npm-ci

npm ci [options]

npm ci performs a clean install of dependencies based exactly on the package-lock.json file. It is designed for automated environments like CI/CD pipelines where reproducibility is critical.The command deletes any existing node_modules directory before installing, ensuring a clean state. Unlike npm install, it never modifies the lockfile — if package.json and package-lock.json are out of sync, it fails with an error rather than silently updating.

--production

Skip devDependencies (npm 6; use --omit=dev in npm 7+).

Omit dependency type (dev, optional, peer).

Ignore peer dep conflicts.

Suppress output.

Display help information.

Requires package-lock.json. Deletes node_modules. Fails on lockfile mismatch.

npm ci was added to npm 5.7 for deterministic builds in continuous integration pipelines.

npm(1), npm-install(1), package-lock.json(5)