Development dependency
A development dependency is a software package needed for development tasks such as building, testing, or debugging, but not normally needed for an application's runtime operation.
Bootstrapping Microservices, Second Edition: With Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and Terraform
A development dependency is a software package required for developing, testing, or building an application but not necessarily for running it in production.
- How it is used
- Separates development and test tooling from packages needed to run a production Node.js microservice.
- How deep it goes
- Explains package.json placement, npm install flags, scripts, and Dockerfile differences through working examples.
- Examples
- Uses nodemon for live reloading and Jest for testing as concrete development dependencies.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by saving development tools separately and excluding them from production installations and images.
Web Components in Action
A development dependency is a software package required for developing, testing, or building an application but not normally required at runtime.
- How it is used
- Separates development, testing, and build tooling from packages needed by the running application.
- How deep it goes
- Explains classification, local installation, package.json recording, and script execution without detailing npm dependency resolution.
- Examples
- Uses Rollup for bundling and Web Component Tester with Mocha, Babel, and plugins for component testing and builds.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure npm projects by installing tools locally and invoking repeatable build or test scripts.
Read how Web Components in Action explains development dependency →
Pro Angular 16
The devDependencies property is an npm manifest field listing packages required during development but excluded from the finished application.
- How it is used
- Separates development, build, and testing tools from packages required to run the finished application.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the manifest distinction, shows representative packages, and demonstrates installation with npm, but does not detail dependency-resolution internals.
- Examples
- Uses Angular CLI, TypeScript, Jasmine, Karma, and deployment server packages as concrete devDependencies.
- What you can do after
- Operate NPM to install development-only packages and identify tooling that belongs in devDependencies.
Essential TypeScript 5, Third Edition
devDependencies is the package.json field that records packages required during project development rather than at application runtime.
- How it is used
- Separates project tools from packages included in the application, while deployment configurations may use it for container-support packages.
- How deep it goes
- Explains package classification, local installation, version ranges, and commands, but does not detail NPM's dependency-resolution algorithm.
- Examples
- Uses tsc-watch and typescript listings plus Angular and React container configurations with Express-related packages.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure NPM projects by classifying packages and installing local development tools with --save-dev.
Read how Essential TypeScript 5, Third Edition explains development dependency →
Related concepts
- cargo.tomlpart of · Cargo.toml is a TOML-formatted Rust package manifest declaring project metadata, dependencies, targets, and build configuration.
- production dependencycontrasts with · A production dependency is a software package or component required by an application in its deployed runtime environment.
- packageconfigures · A software package is a named grouping of modules or components, often with related resources and metadata, organized for import, reuse, distribution, or management.
- Jestconfigures · Jest is a JavaScript testing framework for defining, running, and asserting automated tests.
- package.jsonpart of · package.json is the standard JSON manifest for an npm or Node.js package, declaring metadata, dependencies, scripts, entry points, and related configuration.
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