What NPM packages are used for?

NPM packages are used to add new functionality, tools, and libraries to multiple projects, which helps to save time and effort in the development cycle.

Can I use NPM packages for both the frontend and backend?

Yes, you can use NPM as the library supports browsers (frontend) and Node js (backend) development.

Is it safe to use NPM packages from unknown sources?

No, using NPM packages from reliable and official websites is ideal, so your applications remain secure.

Top 31 NPM Packages for Seamless Development in 2024

NPM (Node Package Manager) packages are libraries distributed and shared through the NPM registry. It is the largest software repository, with over 11 million packages in the library. With the help of packages, developers can leverage existing functionality and codes instead of building them from scratch.

Utilizing NPM packages helps to improve development workflow, upgrade code quality, and deliver excellent applications. NPM empowers to add new functionality, enhance user experience, and stay updated with technological advancements.

Why Use NPM Packages?

Let’s understand the importance of NPM packages and understand with following reasons why you should embrace them in your development:

31 Best NPM Packages to Enhance Your App Development

There are millions of NPM packages available online, which makes it harder to choose the best one. Hence, we have curated 31 best NPM packages that improve the workflow of your application:

Web Development Frameworks and Libraries

Let’s dive into a diverse range of packages that enhance your web development projects, add new functionalities, and simplify complex tasks.

1. Express

It is one of the lightweight and flexible Node js frameworks that allow you to develop scalable web applications. Express is the most accessible yet robust set of features, such as HTTP requests, middleware, routing, and view rendering.

It helps to build single-page, multi-page, and hybrid web applications, and with its modular designs, you can add extensions for customization as per business requirements.

When to Use Express
✅ To leverage vast ecosystem and plugins
✅ Manage complex web portal
✅ Seamless integration with asynchronous programming patterns
✅ Determining a minimalist framework without any restrictions

2. Socket.IO

The JavaScript library is an efficient medium source that helps communicate between clients and servers in web applications. Socket.IO is ideal for developing real-time applications using Node js, such as chat apps, dashboards, live collaboration tools, and primary time changes.

With Socket. IO support, multiple levels of low-level protocols are eliminated. It automatically manages connection management, fallback mechanisms, and data serialization. Also, ensures that the process is compatible with various browsers and network environments.

When to Use Socket.IO
✅ Develop Node js application with quick data updates and real-time communication
✅ Need to gather and analyze data to generate insights into the users
✅ Want to monitor and track system metrics, and server statuses, which alert instantly about specific interactions
✅ Built application on a gaming platform, IoT, customer support, and sports update

3. GraphQL

Appending to the list of NPM packages is GraphQL. It is a query language that provides a solution for APIs and runtime for executing queries with existing data. This tool helps design efficient and flexible APIs that prevent over or under-data fetching.

Using GraphQL, you can integrate numerous services, which act as a middleware layer between the user and the server. As a result, it offers a consistent interface that manipulates data. Along with rich features, it provides client-side libraries for numerous programming languages.

When to Use GraphQL
✅ To minimize bandwidth usage and develop applications with limited network resources
✅ Abstract specific language data based on user preferences
✅ To fetch complex data structure and interactions into a single request
✅ Streamline integration with third-party APIs

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4. Helmet

The helmet is a robust NPM package that helps to secure your Node JS web applications. It is designed to be utilized with Express js, and with an automation set, it protects applications from security vulnerabilities.

Helmet ensures that your web applications comply with industry regulations and embrace security measures to safeguard against threats. Also, following Node js best practices helps secure against risks, such as cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

When to Use Helmet
✅ If your applications deal with sensitive data, such as finance or personal details
✅ Eliminate unauthorized access by exposing APIs accessed by external users
✅ Your web application requires user authentication to protect against common security vulnerabilities
✅ If the header enforces HTTP requests and secures all communication between client and server

5. Multer

Another powerful package on the NPM package list is Multer. It is used to easily manage file uploads in Node js applications. Node Multer provides seamless integration with Express to manage multipart requests containing files. Also, it allows you to validate, customize, and control file types.

Leveraging Multer, you can define particular configuration options and enforce security measures. It eliminates the complexity of parsing and managing file uploads. Multer enables integration with other frameworks and middleware.

When to Use Multer
✅ To utilize different types of file uploads like single, multiple, and upload within required data structures
✅ When your app requires support file uploads like images, documents, videos, and other types of files
✅ Developing user-generated content applications, such as content management systems, social media platforms, and blogging medium
✅ To integrate with multiple storage solutions like cloud storage services, such as Google Cloud Storage or AWS S3.

