npm-package-publishing

NPM Package Publishing for Node-RED

This skill provides patterns, workflows, and templates for publishing Node-RED node packages to npm with automated CI/CD pipelines.

When to Use This Skill

Configuring package.json for Node-RED node packages
Setting up GitHub Actions for CI/CD
Managing semantic versioning and releases
Creating changelog entries
Publishing packages to npm
Setting up automated dependency updates

Quick Start

To set up CI/CD for a Node-RED node package:

Copy workflow templates from assets/workflows/ to .github/workflows/
Configure npm token in GitHub repository secrets
Review the pre-publish checklist in references/npm-publishing-checklist.md

NPM Package Configuration

package.json for Node-RED Nodes

{
    "name": "@scope/node-red-contrib-example",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "Example Node-RED nodes for demonstration",
    "keywords": [
        "node-red",
        "example",
        "demo"
    ],
    "repository": {
        "type": "git",
        "url": "git+https://github.com/username/node-red-contrib-example.git"
    },
    "author": {
        "name": "Your Name",
        "email": "your.email@example.com"
    },
    "license": "MIT",
    "bugs": {
        "url": "https://github.com/username/node-red-contrib-example/issues"
    },
    "homepage": "https://github.com/username/node-red-contrib-example#readme",
    "engines": {
        "node": ">=14.0.0"
    },
    "node-red": {
        "version": ">=2.0.0",
        "nodes": {
            "example-node": "nodes/example-node.js",
            "example-config": "nodes/example-config.js"
        }
    },
    "dependencies": {},
    "devDependencies": {
        "jest": "^29.0.0",
        "node-red-node-test-helper": "^0.3.0"
    },
    "scripts": {
        "test": "jest",
        "test:coverage": "jest --coverage",
        "lint": "eslint nodes/ test/",
        "prepublishOnly": "npm test"
    },
    "files": [
        "nodes/",
        "icons/",
        "examples/",
        "LICENSE",
        "README.md"
    ]
}

Key Fields Explained

`name` - Package Name

Since January 2022: All new Node-RED packages MUST use scoped names
Format: @scope/node-red-contrib-* or @scope/node-red-*
Example: @myorg/node-red-contrib-api-gateway

`node-red` - Node-RED Specific Configuration

{
    "node-red": {
        "version": ">=2.0.0",
        "nodes": {
            "node-type-name": "path/to/node.js"
        }
    }
}

version: Minimum Node-RED version required
nodes: Map of node type names to their JavaScript files

`keywords` - Discoverability

Always include node-red keyword for npm/flows.nodered.org discovery:

{
    "keywords": ["node-red", "your-feature", "integration"]
}

`files` - Published Files

Whitelist approach - only listed files/directories are published:

{
    "files": [
        "nodes/",
        "icons/",
        "examples/",
        "LICENSE",
        "README.md"
    ]
}

.npmignore vs files

Prefer the files field (whitelist) over .npmignore (blacklist):

{
    "files": [
        "nodes/",
        "icons/",
        "LICENSE",
        "README.md"
    ]
}

This ensures only necessary files are published, avoiding accidental inclusion of test files, configs, or secrets.

Dependencies Best Practices

{
    "dependencies": {
        "axios": "^1.6.0"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "jest": "^29.0.0",
        "node-red-node-test-helper": "^0.3.0",
        "eslint": "^8.0.0"
    },
    "peerDependencies": {
        "node-red": ">=2.0.0"
    }
}

dependencies: Runtime requirements (minimal for Node-RED nodes)
devDependencies: Test, lint, build tools
peerDependencies: Node-RED itself (optional, can use engines instead)

Semantic Versioning

Version Format

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH[-PRERELEASE][+BUILD]

Examples:
1.0.0        - Initial release
1.0.1        - Patch: bug fix
1.1.0        - Minor: new feature, backward compatible
2.0.0        - Major: breaking changes
1.0.0-beta.1 - Pre-release
1.0.0-rc.1   - Release candidate

When to Bump

Change Type	Version Bump	Example
Bug fix, no API change	PATCH	1.0.0 → 1.0.1
New feature, backward compatible	MINOR	1.0.1 → 1.1.0
Breaking change	MAJOR	1.1.0 → 2.0.0
Pre-release	PRERELEASE	1.0.0 → 1.0.0-beta.1

Version Bump Commands

# Patch version (1.0.0 → 1.0.1)
npm version patch

# Minor version (1.0.0 → 1.1.0)
npm version minor

# Major version (1.0.0 → 2.0.0)
npm version major

# Specific version
npm version 2.0.0

# Pre-release
npm version prerelease --preid=beta
npm version 1.0.0-beta.1

# With git tag message
npm version minor -m "Release v%s"

CHANGELOG.md Format

Use Keep a Changelog format:

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).

