npm (Package Manager)
intermediateDefinition
The standard tool for installing and updating the ready-made code packages (dependencies) a JavaScript project uses, along with the large online catalog it downloads them from.
In the wild
Running `npm install` in a freshly downloaded project fetches every package it lists, so the app is ready to start.
More from Programming Basics
Array
An ordered list of items kept together under one name, where each item has a numbered position that usually starts at 0.
async / await
Two JavaScript words that let code wait for a slow step, like loading orders from the internet, before moving on, without freezing the rest of the app. `async` marks a function that will wait, and `await` marks the exact step to wait for (usually a promise, a placeholder for a result that isn't ready yet).
Boolean
A value that can only be true or false, used for yes-or-no questions such as "has this order been paid?"
Callback
A function you hand to another piece of code so it can run it later, when something happens, such as a click, a timer ending, or data arriving.
Data Type
The kind of value a piece of data is, such as text, a number, true or false, or a list, which decides what you can do with it.
Dependency (Package)
A piece of code written by someone else that your project installs and relies on instead of building that part itself.