npm-name-check

Instantly check if npm package names are available — with bulk check and smart suggestions.

Why?

Coming up with a good npm package name is hard. Names get taken fast, and checking one at a time on npmjs.com is painfully slow.

npm-name-check lets you check dozens of names in seconds, right from your terminal — and suggests alternatives when your first choice is taken.

Install

npm install -g npm-name-check

Or use it instantly without installing:

npx npm-name-check my-awesome-lib

Usage

# Check a single name
npm-name-check my-awesome-lib
# ✅ my-awesome-lib is available!

# Check multiple names at once
npm-name-check react vue svelte solid
# ❌ react — taken
# ❌ vue — taken
# ❌ svelte — taken
# ❌ solid — taken

# Get suggestions for taken names
npm-name-check react --suggest
# ❌ react — taken
# 💡 Suggestions:
#   ✅ react-toolkit
#   ✅ my-react
#   ✅ react-plus

Features

• ⚡ Fast — parallel checks against the npm registry
• 📦 Bulk check — check multiple names in one command
• 💡 Smart suggestions — suggests available alternatives with common prefixes/suffixes
• 🎨 Color output — green for available, red for taken
• 🪶 Zero dependencies — just Node.js built-ins

Real-World Use Cases

1. Brainstorming a package name

npm-name-check utils helper toolkit toolbox kit

Check a batch of candidates in one shot instead of searching npmjs.com five times.

2. Pre-publish validation in CI

# In your CI pipeline — fail if name is already taken
npm-name-check $(node -p "require('./package.json').name") || exit 1

3. Finding a namespace for your org

npm-name-check acme-utils acme-cli acme-core acme-sdk --suggest

4. Name research for a new project

npm-name-check create-my-app my-app-cli my-app-core --suggest

Get suggestions for taken names automatically.

API

You can also use it programmatically:

const { checkName } = require('npm-name-check');

const result = await checkName('my-package');
// { name: 'my-package', available: true }

Comparison

Tool	Bulk Check	Suggestions	Zero Deps	CLI	Programmatic
npm-name-check	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
npm-name (sindresorhus)	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
npm-name-cli	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
npmjs.com search	❌	❌	—	❌	❌

Package Naming Tips

1. Keep it short — dep-size beats dependency-size-checker-tool
2. Use hyphens — my-tool not myTool or my_tool
3. Be descriptive — the name should hint at what it does
4. Avoid generic terms alone — utils is taken; acme-utils might not be
5. Check early — run npm-name-check before writing a single line of code

Related Tools

• commitwiz-ai — AI-powered git commit messages
• dep-size — Check npm package sizes before installing
• env-lint-cli — Validate .env files against .env.example
• license-maker — Add open source licenses in seconds

License

MIT © kszongic

Support

If this saved you time, consider sponsoring 💛