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cristiancajiaos
Asked: 2020-11-17 08:51:16 +0800 CST 2020-11-17 08:51:16 +0800 CST

Should I or shouldn't I include the node_modules folder inside the folders that Git should ignore?

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I start contextualizing. This GitHub repository I made has only one file uploaded to it, a file package.json, which I pulled from a custom web app template I use. That app uses various tools and frameworks, including AngularJS, Bootstrap 3, SASS, etc., and uses Grunt as an automator.

The two relevant aspects for this scenario that I propose are that:

  1. NPM is used as a package manager.

  2. In the repository there is no file .gitignore, i.e. no file to specify which files/folders are to be ignored by Git . It is crucial for what comes later.

The content of the file package.json, as it appears in the repository , is as follows:

{
  "name": "miproyecto",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "Gruntfile.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC",
  "devDependencies": {
    "grunt": "^1.0.4",
    "grunt-angular-templates": "^1.2.0",
    "grunt-contrib-connect": "^2.1.0",
    "grunt-contrib-copy": "^1.0.0",
    "grunt-contrib-cssmin": "^3.0.0",
    "grunt-contrib-htmlmin": "^3.1.0",
    "grunt-contrib-jshint": "^2.1.0",
    "grunt-contrib-sass": "^1.0.0",
    "grunt-contrib-uglify": "^4.0.1",
    "grunt-contrib-watch": "^1.1.0",
    "grunt-htmlhint": "^0.9.13",
    "grunt-stylelint": "^0.12.0",
    "load-grunt-tasks": "^5.1.0",
    "stylelint": "^11.1.1"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@fortawesome/fontawesome-free": "^5.10.2",
    "@uirouter/angularjs": "^1.0.22",
    "angular": "^1.7.8",
    "angular-animate": "^1.7.8",
    "bootstrap": "^3.3.6",
    "jquery": "^3.4.1"
  }
}

Once the repository is cloned, in Visual Studio Code (which is the editor I use), I open a terminal, and then run npm installto install the dependencies.

When the installation of the dependencies is finished, and the generation of the folder node_modules, it strikes me that, from the VSC Git extension (which I have installed), I get the following notification (I put it in image and text):

The git repository at '[local folder where I have the local copy of my repository]' has too many active changes, only a subset of Git features will be enabled. Would you like to add 'node_modules' to .gitignore?

enter image description here

That refers to the volume of active changes that were taking place, and therefore it suggests if I want to include the folder node_modulesin a file .gitignore, which until now, had not been created.

Considering the volume of changes described for GIT, and the weight on the hard drive that the installed dependencies imply, I want to ask:

  1. Should I, or should I not, include the folder node_modules, within the folders that Git should ignore?
  2. Outside of the volume and weight aspects, what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing it, or not doing it?
nodejs

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    The answer is simple: NO .

    The file node_modulesis rebuilt when executing npm install, so you only need to check the file with the instructions to rebuild it, that is, the packages.json.

    In general, neither the build results nor the modules that are part of the dependencies are checked when there is a package manager for the project, only the file that indicates these dependencies is checked .

    The same goes for Python and pip, Ruby and RubyGems, Go, Haskell and cabal, etc.

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