package.json

Part of the Node.js Basics section of Coddy's Node.js journey. Lesson 31 of 33.

A project needs one place that says what it is called, which version it is and how to run it.

That place is package.json. "type": "module" tells Node that your .js files are ES modules. Without it, Node 24 guesses from the import lines, which is why your files worked until now. scripts names commands for npm run, and dependencies lists the packages that npm install express downloads into node_modules. A program can import the file itself:

{
  "name": "weather",
  "version": "0.3.1",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": { "start": "node weather.js" },
  "dependencies": { "express": "^5.1.0" }
}

import pkg from './package.json' with { type: 'json' };
console.log(pkg.version);

with { type: 'json' } tells Node the file is data, not code. Without it, Node refuses the import.

Challenge

Easy

A version command prints notes 1.2.0: the name and version read from package.json.

Run node notes.js version. Then set the version to 1.3.0 in package.json and run it again.

Try it yourself

// Your notes tool starts here.
import { rmSync } from 'node:fs';
import path from 'node:path';
import { formatNote } from './format.js';
import stats from './legacy/stats.cjs';
import store from './store.js';

const [command, ...words] = process.argv.slice(2);
const text = words.join(' ');

store.on('added', (note, n) => {
    console.log(`Saved note ${n}.`);
});

const noteNumber = (word) => {
    const n = Number(word);
    if (!Number.isInteger(n) || n < 1 || n > store.notes.length) {
        console.error(`No note ${word}`);
        process.exit(1);
    }
    return n;
};

if (command === 'add') {
    await store.add(text);
} else if (command === 'list') {
    const owner = process.env.NOTES_OWNER ?? 'you';
    console.log(`Notes for ${owner}`);
    if (store.notes.length === 0) {
        console.log('No notes yet');
    }
    const lines = store.notes.map((note, i) => formatNote(i + 1, note));
    if (store.settings.sort === 'newest') {
        lines.reverse();
    }
    lines.forEach((line) => console.log(line));
} else if (command === 'where') {
    const file = path.join(process.cwd(), 'notes.json');
    console.log(file);
    console.log(path.basename(file));
} else if (command === 'stats') {
    console.log(`${store.notes.length} notes, ${stats.countWords(store.notes)} words`);
} else if (command === 'done') {
    const removed = await store.remove(noteNumber(words[0]));
    console.log(`Done: ${removed}`);
} else if (command === 'remind') {
    const note = store.notes[noteNumber(words[0]) - 1];
    let count = 3;
    const timer = setInterval(() => {
        if (count > 0) {
            console.log(count);
            count -= 1;
        } else {
            console.log(note);
            clearInterval(timer);
        }
    }, 200);
} else if (command === 'import') {
    let input = '';
    for await (const chunk of process.stdin) {
        input += chunk;
    }
    const lines = input
        .split('\n')
        .map((line) => line.trim())
        .filter((line) => line !== '');
    for (const line of lines) {
        await store.add(line);
    }
    console.log(`Imported ${lines.length} notes.`);
} else if (command === 'clear') {
    rmSync('notes.json', { force: true });
    console.log('Deleted notes.json');
} else {
    if (command) {
        console.error(`Unknown command: ${command}`);
    }
    console.error('Usage: node notes.js <command> [words]');
    process.exit(1);
}