6. Node-sass

Yet another popular framework on the list of NPM packages is Node-sass. Sass stands for Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets, which provide a CSS preprocessor to improve the functionality of your Node js applications. Node-sass smoothens writing and maintains the coding process.

In other words, it is a bridge between the LibSass library and Node js that allows writing code in C++ and compiling code into plain CSS. As a result, its Nest CSS selectors decrease repetition and enhance code readability.

When to Use Node-sass
✅ To maintain code consistency by utilizing standard Sass conventions and syntax
✅ Speed up the development process by using the caching and compilation of Node
✅ Integrate with build systems like Gulp, Grunt, or Webpack to automate the compilation workflow
✅ Handling complex styling requirements for your Node web applications

Data Manipulation and Utilities

Here are the various packages empowering you with robust functionalities to handle, analyze, and transform data efficiently.

7. Lodash

This JavaScript utility framework provides efficient methods to optimize working with objects, arrays, and strings. It offers extensive functions to simplify web application development and primary programming tasks like functional programming.

Lodash ensures that operations are executed efficiently with its cross-environment compatibility. It helps to decrease development time, enhance code readability, and optimize performance. Using Lodash, you can utilize a single line of code instead of leveraging CLI (command line) functions numerous times.

When to Use Lodash
✅ Simplify the JavaScript development process
✅ Handling complex data structures efficiently
✅ Suitable for cross-platform applications
✅ Choosing a functional programming style

8. Moment

Next is Moment, a prominent NPM package popular for working, manipulating, and validating dates and times in JavaScript. It provides extensive functionality to manage operations, such as calculating, setting dates, comparisons, and conversions efficiently.

Furthermore, it supports different time zones and localization, which helps developers to handle time and data operations, particularly to that region and languages. Also, it offers flexibility and customization.

When to Use Moment
✅ For operating in different times and zones
✅ Managing time-related calculations, such as adding or subtracting time intervals
✅ Lightweight and efficient solutions for dates
✅ Simplify and streamline your date and time-related code

9. Async

The most popular NPM list package is Async or Asynchronous. It is widely used in Node js to simplify managing asynchronous programming and enable developers to write cleaner code and identify patterns.

It can handle complex workflow, including numerous asynchronous tasks like callbacks and promises. Also, it can function execution tasks parallely and run as per requirement or sequentially.

When to Use Async
✅ To rectify errors in your asynchronous code consistently and centralized
✅ Enhance application performance and responsiveness with Async parallel execution of numerous tasks concurrently
✅ Improve web application user experience with long-run asynchronous operations
✅ Want to complete tasks within a specific timeframe for your asynchronous operations

10. Bluebird

A well-liked asynchronous programming style NPM package, Bluebird is the implementation of promise in JavaScript. A promise is an approach to handling asynchronous operations more systematically and organizationally.

As a result, it is widely used in Node js applications because of its performance and allows developers to write clean and maintainable code. Bluebird provides error handling, promise chaining, timeouts, and cancellation features to manage complex development workflows.

When to Use Bluebird
✅ To deal with asynchronous workflows that include various operations with dependencies or sequential performance
✅ Suitable for workflow automation systems or tools as it simplifies the implementation of workflow
✅ To leverage its promise-based approach for handling database operations, update, query, and delete data
✅ Creating middleware or plugins for libraries or frameworks that implement promise

11. Underscore

Underscore is an NPM package providing a rich functionality set that improves JavScript programming. It offers methods for manipulating objects, arrays, and collections to perform functional programming operations efficiently.

The JavaScript package ensures no repetitive operations on objects and arrays. Furthermore, it includes features that help to handle data types, perform calculations operations, and generate identifiers.

When to Use Underscore
✅ Utilize to manipulate collection or data, such as mapping, filtering, or decreasing arrays
✅ To implement objects, such as iteration, and particular properties for application
✅ Compatibility with backend and frontend development
✅ Enhance development efficiency by decreasing the need to write custom functions and use well-tested methods

12. Winston

Winston is an excellent NPM package that provides a flexible logging library for Node.js apps. It provides various modes of transport and intuitive APIs for logging messages at different levels of servers. Also, it notifies if any debug occurs in the Node application as a warning.

By using Winston, you can customize log formats, rotation settings, and timestamps as per the specifications. It also allows developers to configure transport options, including database, file, and console, to handle log messages.

