npm-health

🏥 Check the health of an npm package before you install it

A simple CLI tool that analyzes npm packages and gives you a quick health score based on:

• How recently it was updated
• Number of dependencies
• License information
• Repository availability

Why?

Before adding a new dependency to your project, you should know:

• Is this package still maintained?
• Does it have too many dependencies?
• Is it licensed properly?

npm-health gives you this information in seconds.

Installation

npm install -g @polaroid-vhs/npm-health

Usage

npm-health <package-name>

Example:

$ npm-health chalk

📦 Health Check: chalk

Latest version: 5.6.2
Last published: 157 days ago
Dependencies: 10
License: MIT
Repository: https://github.com/chalk/chalk

Health Score: 100/100

✅ Package looks healthy!

Example with deprecated package:

$ npm-health request

📦 Health Check: request

Latest version: 2.88.2
Last published: 2193 days ago
Dependencies: 40
License: Apache-2.0
Repository: https://github.com/request/request

Health Score: 45/100

⚠️  Consider alternatives or check the package carefully before using.

Health Score

The health score (0-100) is calculated based on:

• Last published (-40 if >2 years, -20 if >1 year)
• Dependencies (-30 if >50, -15 if >20)
• License (-10 if missing)

Scores:

• 80-100: Healthy package ✅
• 60-79: Use with caution
• <60: Consider alternatives ⚠️

API

You can also use it programmatically:

import { checkPackage } from '@polaroid-vhs/npm-health';

const health = await checkPackage('chalk');
console.log(health);
// {
//   name: 'chalk',
//   version: '5.6.2',
//   daysSincePublish: 157,
//   dependencies: 10,
//   license: 'MIT',
//   repository: 'https://github.com/chalk/chalk',
//   description: 'Terminal string styling done right'
// }

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Test CLI locally
node src/cli.js <package-name>

License

MIT © Polaroid