deno add
The deno add command adds dependencies to your project's configuration file.
It is an alias for
deno install [PACKAGES].
For more on how Deno handles dependencies, see
Modules and dependencies.
Examples Jump to heading
Add packages from JSR and npm:
deno add npm:express hono zod
deno add jsr:@std/path
Unprefixed package names are treated as npm packages by default, so the npm:
prefix is no longer required at the CLI. deno add express is equivalent to
deno add npm:express. JSR packages still need the jsr: prefix to stay
unambiguous. The npm: prefix remains required in import specifiers.
By default, dependencies are added with a caret (^) version range. Use
--save-exact to pin to an exact version:
deno add --save-exact @std/path
This saves the dependency without the ^ prefix (e.g., 1.0.0 instead of
^1.0.0).
Where dependencies are stored Jump to heading
If your project has a package.json, npm packages will be added to
dependencies in package.json. Otherwise, all packages are added to the
imports field in deno.json.
To force every dependency to be written to package.json (creating one if
needed), pass --package-json (Deno 2.8+):
deno add --package-json npm:express jsr:@std/path
JSR packages added with --package-json are written in their npm-compatible
form (npm:@jsr/...). The same flag works on
deno install,
deno remove, and
deno uninstall.
deno add [OPTIONS] [packages]...Add dependencies to your configuration file.
deno add express
Unprefixed packages default to npm. Use jsr: prefix for jsr packages:
deno add jsr:@std/path
Or multiple dependencies at once:
deno add express jsr:@std/path
Options Jump to heading
--allow-scripts<PACKAGE>optionalAllow running npm lifecycle scripts for the given packages
Note: Scripts will only be executed when using a node_modules directory (--node-modules-dir).
--dev, -DAdd the package as a dev dependency. Note: This only applies when adding to a package.json file.
--jsrassume unprefixed package names are jsr packages.
--lockfile-onlyInstall only updating the lockfile.
--npmassume unprefixed package names are npm packages (default).
--package-jsonForce using package.json for dependency management instead of deno.json.
--save-exactSave exact version without the caret (^).
Dependency management options Jump to heading
--frozen<BOOLEAN>optionalError out if lockfile is out of date.
--lock<FILE>optionalCheck the specified lock file. (If value is not provided, defaults to "./deno.lock").
--no-lockDisable auto discovery of the lock file.
