What is the difference between dependencies and devDependencies?
dependencies are packages required by the application at runtime. devDependencies are generally packages needed during development, testing, linting, formatting, or building but not necessarily required to run the production application. For example, Express may be a dependency, while a testing framework or ESLint may be a devDependency.
Key Takeaways
- dependencies are runtime dependencies.
- devDependencies are generally development/build/test dependencies.
- Correct classification helps production installations remain lean.
Knowledge Check
Where would a package required by the production application normally be placed?