When to Use Winston
✅ Reliable logging solution for your Node js application
✅ Quickly identify and analyze errors in the Node application
✅ Monitor or track user behaviors to enhance user experience
✅ To improve debugging and troubleshooting processes by generating detailed logs

Testing, Tools and Integration

Following are the numerous packages that boost your development workflow with automated testing, robust tools, and seamless integration.

13. Axios

The JavaScript library is excellent for making HTTP requests from Node js or browser environments. Axios offers intuitive APIs for responses and requests, such as PUT, POST, GET, and DELETE. Due to that, error handling is easier; headers, authentication, and configuration timeouts are convenient.

Also, Axios provides robust features, such as automation JSON data, request cancellation, and interceptors, and enables developers to make simultaneous requests. It is widely adopted because of its browser compatibility and versatility.

When to Use Axios
✅ For making HTTP requests from your applications
✅ Asynchronous operations and simplifying error handling
✅ Implementing authorization and authentication mechanisms
✅ Eliminating pending requests or sending various requests simultaneously

14. Minify

It is a suitable package to eliminate unnecessary white spaces, characters, and comments from CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files. Minify focuses on optimizing and decreasing the size of code files to improve page loading.

One of the benefits of Minify is that once you download or install it, you can operate it offline. To utilize Minify as middleware, you should try Mollify, which can generate a new file with altered file extensions, such as .min.Html, min.Css, or .min.Json.

When to Use Minify
✅ Working on front-end development projects
✅ Minified version to control and deployment processes
✅ Improve loading speed and website performance
✅ Minimize the size of assets

15. Redux

The state management library servers for JavaScript applications in the NPM package. Redux provides centralized and predictable application management. It makes tracking, maintaining, and updating data through numerous components effortless.

Redux can handle complex data flow management and support processes by storing the entire application state in the centralized store. Additionally, Redux can easily integrate with React, Angular, and Vue js to build scalable applications.

When to Use Redux
✅ For sharing multiple components to access the same data
✅ Maintaining consistent and predictable application state
✅ Leveraging extensive resources and community support
✅ Integrating middleware for handling asynchronous actions or caching

16. Passport

Adding to the list of NPM packages is the Passport. It provides authentication middleware for Node js applications and has a flexible approach to handling user authorization. Passport supports an extensive set of plugins, known as strategies, that helps to authenticate requests.

Also, its modular allows a separate module by implementing authentication methods, including PassportJS Authentication in Node js. Hence, it enables you to modify as required and integrate various authentication methods into a single application.

When to Use Passport
✅ Need to implement token-based authentication utilizing JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
✅ A lightweight and flexible authentication middleware that supports various authentication strategies
✅ Secure different routes or endpoints of your app based on user permissions
✅ Compatible with numerous web frameworks and seamless integration into existing Node js application

17. Babel

Babel is a JavaScript compiler that allows developers to write JavaScript code transformed into a backward-compatible version. It offers custom configurations that enable you to craft applications per specific requirements.

In addition, Babel supports a modular plugin system, where each plugin performs a particular transformation on the JS code. It is crucial for developers who want to leverage new languages while ensuring cross-browser compatibility.

When to Use Babel
✅ To write modern JavaScript code employing the latest ECMAScript features
✅ Customizable toolchain to configure particular transformations and plugins for your JavaScript code
✅ Want a compiler that is compatible with older systems or frameworks
✅ Seamless integration into the existing build process to automate code transformation and browser-compatible code

18. Jest

Powered by Meta Jest is a powerful NPM package with a JavaScript testing framework. It is widely used for backend Node js applications. Jest offers built-in features that promote effective testing, including test setup, mocking, and assertions.

It also provides an intelligent test runner that optimizes test execution by operating relevant tests based on changes in the code. In addition, it allows developers to test independently without the interface of other tests.

When to Use Jest
✅ Write code in different languages along with the integration of multiple tools
✅ Easy to use and Beginner-appropriate testing frameworks
✅ Working on open-source projects that demand robust testing
✅ Leverage reliable test coverage to manage complex scenarios

19. Linter

Developers consider Linter as a fixer tool in the NPM list packages. It provides a command-line interface or integrates with development tools to enhance code quality by fixing issues in the code. Linters scan the source and report syntax bugs or errors.

Linters tools like JsLint and ESLint can be highly customized and configured to support multiple programming languages, such as TypeScript. It helps enforce coding standards and Node js best practices by analyzing code to spot potential errors and style violations.

