markdown_files/JavaScript_tools__npx.md

metadata

title: 'JavaScript tools: npx'
original_url: https://tds.s-anand.net/#/npx?id=javascript-tools-npx
downloaded_at: '2025-06-08T23:21:38.208039'

JavaScript tools: npx

npx is a command-line tool that comes with npm (Node Package Manager) and allows you to execute npm package binaries and run one-off commands without installing them globally. It’s essential for modern JavaScript development and data science workflows.

For data scientists, npx is useful when:

• Running JavaScript-based data visualization tools
• Converting notebooks and documents
• Testing and formatting code
• Running development servers

Here are common npx commands:

# Run a package without installing
npx http-server .                # Start a local web server
npx prettier --write .           # Format code or docs
npx eslint .                     # Lint JavaScript
npx typescript-node script.ts    # Run TypeScript directly
npx esbuild app.js               # Bundle JavaScript
npx jsdoc .                      # Generate JavaScript docs

# Run specific versions
npx prettier@3.2 --write .        # Use prettier 3.2

# Execute remote scripts (use with caution!)
npx github:user/repo            # Run from GitHubCopy to clipboardErrorCopied

Watch this introduction to npx (6 min):

[Previous

Python tools: uv](#/uv)

[Next

Unicode](#/unicode)