What is `"dev" true` in package-lock.json for?
Npmpackage.jsonNpm Problem Overview
What does "dev" true means in package-lock.json file?
In my case it is automatically updated when I perform npm operations.
How can we remove it?
Npm Solutions
Solution 1 - Npm
So answering your first question, "dev": true in package-lock.json means this dependency won't be installed by npm install/npm ci when running in production mode.
Having dependencies used only for local development environment marked with "dev": true and then using --production in your CI might save you some build time.
From documentation https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/install#description:
> By default, npm install will install all modules listed as
> dependencies in package.json.
>
> With the --production flag (or when the NODE_ENV environment
> variable is set to production), npm will not install modules listed
> in devDependencies.
Solution 2 - Npm
I think this paragraph tries to illustrate how the package dependency's dev: true is assigned.
- Directly development dependency -> dev: true
- With only indirect development dependency -> dev: true
- Directly development dependency however it also has indirect non-develop dependency -> no "dev: true"
In other words, once a develop dependency package is indirectly dependent by a non-development package, it shall be dev: false and thus it will be included in the build process. The purpose of this rule is to make sure that packages needed by the non-develop package will not have "dev: true".
Besides, if install via "npm install -D
For example, I run "npm install -D bestzip" in my project and the ressult is:
- 53 dependencies with "dev": true added
Run "npm install bestzip" and the result is:
- 53 dependencies without "dev": true added
- 43 existing dependencies' "dev": true attribute are removed
Solution 3 - Npm
From the npm docs at https://docs.npmjs.com/files/package-lock.json
> If true then this dependency is either a development dependency ONLY of the top level module or a transitive dependency of one. This is false for dependencies that are both a development dependency of the top level and a transitive dependency of a non-development dependency of the top level.