When to Use Linter
✅ To catch potential errors and bugs during the early development process
✅ Streamline code reviews by automating the identification of primary code problems
✅ Minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities by securing coding practices
✅ Enhance code portability by detecting compatibility issues through browsers, platforms, and environments

20. Mongoose

Another on the list of NPM packages is Mongoose, a MongoDB database tool that provides data validation and object modeling in Node js applications. It offers APIs with a scheme-based approach, which makes it easier to define data models and perform database operations efficiently.

Additionally, it provides comprehensive features that minimize database complications, such as updating, querying, and deleting. It also offers middleware, data calculation, and indexing to handle data validation and error handling.

When to Use Mongoose
✅ To establish relationships between MongoDB collections, enabling to define of associations and related datail
✅ Looking for a scalable and flexible solution for working with MongoDB
✅ Developing Node js application that can be easily adapted to modify your data model
✅ Extensive plugins or extensions to expand the functionality of MongoDB database

21. Sequelize

Extending the list of powerful NPM packages that efficiently perform with relational databases in your Node js applications. Sequelize offers an object-relational mapping layer that helps developers to interact with the database using JavaScript methods and objects.

Furthermore, it provides different methods to prevent complex SQL queries, such as querying and abstracting data. Sequelize is a support tool for database management systems, such as MYSQL, DB2, Postgres, SQLite, Snowflake, and Microsoft SQL servers.

When to Use Sequelize
✅ When you need to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on your database
✅ Develop a real-life application that efficiently requires data handling and synchronization with the database
✅ Manage database migrations and handle changes to the database schema over time
✅ To support data validation and ensure data integrity to handle the database

22. Nodemon

The tool is a helpful NPM package for your Node js applications. Nodemon improves the development experience by automatically restarting the server whenever any code changes are identified. In simpler terms, it saves your time by automating.

Using Nodemon, you are not required to perform a manual test and restart the server whenever any changes occur. It is configurable and supports multiple options to suit your development needs. In addition, it provides options to delay the time of executions.

When to Use Nodemon
✅ Automate solution to monitor and identify file changes in your codebase or when the server restarts
✅ Easy to set up and integrate into the development environment without significant code change or configuration
✅ To develop web applications that demand continuous testing and validation in the development process
✅ When you want to ensure an uninterrupted and smooth development process

23. Request

The Request is another library that simplifies the HTTP request process in Node js applications. It offers intuitive APIs that send HTTP requests to the server and receive responses. You can execute tasks using Request, such as sending PUT, GET, DELETE, and POST.

Leveraging requests helps to handle the complexity of dealing with low-level HTTP protocols. The package supports authentication, JSON data handling, form-data uploads, and streamlined responses with numerous data types and APIs.

When to Use Request
✅ To abstract data from external APIs or web services to integrate with your apps
✅ For synchronizing data between numerous systems or databases
✅ Interact with RESTful APIs to submit data as Request simplifies the HTTP requests
✅ Want to monitor external services for bugs or issues as Request helps to perform monitoring

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24. Cheerio

Cheerio is an NPM package that provides a flexible interface for determining HTML and XML documents in the Node js apps. It offers HTML parsing to load documents from files and then uses CSS selectors to target particular elements.

As a result, you can fetch specific information from scrape tables, web pages, and other structured data. Cheerio supports modifying DOM, managing AJAX requests, and serializing HTML documents.

When to Use Cheerio
✅ To parse HTML templates and update or modify them with data
✅ To monitor and collect data like pricing or product information from competitor’s website
✅ Simplifies the organizing and analyzing data process from HTML sources
✅ Test and validate HTML functionality and structure during development or maintenance process

25. PM2

PM2 stands for Process Manager 2. The robust NPM packages are designed to manage and streamline deployment processes in Node js applications. PM2 ensures that the application environment is operating smoothly and error-free.

Using PM2, you can start, stop, or restart your Node.js application and monitor their performance. In addition, it provides features for production environments, such as built-in error, process monitoring, and automatic restart if any issues arise during the development process.

When to Use PM2
✅ To generate detailed reports and metrics for optimizing application performance
✅ When you want to build flexible application using Node Js Microservices architecture with centralized process management
✅ Automatic code reload upon changes, making development and testing workflows efficient
✅ Apps looking for granular control of log management and rotations to ensure the use of disk space

26. Morgan

Morgan is one of the popular libraries on the NPM packages list. An HTTP request logger provides middleware for Node js web applications. It is comprehensively used with Express to store HTTP requests and offers insights into applications.

