npm-pack

creates a tarball of a package exactly as it would be published

TLDR

Pack current package

$ npm pack

Pack specific package

$ npm pack [package]

Pack without gzip

$ npm pack --pack-destination [./dist]

Dry run (list contents)

$ npm pack --dry-run

Output as JSON

$ npm pack --json

SYNOPSIS

npm pack [options] [packages...]

npm pack creates a tarball of a package exactly as it would be published. This is useful for testing what will be included in a published package.
The tarball can be installed locally to test the package.

PARAMETERS

--dry-run

Show contents without packing.

--json

Output as JSON.

--pack-destination dir

Output directory.

--workspace ws

Pack specific workspace.

WORKFLOW

$ # Create tarball
npm pack
# Creates package-1.0.0.tgz

# Test installation
npm install ./package-1.0.0.tgz

# Check contents without creating file
npm pack --dry-run

FILES INCLUDED

$ - Files in package.json "files"
- package.json
- README
- LICENSE
- CHANGELOG
Excluded by .npmignore

CAVEATS

Different from npm publish. Respects .npmignore and files field. Useful for pre-publish testing.

HISTORY

npm pack was added to allow developers to test package contents before publishing to the registry.