerability assessments, and using lock files can help keep things secure. Tools like ProGet can also make the process easier and reduce risks.

This was a lot of information, and I definitely recommend you keep a note of it somewhere! Better yet, why not sign up for our guide “Mastering npm in the Enterprise“? It contains not only everything on this page, but lots more on handling npm packages and development in your organization. Download your free copy today!