## [Unreleased]

### Added
- New feature description

### Changed
- Modified behavior description

### Deprecated
- Soon-to-be removed features

### Removed
- Removed features

### Fixed
- Bug fixes

### Security
- Security patches

## [1.1.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added
- Added retry logic to API calls
- Added configurable timeout option

### Fixed
- Fixed memory leak in connection pool

## [1.0.0] - 2024-01-01

### Added
- Initial release
- Basic API gateway functionality
- Configuration node for server settings

[Unreleased]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.1.0...HEAD
[1.1.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.0.0...v1.1.0
[1.0.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/releases/tag/v1.0.0

GitHub Actions CI/CD

Workflow Templates

Copy the workflow templates from assets/workflows/ to your repository's .github/workflows/ directory.

Available Templates

ci.yml - Continuous Integration
- Runs on: push to main, pull requests
- Jobs: lint, test (matrix across Node versions)
- Caches npm dependencies
release.yml - Automated Release
- Runs on: tag push (v*)
- Jobs: test, publish to npm
- Creates GitHub release
dependabot.yml - Dependency Updates
- Weekly npm dependency updates
- Weekly GitHub Actions updates

Setting Up Secrets

NPM Token

Generate token at npmjs.com → Access Tokens → Generate New Token
Choose "Automation" type for CI/CD
Add to GitHub: Settings → Secrets → Actions → New repository secret
Name: NPM_TOKEN

Required Secrets

Secret	Purpose	Where to Get
`NPM_TOKEN`	Publish to npm	npmjs.com → Access Tokens
`GITHUB_TOKEN`	Auto-provided	GitHub provides automatically

Workflow Triggers

# Push to specific branches
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]

# Pull requests
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

# Tag push (for releases)
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

# Manual trigger
on:
  workflow_dispatch:

# Scheduled
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * 0'  # Weekly on Sunday

Job Matrix for Node Versions

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [18, 20, 22]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm test

Release Process

Tag-Based Releases

# 1. Update version in package.json
npm version minor -m "Release v%s"

# 2. Push with tags
git push origin main --tags

The release workflow automatically:

Runs tests
Publishes to npm
Creates GitHub release with changelog

Manual Release Steps

If not using automated release:

# 1. Ensure clean working directory
git status

# 2. Run tests
npm test

# 3. Update CHANGELOG.md
# Move [Unreleased] items to new version section

# 4. Bump version
npm version minor

# 5. Push changes and tags
git push origin main --tags

# 6. Publish to npm
npm publish --access public

Pre-Release Versions

# Beta release
npm version prerelease --preid=beta
git push origin main --tags
npm publish --tag beta

# Release candidate
npm version prerelease --preid=rc
git push origin main --tags
npm publish --tag rc

# Install pre-release
npm install @scope/package@beta
npm install @scope/package@rc

Branch Strategy

Recommended: GitHub Flow

main (production-ready)
  └── feature/add-retry-logic
  └── fix/memory-leak
  └── docs/update-readme

main - Always deployable
Feature branches for all changes
PR to main, squash merge
Tag releases from main

For Larger Projects: Git Flow

main (releases)
  └── develop (integration)
        └── feature/new-feature
        └── fix/bug-fix
  └── release/1.2.0
  └── hotfix/critical-fix

.gitignore for Node-RED Projects

# Dependencies
node_modules/

# Test coverage
coverage/

# Build outputs
dist/
build/

# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/
*.swp
*.swo

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Logs
*.log
npm-debug.log*

# Environment
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# Test artifacts
.nyc_output/
test-results/

# npm
*.tgz
package-lock.json  # Optional: include if you want reproducible installs

Reference Documentation

For detailed checklists and guides:

references/npm-publishing-checklist.md - Pre-publish verification steps
assets/workflows/ - GitHub Actions workflow templates

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Non-scoped package names - All new packages must be scoped
Missing node-red keyword - Required for discoverability
Including test files in package - Use files field to whitelist
Forgetting prepublishOnly script - Run tests before publish
Not setting npm token - Required for automated publishing
Mismatched version/tag - Use npm version to keep in sync
Empty CHANGELOG - Document all changes for users
Missing engines field - Specify Node.js version requirements