npm vs Swift Package Manager

npm is a JavaScript package registry and command-line tool for sharing code and managing packages. The Registry and CLI are free for public package use, and the Free plan lets public package authors publish unlimited public packages. npm accepts package.json folders, gzipped tarballs, URLs, name-and-version or name-and-tag references, and Git URLs. Its tools support dependency resolution, lockfiles, workspaces, private registry authentication, and offline installation. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and other operating systems through Node.js installers or version managers. For private packages, the Paid user account plan is $7 a month; Pro is also $7 a month for individual creators, while Teams is $7 per user per month for teams and organizations. Pro includes unlimited private packages and package-based permissions; Teams adds team-based permissions. Organizations can manage members, teams, roles, permissions, and package access. All plans include basic support and automatic security warnings. Paid billing starts when card details are submitted, with the first month charged immediately.

Swift Package Manager is a free tool for sharing Swift code as packages, using dependencies, and building, testing, documenting, and running code. A package uses a Package.swift manifest alongside source files, resources, and other assets. Packages can provide library, executable, or plugin products, and can depend on other Swift packages, system libraries, or binary dependencies. Commands such as swift build and swift test support builds and tests; package dependencies are resolved automatically when swift build or swift run is invoked. Plugins can add build capabilities or commands, including generating source files and resources, and run in a sandbox that blocks network and most file-system access unless the user approves additional permissions. Swift Package Manager works from the command line and is integrated into Xcode. It supports macOS, Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Amazon Linux, as well as Windows; tools on macOS can build for Apple platforms including iOS. Swift 6.4 made Swift Build the default build system in Swift Package Manager.