In Node.js, "module" and "package" refer to different concepts, and they play distinct roles in the Node.js ecosystem.
-
Module:
- A module in Node.js is a reusable piece of code that encapsulates related functionality.
- It can be a single file or a collection of files organized in a directory.
- Modules help in organizing code into smaller, manageable pieces, promoting modularity and code reuse.
- To make functions, variables, or objects from a module available in another module, you use the
exports
object ormodule.exports
. - Modules are used to structure and break down large applications into smaller, more maintainable parts.
Example of a simple module (myModule.js
):
// myModule.js
const greeting = "Hello, ";
function sayHello(name) {
console.log(greeting + name);
}
module.exports = {
sayHello: sayHello
};
Using the module in another file (app.js
):
// app.js
const myModule = require('./myModule');
myModule.sayHello('Shameel');
-
Package:
- A package in Node.js is a way of organizing related modules into a directory structure.
- It contains a
package.json
file, which includes metadata about the package (such as name, version, dependencies, etc.). - Packages can be published to the npm (Node Package Manager) registry, allowing others to easily install and use them in their projects.
- npm is the default package manager for Node.js, and it simplifies the process of installing, managing, and sharing packages.
Example of a simple package (my-package
):
my-package/
├── package.json
├── myModule.js
└── app.js
package.json
:
{
"name": "my-package",
"version": "1.0.0",
"main": "app.js",
"dependencies": {
// dependencies go here
}
}
Using the package:
// app.js inside my-package
const myModule = require('./myModule');
myModule.sayHello('Shameel');
To use this package in another project, you would typically publish it to npm and then install it in your project using npm install my-package
.
In summary, a module is a single file or a collection of files that encapsulates related functionality, while a package is a way of organizing and distributing related modules, often with additional metadata and dependencies specified in a package.json
file.