The answer
It is the manifest of your project. It declares the project name and version, defines scripts like start and build, and lists the dependencies and devDependencies your project needs to run and develop.
package.json Explained for React Beginners
What is package.json in a React project?
More FAQs in package.json Explained for React Beginners
dependencies are packages your app needs to run, like react and react-dom. devDependencies are packages needed only during development, like Parcel, Babel, and ESLint, which are not shipped to production.
The scripts section defines command shortcuts. When you run npm start or npm run build, npm looks up the corresponding script and runs it. Your dev server, build, lint, and test commands all live there.
It is better to use npm install packageName, which updates both package.json and the lockfile together. Editing package.json by hand can leave the lockfile out of sync and cause inconsistent installs.
Still have questions?
Browse all our FAQs or reach out to our support team
Want to upskill yourself?
Your learning library
Small steps. Big possibilities.
Find your next course. Build something great.