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1---2title: Package spec3section: 74description: Package name specifier5---6 7### Description8 9Commands like `npm install` and the dependency sections in the `package.json` use a package name specifier.10This can be many different things that all refer to a "package".  Examples include a package name, git url, tarball, or local directory.11These will generally be referred to as `<package-spec>` in the help output for the npm commands that use this package name specifier.12 13### Package name14 15* `[<@scope>/]<pkg>`16* `[<@scope>/]<pkg>@<tag>`17* `[<@scope>/]<pkg>@<version>`18* `[<@scope>/]<pkg>@<version range>`19 20Refers to a package by name, with or without a scope, and optionally tag, version, or version range.21This is typically used in combination with the [registry](/using-npm/config#registry) config to refer to a package in a registry.22 23Examples:24* `npm`25* `@npmcli/arborist`26* `@npmcli/arborist@latest`27* `npm@6.13.1`28* `npm@^4.0.0`29 30### Aliases31 32* `<alias>@npm:<name>`33 34Primarily used by commands like `npm install` and in the dependency sections in the `package.json`, this refers to a package by an alias.35The `<alias>` is the name of the package as it is reified in the `node_modules` folder, and the `<name>` refers to a package name as found in the configured registry.36 37See `Package name` above for more info on referring to a package by name, and [registry](/using-npm/config#registry) for configuring which registry is used when referring to a package by name.38 39Examples:40* `semver@npm:@npmcli/semver-with-patch`41* `semver@npm:semver@7.2.2`42* `semver@npm:semver@legacy`43 44### Folders45 46* `<folder>`47 48This refers to a package on the local filesystem.49Specifically this is a folder with a `package.json` file in it.50This *should* always be prefixed with a `/` or `./` (or your OS equivalent) to reduce confusion.51npm currently will parse a string with more than one `/` in it as a folder, but this is legacy behavior that may be removed in a future version.52 53Examples:54 55* `./my-package`56* `/opt/npm/my-package`57 58### Tarballs59 60* `<tarball file>`61* `<tarball url>`62 63Examples:64 65* `./my-package.tgz`66* `https://registry.npmjs.org/semver/-/semver-1.0.0.tgz`67 68Refers to a package in a tarball format, either on the local filesystem or remotely via url.69This is the format that packages exist in when uploaded to a registry.70 71### git urls72 73* `<git:// url>`74* `<github username>/<github project>`75 76Refers to a package in a git repo.77This can be a full git url, git shorthand, or a username/package on GitHub.78You can specify a git tag, branch, or other git ref by appending `#ref`.79 80Examples:81 82* `https://github.com/npm/cli.git`83* `git@github.com:npm/cli.git`84* `git+ssh://git@github.com/npm/cli#v6.0.0`85* `github:npm/cli#HEAD`86* `npm/cli#c12ea07`87 88### See also89 90* [npm-package-arg](https://npm.im/npm-package-arg)91* [scope](/using-npm/scope)92* [config](/using-npm/config)93