npm config set in CI

npm config controls registries, auth, and install behavior.

In CI you usually write an .npmrc with a token from a secret rather than committing config. Know which keys matter.

Common keys

registry - default registry URL
//registry/:_authToken - auth (in .npmrc)
fund=false, audit=false - quiet installs
cache - cache directory

Example in CI

Authenticate to a private registry from a secret.

shell

echo "//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=\${NPM_TOKEN}" > .npmrc

In CI

Never commit tokens. Write .npmrc at build time from \${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}. A 401 on install almost always means a missing or wrong token here.

Key takeaways

Write .npmrc from a secret at build time.
Set fund=false audit=false for quiet installs.
401 usually means a bad _authToken.