---
title: npm-init
section: 1
description: Create a package.json file
---

### Synopsis

<!-- AUTOGENERATED USAGE DESCRIPTIONS -->

### Description

`npm init <initializer>` can be used to set up a new or existing npm
package.

`initializer` in this case is an npm package named `create-<initializer>`,
which will be installed by [`npm-exec`](/commands/npm-exec), and then have its
main bin executed -- presumably creating or updating `package.json` and
running any other initialization-related operations.

The init command is transformed to a corresponding `npm exec` operation as
follows:

* `npm init foo` -> `npm exec create-foo`
* `npm init @usr/foo` -> `npm exec @usr/create-foo`
* `npm init @usr` -> `npm exec @usr/create`
* `npm init @usr@2.0.0` -> `npm exec @usr/create@2.0.0`
* `npm init @usr/foo@2.0.0` -> `npm exec @usr/create-foo@2.0.0`

If the initializer is omitted (by just calling `npm init`), init will fall
back to legacy init behavior. It will ask you a bunch of questions, and
then write a package.json for you. It will attempt to make reasonable
guesses based on existing fields, dependencies, and options selected. It is
strictly additive, so it will keep any fields and values that were already
set. You can also use `-y`/`--yes` to skip the questionnaire altogether. If
you pass `--scope`, it will create a scoped package.

*Note:* if a user already has the `create-<initializer>` package
globally installed, that will be what `npm init` uses.  If you want npm
to use the latest version, or another specific version you must specify
it:

* `npm init foo@latest` # fetches and runs the latest `create-foo` from
    the registry
* `npm init foo@1.2.3` #  runs `create-foo@1.2.3` specifically

#### Forwarding additional options

Any additional options will be passed directly to the command, so `npm init
foo -- --hello` will map to `npm exec -- create-foo --hello`.

To better illustrate how options are forwarded, here's a more evolved
example showing options passed to both the **npm cli** and a create package,
both following commands are equivalent:

- `npm init foo -y --registry=<url> -- --hello -a`
- `npm exec -y --registry=<url> -- create-foo --hello -a`

### Examples

Create a new React-based project using
[`create-react-app`](https://npm.im/create-react-app):

```bash
$ npm init react-app ./my-react-app
```

Create a new `esm`-compatible package using
[`create-esm`](https://npm.im/create-esm):

```bash
$ mkdir my-esm-lib && cd my-esm-lib
$ npm init esm --yes
```

Generate a plain old package.json using legacy init:

```bash
$ mkdir my-npm-pkg && cd my-npm-pkg
$ git init
$ npm init
```

Generate it without having it ask any questions:

```bash
$ npm init -y
```

Set the private flag to `true` in package.json:
```bash
$ npm init --init-private -y
```

### Workspaces support

It's possible to create a new workspace within your project by using the
`workspace` config option. When using `npm init -w <dir>` the cli will
create the folders and boilerplate expected while also adding a reference
to your project `package.json` `"workspaces": []` property in order to make
sure that new generated **workspace** is properly set up as such.

Given a project with no workspaces, e.g:

```
.
+-- package.json
```

You may generate a new workspace using the legacy init:

```bash
$ npm init -w packages/a
```

That will generate a new folder and `package.json` file, while also updating
your top-level `package.json` to add the reference to this new workspace:

```
.
+-- package.json
`-- packages
   `-- a
       `-- package.json
```

The workspaces init also supports the `npm init <initializer> -w <dir>`
syntax, following the same set of rules explained earlier in the initial
**Description** section of this page. Similar to the previous example of
creating a new React-based project using
[`create-react-app`](https://npm.im/create-react-app), the following syntax
will make sure to create the new react app as a nested **workspace** within your
project and configure your `package.json` to recognize it as such:

```bash
npm init -w packages/my-react-app react-app .
```

This will make sure to generate your react app as expected, one important
consideration to have in mind is that `npm exec` is going to be run in the
context of the newly created folder for that workspace, and that's the reason
why in this example the initializer uses the initializer name followed with a
dot to represent the current directory in that context, e.g: `react-app .`:

```
.
+-- package.json
`-- packages
   +-- a
   |   `-- package.json
   `-- my-react-app
       +-- README
       +-- package.json
       `-- ...
```

### Configuration

<!-- AUTOGENERATED CONFIG DESCRIPTIONS -->

### See Also

* [package spec](/using-npm/package-spec)
* [init-package-json module](http://npm.im/init-package-json)
* [package.json](/configuring-npm/package-json)
* [npm version](/commands/npm-version)
* [npm scope](/using-npm/scope)
* [npm exec](/commands/npm-exec)
* [npm workspaces](/using-npm/workspaces)
