Example Node app¶

This how-to guide covers the steps, decisions, and implementation details that are unique when crafting a Node-based snap. We’ll work through the aspects unique to Node apps by examining an existing recipe.

The process of developing a snap for a Node app builds on top of npm and package.json manifests, making it possible to adapt or integrate an app’s existing build tooling into the crafting process.

Example recipe for wethr¶

The following code comprises the recipe of a Node project, wethr. This project is a CLI tool for obtaining local weather information.

wethr recipe

name: wethr
version: git
summary: Command line weather tool.
description: |
  Get current weather:-
    $ wethr
  Get current weather in metric units
    $ wethr --metric
  Get current weather in imperial units
    $ wethr --imperial

confinement: strict
base: core20

apps:
  wethr:
    command: bin/wethr

parts:
  wethr:
    source: .
    plugin: npm
    npm-node-version: 14.16.1

Add a part written in Node¶

parts:
  wethr:
    source: .
    plugin: npm
    npm-node-version: 14.16.1

Node parts are built with the npm plugin.

To declare a Node part:

Declare the general part keys, such as source, override-build, build-packages, and so on.
Set plugin: npm.
Determine how npm is added to the snap:
- If you want Snapcraft to download and pack npm, set npm-include-node: true, and then set npm-node-version to the required NPM version.
- If you’d rather manually pack npm into the snap, don’t set either of these keys. Instead, manually include a copy of npm in the files, and declare it in another part.
Set npm-node-version to the required NPM version.