Linking projects for faster debugging and development

Building project dependencies can sometimes be a tedious task. Instead of publishing a package version to NPM and installing the dependency to test the changes, use npm link. npm link creates a symlink so the latest code can be tested in a local environment. This makes testing global tools and project dependencies easier by allowing the latest code run before making a published version.

Help text

NAME
       npm-link - Symlink a package folder

SYNOPSIS
         npm link (in package dir)
         npm link [<@scope>/]<pkg>[@<version>]

         alias: npm ln

Steps for linking project dependencies

When creating the dependency link, note that the package name is what is going to be referenced in the parent project.

1. CD into a dependency directory (ex: cd ../my-dep)
2. npm link
3. CD into the project that is going to use the dependency
4. npm link my-dep or if namespaced npm link @namespace/my-dep

Steps for linking a global tool

1. CD into the project directory (ex: cd eslint-watch)
2. npm link
3. Use the tool
4. esw --quiet

Problems that may arise

Linking projects can sometimes cause issues if the dependency or global tool is already installed. npm uninstall (-g) <pkg> and then running npm link normally resolves any issues that may arise.