Using Morgan, you can integrate logging functionality into your application without writing specific code. It amasses information regarding HTTP requests, such as URL, request method, and response time.

When to Use Morgan
✅ Log incoming HTTP requests and responses time for your Node js applications
✅ Identify potential errors of bottlenecks during the initial development process
✅ Implement request rate limiting or access control based on request patterns
✅ Easy-to-use solutions for logging HTTP requests in your Node apps

27. Sharp

For higher performance and images NPM packages, Sharp is a brilliant image processing library for Node js that provides ways to manipulate images. It offers comprehensive image processing capabilities, such as implementing filters, resizing, cropping, and rotating.

Sharp provides high performance and low memory usage, which helps deal with large images. Also, it supports multiple image formats, such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, and WebP. The library handles both the output and input of visual formats.

When to Use Sharp
✅ When you need to generate thumbnails or preview images using special dimensions
✅ Convert images between different formats, such as converting PNG into JPEG
✅ Improve the visual quality of the image by implementing sharpening algorithms
✅ Enhance your application’s performance and loading times by employing progressive image-loading techniques

28. Chai

The assertion library comes under flexible NPM packages that provide testing JavaScript code. It is utilized to write concise and readable test cases using frameworks such as Jest or Mocha. It provides comprehensive styles involving syntaxes and traditional assertions.

With a rich set of built-in assertions, developers can craft specific assertions per business requirements. You can add values and types in the test to ensure the appropriate code. As a result, using Chai enhances the code quality and the testing process.

When to Use Chai
✅ To boost testing process efficiency with Chai’s extensive feature set
✅ Building applications for industries such as finance, e-commerce, and healthcare, where accurate information is crucial
✅ To identify failures or errors during the early development stage through the testing process
✅ Use an automation test for an application requiring continuous integration and deployment processes

29. Joi

Another superb choice to determine on the list of NPM packages is Joi. The JavaScript library efficiently enables developers to set validation rules for complex data structures. Using Joi, you can approve user inputs, configuration files, and API request loads.

By leveraging Joi, you can assure data consistency and integrity in your Node applications. In addition, developers can limit specific required fields, such as values, regular expressions, string length, and data types. It helps to detect debugging and fix the issues.

When to Use Joi
✅ Enforce data validation rules and inputs for API request payload
✅ Enhance quality and reliability of your application through data validation
✅ For flexible and customizable JavaScript library
✅ Verify configuration files or environment variables

30. Nodemailer

As the name suggests, Nodemailer is an NPM package that offers an easy and effective approach to sending emails using Node js. The library allows developers to send emails utilizing numerous email service providers through their applications

When to Use Nodemailer
✅ For using simple plaintext and HTML email formats
✅ Integrating with third-party email services like Outlook or Gmail to send email
✅ Ideal for sending emails in bulk and running email marketing campaigns
✅ Sending different language transactional emails and supporting international email delivery systems

31. Puppeteer

The last on the list of NPM packages is Puppeteer. It enables you to programmatically interact with actions, web pages, and abstract information. Using Puppeteer, you can automate operations, such as generating PDFs, website testing, and scraping.

It is highly reliant on JavaScript and developed by Google’s Chrome team. It is helpful to automate browsers and scraping. In addition, Puppeteer allows you to communicate network responses and requests like cookies or geolocation.

When to Use Puppeteer
✅ To automate end-to-end testing of your web application
✅ Enhance user interface by simulating user interaction and navigating application flows
✅ Analyze and optimize web page performance with techniques like measuring load times
✅ Identify visual changes on web pages by rendering layouts

31 Remarkable NPM Packages to Streamline Your Development

Table of Contents

An Overview of NPM Packages

Why Use NPM Packages?

31 Best NPM Packages to Enhance Your App Development

Web Development Frameworks and Libraries

1. Express

2. Socket.IO

3. GraphQL

4. Helmet

5. Multer

6. Node-sass

Data Manipulation and Utilities

7. Lodash

8. Moment

9. Async

10. Bluebird

11. Underscore

12. Winston

Testing, Tools and Integration

13. Axios

14. Minify

15. Redux

16. Passport

17. Babel

18. Jest

19. Linter

20. Mongoose

21. Sequelize

22. Nodemon

23. Request

24. Cheerio

25. PM2

26. Morgan

27. Sharp

28. Chai

29. Joi

30. Nodemailer

31. Puppeteer

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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