---
name: "npm-init"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "npm"
version: "1.4.21+ds-2"
release: "Debian 8 (Jessie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/npm-init/3"
---

# npm-init(3)

Interactively create a package.json file

## NAME

**init** - Interactively create a package.json file

## SYNOPSIS

```
npm.commands.init(args, callback)
```

## DESCRIPTION

This will ask you a bunch of questions, and then write a package.json for you.

It attempts to make reasonable guesses about what you want things to be set to, and then writes a package.json file with the options you´ve selected.

If you already have a package.json file, it´ll read that first, and default to the options in there.

It is strictly additive, so it does not delete options from your package.json without a really good reason to do so.

Since this function expects to be run on the command-line, it doesn´t work very well as a programmatically. The best option is to roll your own, and since JavaScript makes it stupid simple to output formatted JSON, that is the preferred method. If you´re sure you want to handle command-line prompting, then go ahead and use this programmatically.

## SEE ALSO

npm help  package.json