What is npm audit?

npm audit is a command-line tool provided by npm (Node Package Manager) that helps identify and fix security vulnerabilities in npm packages used in a Node.js project. It analyzes the dependencies listed in a project’s package.json file and provides a report detailing any known vulnerabilities present in those dependencies. In this article, we’ll explore npm audit, its significance, usage, and best practices for addressing security vulnerabilities in Node.js projects.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js
• NPM

npm audit is a command-line tool provided by npm (Node Package Manager) that scans your project’s dependencies for security vulnerabilities. It checks against a database of known vulnerabilities and provides a report detailing any issues found.

When you run npm audit, it contacts the npm Security team’s database to fetch the latest vulnerability information for the packages listed in your project’s package.json. It then compares this information against the versions of the packages installed in your project to determine if any vulnerabilities are present. Once the analysis is complete, npm audit generate a report detailing the vulnerabilities found, their severity levels, and recommendations for remediation.

• Vulnerability Detection: Identifies security vulnerabilities in your project’s dependencies.
• Severity Levels: Classifies vulnerabilities into high, moderate, and low severity.
• Detailed Reports: Provides comprehensive reports with information on each vulnerability.
• Fix Recommendations: Offers suggestions on how to resolve identified vulnerabilities.

Step 1: Open Terminal and Navigate to Project Directory

Step 2: Run npm audit Command

Step 3: Review Audit Report

• Stay Updated: Regularly run npm audit to check for new vulnerabilities in your project dependencies.
• Update Dependencies: Follow the recommendations provided by npm audit to update vulnerable packages to their latest, patched versions.
• Review Vulnerabilities: Understand the nature and impact of each vulnerability identified by npm audit to prioritize remediation efforts effectively.
• Apply Fixes Carefully: Apply fixes cautiously, testing them thoroughly to ensure they don’t introduce new issues or break existing functionality.
• Automate Security Checks: Integrate npm audit into your continuous integration (CI) pipeline to automate security checks and catch vulnerabilities early in the development process.

• Apply the suggested fix automatically: If you want npm to automatically fix the vulnerabilities, run npm audit fix. Note that some vulnerabilities cannot be fixed automatically and will require manual intervention or review. There will be additional output in the console.
• Configs: npm audit fix runs a full-fledged npm install under the hood, all configs that apply to the installer will also apply to npm install. Commands like npm audit fix --package-lock-only will work as expected. If the update requires moving to a major version, then you’ll need to add the force flag:

npm audit fix --force

• Take manual actions: If there are no patches for the identified issues, the security audit report will give you more details on how to carry out manual investigations to address them.

npm audit is a valuable tool for identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities in Node.js projects. By running npm audit regularly and following best practices for addressing vulnerabilities, developers can enhance the security of their applications and mitigate the risks associated with third-party dependencies. Incorporating npm audit into your development workflow helps maintain the integrity and security of your Node.js projects, contributing to a safer and more resilient software ecosystem.