Managing third party libraries (not node modules) with nodejs?

Question

I'm using package.json file to define nodejs requirements, along with npm update, and of course is working fine.

How can I manage (update the easy way) other third party libraries with node? For example:

https://github.com/documentcloud/backbone.git
https://github.com/twitter/bootstrap.git

In vendor folder.

Answer 1

Summary: I think you want to use http://twitter.github.com/bower/

Details: There are two ways to understand your question:

• how to manage/update non-npm code?
• how to manage/update client-side javascript assets?

The question is worded as the former, but from your included examples I think what you want to ask the latter.

In case of server-side code, just insist all code gets shipped with npm-style package.json manifest. If the author of the code is unresponsive, fork it and add the manifest. There is no excuse.

For client-side code, the situation is different. There is no established standard for package management, however it's a widely recognized problem and very active field of development. Several challengers have risen recently, trying to grab the dominant position: BPM, Jam or Ender. It's your call which to pick, they are well summarized here: A package manager for web assets

However, all of the above address a slightly too ambitious problem - they try to sort out the transport of those modules to the browser (via lazy loading, require-js style, dependency resolution, concatenation/minification etc.) This also makes them more difficult to use.

A new entrant to the field is Bower from Twitter. It focuses just on download/update lifecycle in your vendor folder and ignores the browser delivery. I like that approach. You should check it out.

Answer 2

You could go for git submodules:

http://git-scm.com/book/en/Git-Tools-Submodules

Using someone else's repo as a Git Submodule on GitHub

[UPDATE 1] Do this at the root of your repository:

git submodule add git://github.com/documentcloud/backbone.git vendors/backbone
git submodule add git://github.com/twitter/bootstrap.git vendors/bootstrap

Check this for more: http://skyl.org/log/post/skyl/2009/11/nested-git-repositories-with-github-using-submodule-in-three-minutes/