Node.js packages ================ The `pkgs/development/node-packages` folder contains a generated collection of [NPM packages](https://npmjs.com/) that can be installed with the Nix package manager. As a rule of thumb, the package set should only provide *end user* software packages, such as command-line utilities. Libraries should only be added to the package set if there is a non-NPM package that requires it. When it is desired to use NPM libraries in a development project, use the `node2nix` generator directly on the `package.json` configuration file of the project. The package set also provides support for multiple Node.js versions. The policy is that a new package should be added to the collection for the latest stable LTS release (which is currently 6.x), unless there is an explicit reason to support a different release. If your package uses native addons, you need to examine what kind of native build system it uses. Here are some examples: * `node-gyp` * `node-gyp-builder` * `node-pre-gyp` After you have identified the correct system, you need to override your package expression while adding in build system as a build input. For example, `dat` requires `node-gyp-build`, so we override its expression in `default-v6.nix`: ```nix dat = nodePackages.dat.override (oldAttrs: { buildInputs = oldAttrs.buildInputs ++ [ nodePackages.node-gyp-build ]; }); ``` To add a package from NPM to nixpkgs: 1. Modify `pkgs/development/node-packages/node-packages-v6.json` to add, update or remove package entries. (Or `pkgs/development/node-packages/node-packages-v4.json` for packages depending on Node.js 4.x) 2. Run the script: `(cd pkgs/development/node-packages && ./generate.sh)`. 3. Build your new package to test your changes: `cd /path/to/nixpkgs && nix-build -A nodePackages.`. To build against a specific Node.js version (e.g. 4.x): `nix-build -A nodePackages_4_x.` 4. Add and commit all modified and generated files. For more information about the generation process, consult the [README.md](https://github.com/svanderburg/node2nix) file of the `node2nix` tool.