Basic Usage

snpm works just like npm. If you know npm, you already know snpm.

Installing Dependencies

snpm install

Reads package.json, resolves dependencies, downloads packages to the global store, and links them to node_modules.

Options:

• --production - Skip dev dependencies
• --frozen-lockfile - Fail if lockfile needs updates (useful for CI)
• --force - Force re-download all packages

# Production install
snpm install --production

# CI install (fail if lockfile is out of sync)
snpm install --frozen-lockfile

Adding Packages

snpm add <package>

Adds a package to dependencies and installs it.

# Add a package
snpm add react

# Add specific version
snpm add react@18.2.0

# Add as dev dependency
snpm add -D typescript

# Add multiple packages
snpm add react react-dom

Removing Packages

snpm remove <package>

Removes a package from package.json and node_modules.

snpm remove react
snpm remove react react-dom

Running Scripts

snpm run <script>

Runs a script defined in package.json.

# Run build script
snpm run build

# Pass arguments (use -- to separate)
snpm run test -- --watch

Lifecycle Scripts

snpm supports standard lifecycle scripts that run during installation.

{
  "scripts": {
    "preinstall": "echo 'Running before install'",
    "install": "node-gyp rebuild",
    "postinstall": "echo 'Running after install'",
    "prepare": "npm run build"
  }
}

• preinstall: Runs before dependencies are installed.
• install / postinstall: Runs after dependencies are installed.
• prepare: Runs after install and before publish (also runs on local snpm install without arguments).

Performance

snpm is designed for speed.

Warm Path Optimization

If your node_modules is up to date with package.json and snpm-lock.yaml, snpm install finishes in milliseconds (50-100ms typ.). It performs an "early exit" check to avoid unnecessary work.

Lockfile-less Install

Even without a lockfile, snpm uses aggressive caching and parallelization to resolve and install dependencies rapidly.

Upgrading Packages

snpm upgrade

Updates all packages to their latest versions within semver constraints.

# Upgrade all packages
snpm upgrade

# Upgrade specific packages
snpm upgrade react react-dom

# Upgrade production dependencies only
snpm upgrade --production

Checking for Updates

snpm outdated

Shows which packages have newer versions available.

# Check all dependencies
snpm outdated

# Check production dependencies only
snpm outdated --production

Global Store

Packages are downloaded once to a global store and reused across all projects. The store location is platform-specific:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/io.snpm.snpm/packages
• Linux: ~/.local/share/snpm/packages
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\snpm\snpm\data\packages

Override with the SNPM_HOME environment variable (packages stored in $SNPM_HOME/data/packages).

This saves disk space and makes subsequent installs much faster.

Lockfile

snpm-lock.yaml ensures deterministic installs. Always commit it to version control.