Install npm packages for serverside

[enuchi]

Install npm packages for serverside

[enuchi]

You can't install node packages on the server unfortunately. Google Apps Script doesn't actually run node, it's just a javascript engine.

If you want to make http requests from the server you'll need to use Google Apps Script's UrlFetchApp service:
https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/url-fetch/url-fetch-app#fetch(String,Object)

[kickbox]

Hi @enuchi, thanks for getting back. Since App Script uses V8 runtime, can I install any package and run within the server environment? My use case goes beyond the axios example, sorry for not making it clear. Another example would be slack api - https://www.npmjs.com/package/slack.

[enuchi]

No @kickbox, I don't think the slack api won't work, since it is intended to run in node and expects the node libraries to be available. If you want to make HTTP requests, for instance for a slack integration, you'll have to use the UrlFetchApp service.

V8 runtime does not mean it is running node on the server. It is just a javascript engine that can process javascript code. The Google Apps Script environment does not include all the features that node does.

By the way, certain npm packages that don't have any external dependencies might work, for instance lodash or moment.js or other packages like that that are written in pure javascript. Try it out and let me know if you have any luck!

[kickbox]

Thanks @enuchi, that makes sense. How should I go about installing a package like moment.js for serverside? Would creating a local clone be the best option?

[kickbox]

Installing moment.js is easy, just had to put the entire source code in a directory and reference it. Generally I think anything that requires npm and has dependencies in package.json wont work.