Why I Always Peek at package.json When Exploring Open Source Projects

Whenever I browse open-source JavaScript projects on GitHub, there’s one file I always check first: package.json.
At first glance, it might seem like a boring metadata file — but over time, I realized package.json is a goldmine of ideas, inspiration, and hidden gems.

Let me explain why.

1. Discovering New Tools and Libraries

One of the biggest reasons I dive into package.json is to find libraries I've never heard of.
Maybe a project uses a super minimal validation library, a faster alternative to Lodash, or a clever state management tool that isn't mainstream yet.
By seeing what others are using, I often discover lightweight, modern, or specialized packages that solve problems in ways I hadn't thought of.

Sometimes I even stumble across new categories of tools — like form generators, headless CMS clients, bundlers I never knew existed — just because they were quietly sitting under dependencies.

2. Understanding the Project's Philosophy

Looking at the dependencies and devDependencies can tell you a lot about the mindset of the developers.

• If I see ESLint, Prettier, and TypeScript, I know they probably care deeply about code quality.
• If I see lots of micro-packages instead of big frameworks, I get the sense they value modularity.
• If I see heavy monorepo tools like Nx or Turborepo, it suggests they are building at scale.

The way a team structures their package.json reflects their priorities, style, and even how they think about growth.

3. Learning About New Trends

The frontend world moves ridiculously fast.
Yesterday’s best practice might be today’s tech debt.
By skimming through modern projects' package.json, I quickly catch new trends:

• Is Vite replacing Webpack here?
• Are people starting to use Bun instead of Node.js for scripts?
• Is Zod becoming the new de facto validation library instead of Yup?

Without reading blogs or watching 40-minute YouTube videos, just looking at a well-maintained package.json gives me a shortcut to the current trends.

4. Seeing How a Project is Built and Maintained

Another interesting part is looking into devDependencies.

This is where you often see:

• Testing frameworks (Vitest, Jest, Cypress, Playwright)
• Build tools (esbuild, rollup, swc)
• Type checking or linting tools
• Release automation tools (semantic-release, changesets)

It gives you real-world examples of how serious projects organize their development process, something that is rarely taught in tutorials.

5. Getting Small But Powerful Ideas

Sometimes it's not about big libraries — it’s about tiny tricks you find:

• A clever npm script that auto-cleans dist folders before building.
• Usage of husky and lint-staged to enforce clean Git commits.
• A script using concurrently to run dev server and linter at once.

These small techniques are often buried inside package.json, yet they are gems that can supercharge your own projects.

Other Things I Also Check

Here are a few more details I personally always peek at when opening package.json:

• "scripts" section — sometimes people have cool custom scripts (npm run storybook, npm run chromatic, npm run generate)
• "engines" field — tells me what Node.js version they are targeting
• "type" field — whether they are using ESM ("type": "module") or CommonJS
• Monorepo hints — if I see workspaces defined, it tells me the project is structured as a monorepo
• Side notes — sometimes people leave funny, hidden messages in comments inside the file or project metadata!

Finally

If you're like me and love learning naturally by seeing real-world code, then opening package.json is a habit you should build.
It’s fast, it’s revealing, and it connects you to the living practices of the open-source community — not just the polished stuff you find in tutorials.

Next time you visit a GitHub repo, before you even run npm install, open the package.json.
It might change how you think, code, and create.

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