---
title: npm-publish
section: 1
description: Publish a package
---

### Synopsis

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### Description

Publishes a package to the registry so that it can be installed by name.

### Examples

Publish the package in the current directory:

```bash
npm publish
```

Publish a specific workspace:

```bash
npm publish --workspace=<workspace-name>
```

Publish multiple workspaces:

```bash
npm publish --workspace=workspace-a --workspace=workspace-b
```

Publish all workspaces:

```bash
npm publish --workspaces
```

By default npm will publish to the public registry.
This can be overridden by specifying a different default registry or using a [`scope`](/using-npm/scope) in the name, combined with a scope-configured registry (see [`package.json`](/configuring-npm/package-json)).


A `package` is interpreted the same way as other commands (like `npm install`) and can be:

* a) a folder containing a program described by a [`package.json`](/configuring-npm/package-json) file
* b) a gzipped tarball containing (a)
* c) a url that resolves to (b)
* d) a `<name>@<version>` that is published on the registry (see [`registry`](/using-npm/registry)) with (c)
* e) a `<name>@<tag>` (see [`npm dist-tag`](/commands/npm-dist-tag)) that points to (d)
* f) a `<name>` that has a "latest" tag satisfying (e)
* g) a `<git remote url>` that resolves to (a)

If either (a) or (b) is specified as a relative path, it should begin with an explicit `./` prefix.

The publish will fail if the package name and version combination already exists in the specified registry.

Once a package is published with a given name and version, that specific name and version combination can never be used again, even if it is removed with [`npm unpublish`](/commands/npm-unpublish).

As of `npm@5`, both a sha1sum and an integrity field with a sha512sum of the tarball will be submitted to the registry during publication.
Subsequent installs will use the strongest supported algorithm to verify downloads.

Similar to `--dry-run` see [`npm pack`](/commands/npm-pack), which figures out the files to be included and packs them into a tarball to be uploaded to the registry.

### Files included in package

To see what will be included in your package, run `npm pack --dry-run`.
All files are included by default, with the following exceptions:

- Certain files that are relevant to package installation and distribution are always included.
For example, `package.json`, `README.md`,
  `LICENSE`, and so on.

- If there is a "files" list in [`package.json`](/configuring-npm/package-json), then only the files specified will be included.
 (If directories are specified, then they will be walked recursively and their contents included, subject to the same ignore rules.)

- If there is a `.gitignore` or `.npmignore` file, then ignored files in that and all child directories will be excluded from the package.
  If _both_ files exist, then the `.gitignore` is ignored, and only the
  `.npmignore` is used.

  `.npmignore` files follow the [same pattern rules](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Basics-Recording-Changes-to-the-Repository#_ignoring) as `.gitignore` files

- If the file matches certain patterns, then it will _never_ be included, unless explicitly added to the `"files"` list in `package.json`, or un-ignored with a `!` rule in a `.npmignore` or `.gitignore` file.

- Symbolic links are never included in npm packages.


See [`developers`](/using-npm/developers) for full details on what's included in the published package, as well as details on how the package is built.

See [`package.json`](/configuring-npm/package-json) for more info on what can and can't be ignored.

### Configuration

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### See Also

* [package spec](/using-npm/package-spec)
* [npm-packlist package](http://npm.im/npm-packlist)
* [npm registry](/using-npm/registry)
* [npm scope](/using-npm/scope)
* [npm adduser](/commands/npm-adduser)
* [npm owner](/commands/npm-owner)
* [npm deprecate](/commands/npm-deprecate)
* [npm dist-tag](/commands/npm-dist-tag)
* [npm pack](/commands/npm-pack)
* [npm profile](/commands/npm-profile)